[majorvices]

Brewing a test batch today. Here's what the recipe is:

12 gallons

12 lbs Pils
8 lbs Vienna
4 lbs cara Red
3 lbs Sugar

Wasn't red. A little orangy looking. Added another pound of cara red (5 lbs now). Still not red. What the...?

Gonna put a smidgen of carafa special II in to redden it up was wondering if the homebrew shoppe gave me something else. I broke open a kernal and it was red on inside. But the wort wasn't red.

[denny]

I guess it depends on what you think of as "red".  It's not red as in red velvet cake, but to me it seems to give the beer a definite reddish hue.

[bluesman]

Gonna put a smidgen of carafa special II in to redden it up

That should help. If you have a coffee grinder...try grinding a smidge to a powder and sprinkle over the mash right before the sparge. Should do the trick. 

[majorvices]

Not looking for velvet cake, just looking for red. I'm not a vampire or nothin'. 

[majorvices]

Actually, it's the perfect color now with the carafa and the extra lb of cara red. Could be a tiny bit darker but for this test batch I'm gonna go with it.

[euge]

Can you post a pic of the "red"?

[majorvices]

I can try with my cell phone. Give me an hour or so.

BTW: When I first pulled a sample (around 10 minutes after dough in) it was decidedly blonde. I wonder if you just need to let it sit? I never really questioned the color of wort so early on in the mash before.

[theDarkSide]

Can you post a pic of the "red"?

[EHall]

I'm pretty sure carared is just a proprietary name... its basically C 20....

20° L. Provides fuller body and imparts a deep, saturated red color, particularly to red ales and lagers, Scottish ales, bocks and altbiers.
but says you can use up to 25%... obviously its gone thru a slighty different process...

[majorvices]

Can you post a pic of the "red"?

You really dug for that one. 

[majorvices]

I'm pretty sure carared is just a proprietary name... its basically C 20....

20° L. Provides fuller body and imparts a deep, saturated red color, particularly to red ales and lagers, Scottish ales, bocks and altbiers.
but says you can use up to 25%... obviously its gone thru a slighty different process...

Next your gonna tell me that CaraVienne is just C 20 and Cara Munich is C-40 or 60. 

[EHall]

those witty Germans...

[denny]

I'm pretty sure carared is just a proprietary name... its basically C 20....

I've heard that before, but my experience in using it quite a bit is that it's darker and more fermentable.

[EHall]

Yea, like I said there is definately something different about it... its labeled as 20L but even using 4-5# of crystal 20 wont turn your beer red....

[jaybeerman]

I bet it's tasty though.