looking to make a red

[BeerRust]

I am due to brew a few more brews and trying to come up with some ideas. One thing I have not done is a RED.

Any ideas where to start for an extract with grain steeps?

[swenocha]

There are several ways to get there. I currently have a red ale fermenting that is detailed here that is an AG using munich, caramunich and crystal 80. In the past when I've done LME versions, I've used something around 10% of the grain bill in crystal 60 and 2.5% crystal 120 in the steep to achieve the red color. You can also use an small amount of dehusked carafa III to get similar results.

Here is one of my LME based versions that I quite liked (linky), though I now wouldn't advise using the flaked corn in a steep (I do, however, still use it in my all-grain mash). If I were doing an LME version of this again, I'd either use corn syrup or additional extract in place of the corn, or I'd just mini-mash the grains (would need to add some base grain to do that though):

Chirp! Red Ale
--------------
Brewer: Swenocha
Style: Red Ale
Batch: 2.40 gal
Extract

Characteristics
---------------
Recipe Gravity: 1.056 OG
Recipe Bitterness: 20 IBU
Recipe Color: 17° SRM
Estimated FG: 1.014
Alcohol by Volume: 5.6 %
Alcohol by Weight: 4.5 %
Ingredients
-----------
Briess DME - Golden Light 0.50 lb, Extract, Extract
Briess LME - Pilsen Light 3.30 lb, Extract, Extract
CaraMunich 0.50 lb, Grain, steeped
Crystal 120L 0.50 lb, Grain, steeped
Flaked Corn 0.50 lb, Adjunct, steeped
Kent Goldings (U.K.) 0.50 oz, Pellet, 60 minutes
Kent Goldings (U.K.) 0.25 oz, Pellet, 15 minutes
s-04 dry yeast 1.00 unit, Other,
Whirfloc 0.50 unit, Fining, 15 min

[mashani]

I like 80L in my reds a lot.

[berryman]

Here's a easy over the counter Red I've done quite a few times http://www.midwestsupplies.com/irish-red-ale-kit.html. I sent one out in the secret santa thing a while back and he liked it so much he wanted to know what it was and I told him and now he brews it a lot. A Simple extract brew.
Edit: I've done it with 05 everytime, but I'm thinking 04 might be even better on this one.......

[RickBeer]

I like the Mackinac Island Red from Adventures in Home Brewing. Have a batch that will be ready next weekend.

[BeerRust]

Those seem interesting. What is the best way to achieve the red color, with a good profil?

[RickBeer]

The Mackinac uses Pale LME, 8oz of Crystal 120 and 6 oz of Amber. Very simple recipe, and tasty!

[berryman]

Some may frown upon this but I have added a few drops of red food coloring at the end of the boil to get a nice red color to some of my reds and it doesn't change the taste.

[mashani]

Traditional reds have just a smidgen of really dark roasted grain like roasted barley or British chocolate malt (480L+ type of stuff), along with light to medium crystal malts like 20L to 60L (or 45L/55L British crystal). I tend to make mine that way with a small amount of 75L or 80L too.

The 120L is very tasty stuff, as is the special B you can find in some recipes - but both of those can bring a dark stone fruit vibe to the party that I personally am not looking for in my reds and is not really authentic in a traditional sense. Just depends on what you want.

I tend to use british ale yeasts in my reds too. I like them to be bready, malty, grainy, and just a little bit sweet.

[Gymrat]

Here's a easy over the counter Red I've done quite a few times http://www.midwestsupplies.com/irish-red-ale-kit.html. I sent one out in the secret santa thing a while back and he liked it so much he wanted to know what it was and I told him and now he brews it a lot. A Simple extract brew.
Edit: I've done it with 05 everytime, but I'm thinking 04 might be even better on this one.......

I did this kit several times when I was extract brewing. When I first started doing all grain I bought the all grain version. I do like it better with 04. I also beefed mine up by dry hopping a couple ounces of fuggles to give it some aroma.

[BeerRust]

Cool I actually have some Chocolate and Crystal from past brews. Should I go with light or extra light DME?

[swenocha]

I don't know that it matters that much in regards to light v. extra light, IMHO. Just be careful with the amount of chocolate malt... I think in too high of quantity, it will skew the flavor profile away from a red and into a porter-ish. But that's just MHO. I think Mashani's "smidgen" description is especially apt in this case. Keep us posted on progress...

[BeerRust]

I'm thinking; 2.5 gals

Steeped
2 Oz's crystal 40L
2 Oz's chocolate

3 lbs Light DME

.5 Oz's EKG 20 mins
.5 Oz's EKG 5 mins

S-04
Keep it nice and simple.

[mashani]

If it was me, I'd go with just 1oz of chocolate, and a bit more crystal, like 2-3oz of C40 and 2-3oz of something darker like C-80 to get more color and flavor.

2oz of chocolate and you might start to taste it and you don't want to be making a pale porter I assume. When I said smidgen I really meant smidgen!

Somebody here would say that would be icky.

Somebody


(it probably still would taste good, but still perhaps not as intended)

[FedoraDave]

If it was me, I'd go with just 1oz of chocolate, and a bit more crystal, like 2-3oz of C40 and 2-3oz of something darker like C-80 to get more color and flavor.

2oz of chocolate and you might start to taste it and you don't want to be making a pale porter I assume. When I said smidgen I really meant smidgen!

Somebody here would say that would be icky.

Somebody


(it probably still would taste good, but still perhaps not as intended)

I agree on dialing back on the chocolate. You want it in there, but you don't want it taking over, which it can do pretty quickly. And I've learned that it's easier to make adjustments when you have too little and have to add than it is when you have too much and need to scale it back.