[HoosierBrew]

Thinking of using 5kg Red X and mashing at 67 for 60mins with some mosaic. How will the flavour profile of the hops come through with the Red x? Heard it's got a strong malt taste. Was going to use 1kg of golden promises and 4kg to help level out but my SRM drops to 11.04 and don't know if il achieve the red clarity I'm after. Any advice welcome


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Not sure what style you're brewing (pale ale I assume) but the Mosaic will come through. But Red X is very malty, so I would use more Mosaic than if you were brewing from a base of say 2 row and some crystal. Depending on what your goals are, a moderate amount of sulfate content (in the form of gypsum) would dry out the malty finish some. As for the color, Red X is stated to give a deep red color when used at 100% of the grist in a 1.050-ish beer. Hope this helps some.

[monkeymullins]

Aiming for a red/amber ale.
20g @ 60
30g whirlpool for 20min
50g dry hop for 5 days
I'm aiming for around the 1.050ish mark and unsure to go all red x or mix with 1kg of golden promise but will I lose clarity of the red with the mix of golden promise?


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[HoosierBrew]

Aiming for a red/amber ale.
20g @ 60
30g whirlpool for 20min
50g dry hop for 5 days
I'm aiming for around the 1.050ish mark and unsure to go all red x or mix with 1kg of golden promise but will I lose clarity of the red with the mix of golden promise?


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The kg of Golden Promise would lighten color a tad, but it would still be a reddish beer. The 100% Red X @ 1.050 makes a deep red beer. It'll be good either way.

[erockrph]

Aiming for a red/amber ale.
20g @ 60
30g whirlpool for 20min
50g dry hop for 5 days
I'm aiming for around the 1.050ish mark and unsure to go all red x or mix with 1kg of golden promise but will I lose clarity of the red with the mix of golden promise?

I hate to say it, but if you want bright red, you want to use 100% Red X for the best results. And if you want a lot of hop character you should use less than 30% Red X for the best results. I've been working on a hoppy red lager since Red X was first released, and I've written it off as a lost cause. Red X is just too malty rich to let hops shine through to the extent I hoped.

At 20% of the grain bill, the beer should still be mostly red, but there will be shades of orange or brown. I've only gotten that brilliant ruby color with 100% Red X, and it needs to be crystal clear.

For a point of reference, my last Red X beer was 83% Red X and 17% flaked corn. I used 6 oz (~180g) of hops in a 1-hour whirlpool (2.5 gallon/10L batch). The hops were noticeable, but had no pop or brightness to them. The beer isn't bad, but make sure you set your expectations properly if you use Red X as a base for a hoppy beer.

[yso191]

I've only tried RedX once and didn't like it.  To me it tasted under-attenuated & flabby.

I used 50% Red X, 45.5% Pilsner, and 4.5% sugar.  It finished at 1.011.  Not super low, but it shouldn't have tasted as worty as it did.

[Iliff Ave]

I've only tried RedX once and didn't like it.  To me it tasted under-attenuated & flabby.

I used 50% Red X, 45.5% Pilsner, and 4.5% sugar.  It finished at 1.011.  Not super low, but it shouldn't have tasted as worty as it did.

Thanks for posting this. My next planned batch is 50/50 Red X and Pilsner with a couple ounces of carafa. I used red x at 100% in my first attempt and wasn't crazy about it but thought I would see what cutting it in half would do.

[Iliff Ave]

I've only tried RedX once and didn't like it.  To me it tasted under-attenuated & flabby.

I used 50% Red X, 45.5% Pilsner, and 4.5% sugar.  It finished at 1.011.  Not super low, but it shouldn't have tasted as worty as it did.

Thanks for posting this. My next planned batch is 50/50 Red X and Pilsner with a couple ounces of carafa. I used red x at 100% in my first attempt and wasn't crazy about it but thought I would see what cutting it in half would do.

As an update for anyone who might be interested; the beer referenced above is in the keg and carbed.

Cutting the amount of Red X in half from my first attempt made much less of a difference than I expected. To me, it's like munich on steroids with a distinct notes of caramel, butterscotch, and cherry. It finished at 1.012. I threw in 2 oz of Ahtanum and 1 oz of Centennial at the end of the boil and you would have no idea after trying the beer. That said, more hopping than I would normally do on a beer like this seems to have balanced out the crazy malt character a bit but I am getting a pretty 'generic' hop bitterness and flavor beneath the malt. I have considered throwing some hops in the keg but I think it may muddle the character completely and not complement the beer. Going with the Amber bitter water profile seems to have helped promote a more crisp finish which is nice since I had originally planned on Amber balanced.

I am starting to consider it as more of a specialty malt in place of smaller amounts of munich where I want more complexity and color. I think I will continue to use it in future versions of this beer and just decrease the amount until I am happy with it. After two attempts, I honestly don't know if I like this malt or not. I think if used in the right place at the right amount, it could be really nice for my purposes.

[HoosierBrew]

I've only tried RedX once and didn't like it.  To me it tasted under-attenuated & flabby.

I used 50% Red X, 45.5% Pilsner, and 4.5% sugar.  It finished at 1.011.  Not super low, but it shouldn't have tasted as worty as it did.

Thanks for posting this. My next planned batch is 50/50 Red X and Pilsner with a couple ounces of carafa. I used red x at 100% in my first attempt and wasn't crazy about it but thought I would see what cutting it in half would do.

As an update for anyone who might be interested; the beer referenced above is in the keg and carbed.

Cutting the amount of Red X in half from my first attempt made much less of a difference than I expected. To me, it's like munich on steroids with a distinct notes of caramel, butterscotch, and cherry. It finished at 1.012. I threw in 2 oz of Ahtanum and 1 oz of Centennial at the end of the boil and you would have no idea after trying the beer. That said, more hopping than I would normally do on a beer like this seems to have balanced out the crazy malt character a bit but I am getting a pretty 'generic' hop bitterness and flavor beneath the malt. I have considered throwing some hops in the keg but I think it may muddle the character completely and not complement the beer. Going with the Amber bitter water profile seems to have helped promote a more crisp finish which is nice since I had originally planned on Amber balanced.

I am starting to consider it as more of a specialty malt in place of smaller amounts of munich where I want more complexity and color. I think I will continue to use it in future versions of this beer and just decrease the amount until I am happy with it. After two attempts, I honestly don't know if I like this malt or not. I think if used in the right place at the right amount, it could be really nice for my purposes.

Thanks for the follow up, Chris! I kinda feel the same way. I don't like it at the stated usage rate, or even close. Think I'll probably use it more at a specialty malt rate and judge from there.

[Stevie]

My last use at 90% is still in the fermenter but has promise over the previous batches. I targeted 5.35ph and overshot at 5.6. Overall the flavor is better and the color seems deeper and more red.

[muzak]

I just subbed Red X for 2 pounds of Munich in my House Amber. Totally transformed the beer into what I always wanted. It brought wonderful maltiness that pairs well with the sweetness of the Crystal 80 in the recipe, and really plays well with the hops.

Red X will now be a mainstay in my grain inventory.

[bhchrist]

I have really enjoyed my first experience with Red X. 100% Red X Pale Ale. Long, near two hour mash with a rest at 126F then up to 149F. Started at 1.048 and finished at 1.010 using the Vermont Ale/Conan yeast strain. Bittered with Warrior and late hopped/dry hopped with a bunch of Cashmere. The interplay between the bready, cherry malt profile and the peach/lime/citrus from the yeast and Cashmere are really nice. Very clear with some gelatin fining and a wonderful head with good retention.

Looking forward to trying this in a California Common.

[muzak]

Looking forward to trying this in a California Common.

Wow, I hadn't thought of that!

I think the Red X would play really well with Cal/SF Lager yeast's fruity esters.

[erockrph]

Cutting the amount of Red X in half from my first attempt made much less of a difference than I expected. To me, it's like munich on steroids with a distinct notes of caramel, butterscotch, and cherry. It finished at 1.012. I threw in 2 oz of Ahtanum and 1 oz of Centennial at the end of the boil and you would have no idea after trying the beer. That said, more hopping than I would normally do on a beer like this seems to have balanced out the crazy malt character a bit but I am getting a pretty 'generic' hop bitterness and flavor beneath the malt. I have considered throwing some hops in the keg but I think it may muddle the character completely and not complement the beer. Going with the Amber bitter water profile seems to have helped promote a more crisp finish which is nice since I had originally planned on Amber balanced.

I am starting to consider it as more of a specialty malt in place of smaller amounts of munich where I want more complexity and color. I think I will continue to use it in future versions of this beer and just decrease the amount until I am happy with it. After two attempts, I honestly don't know if I like this malt or not. I think if used in the right place at the right amount, it could be really nice for my purposes.

This is right in line with my experience. I could see it working well in an amber, or a balanced APA. Unfortunately, this is not the key to a ruby red IPA as I had originally hoped.

I still have quite a bit on hand. I think I want to try it at 100% in other styles like Dunkel and Saison to see if it is a fit there. It still makes for a great color when used at 100%, I just don't know if I've found the right style for that malt bill yet.

[Iliff Ave]

Cutting the amount of Red X in half from my first attempt made much less of a difference than I expected. To me, it's like munich on steroids with a distinct notes of caramel, butterscotch, and cherry. It finished at 1.012. I threw in 2 oz of Ahtanum and 1 oz of Centennial at the end of the boil and you would have no idea after trying the beer. That said, more hopping than I would normally do on a beer like this seems to have balanced out the crazy malt character a bit but I am getting a pretty 'generic' hop bitterness and flavor beneath the malt. I have considered throwing some hops in the keg but I think it may muddle the character completely and not complement the beer. Going with the Amber bitter water profile seems to have helped promote a more crisp finish which is nice since I had originally planned on Amber balanced.

I am starting to consider it as more of a specialty malt in place of smaller amounts of munich where I want more complexity and color. I think I will continue to use it in future versions of this beer and just decrease the amount until I am happy with it. After two attempts, I honestly don't know if I like this malt or not. I think if used in the right place at the right amount, it could be really nice for my purposes.

This is right in line with my experience. I could see it working well in an amber, or a balanced APA. Unfortunately, this is not the key to a ruby red IPA as I had originally hoped.

I still have quite a bit on hand. I think I want to try it at 100% in other styles like Dunkel and Saison to see if it is a fit there. It still makes for a great color when used at 100%, I just don't know if I've found the right style for that malt bill yet.

My main worry is that I would miss the color by cutting it to 50% and using some carafa but the color turned out perfect and honestly better than I remember the 100% batch. In hydrometer samples it was definitely looking more amber than anything. I am hoping to still be able to use enough of it to get some color benefits but back off on the things that I think are too heavy handed.