Winter 2016 RCE Red XIPA - BigPapaG/Screwy

[ScrewyBrewer]

Guess what came in today? All the ingredients for our Red XIPA beer!

Red XIPAsml.jpg (72.07 KiB) Viewed 774 times

Time to put my thinking cap on and remember how to brew a partial mash in the kitchen. If all goes as planned this weekend will add another 5 gallons of beer to the rotation and give me an idea of how the Red X malt works in a beer.

[Beer-lord]

Keep us updated. I'm still going back and forth with how I'll use my 10 lbs. Maybe use half of it in one try and half in another. I really don't know.....been changing my mind so I put it away for awhile.

[Kealia]

Hmmm, Red X malt, Cascade, Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe....I'm liking this.

[BigPapaG]

Hmmm, Red X malt, Cascade, Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe....I'm liking this.

And Pils Extract... And US-05 we were thinking...

[mashani]

I don't see how this can go wrong, although I would have gotten non-canned Pils extract. I don't like the canned stuff as much. It doesn't ferment out as well/consistently as the fresh MoreBeer stuff (even though it is the same Briess stuff), as what is in the can is of indeterminate age and storage conditions - so if you use it again later to re-brew it might not turn out quite the same. Where MoreBeers stuff they get it fresh right off the loading dock of Briess and then sell it right away.

But... this sounds delicious.

[FedoraDave]

Looks good! Keep us updated. I love it when an RCE comes together.

[BigPapaG]

... as what is in the can is of indeterminate age and storage conditions...

Generally correct... Age and storage can be an issue...

The good news in this case is, Screwy got this lme from the LHBS that I use and I can vouch for the fact that they turn their pils lme around as quickly as I have ever seen... Since I use it as well, I know... In this case, he'll be fine...

I get a little more concerened about how I buy it lately... To save some bucks, I get 33 lb growlers of it... Also very fresh (I get it the day it arrives) but since I get about 5- 7 brew sessions out of it until it's gone.... Well, certainly it has some age on it by the fifth brew...

In any case, I have all my ingredients as well and am looking forward to brewing this one soon.

Not sure exactly when, but soon I hope.

[bpgreen]

... as what is in the can is of indeterminate age and storage conditions...

Generally correct... Age and storage can be an issue...

The good news in this case is, Screwy got this lme from the LHBS that I use and I can vouch for the fact that they turn their pils lme around as quickly as I have ever seen... Since I use it as well, I know... In this case, he'll be fine...

I get a little more concerened about how I buy it lately... To save some bucks, I get 33 lb growlers of it... Also very fresh (I get it the day it arrives) but since I get about 5- 7 brew sessions out of it until it's gone.... Well, certainly it has some age on it by the fifth brew...

In any case, I have all my ingredients as well and am looking forward to brewing this one soon.

Not sure exactly when, but soon I hope.

I buy in bulk, also. My LHBS gives a discount for 33 (36?) lbs or more. I have a bunch of 1/2 gallon containers. I divide it up (one container holds 6 lbs) and freeze what I won't use right away.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Keep us updated. I'm still going back and forth with how I'll use my 10 lbs. Maybe use half of it in one try and half in another. I really don't know.....been changing my mind so I put it away for awhile.

Well @Beer-lord one thing I know for sure is that I'll be brewing this batch in the brew room. Everything needed to do a partial mash is already in there waiting to go on Saturday. I've brewed so many all grain batches over the past year and a half, I'm actually looking forward to brewing a partial mash 5'er for a change.

Just having 5 pounds of Red X malt on hand had me thinking about ordering another 10 pounds of it. I'm just typing out loud but for an all grain batch 12 pounds of Red X malt, 1 pound of Pilsner malt, 4 ounces of of Weyermann Carafa I malt and 4 ounces of Rahr Unmalted Wheat. I'd use the same water profile as I do now for my Hiphopapocalypse IPA, but the hop additions BigPapaG and I came up with for the RCE are like wow. Hopping an IPA with Simcoe will be an absolute first for me. So will using, my absolute favorite hops ever, Chinook, Citra, Cascades and Amarillo together too.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Hmmm, Red X malt, Cascade, Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe....I'm liking this.

Don't forget the Chinook too.

[ScrewyBrewer]

I don't see how this can go wrong, although I would have gotten non-canned Pils extract. I don't like the canned stuff as much. It doesn't ferment out as well/consistently as the fresh MoreBeer stuff (even though it is the same Briess stuff), as what is in the can is of indeterminate age and storage conditions - so if you use it again later to re-brew it might not turn out quite the same. Where MoreBeers stuff they get it fresh right off the loading dock of Briess and then sell it right away.

But... this sounds delicious.

@mashani thank you for sharing that, I didn't even know that such a thing existed. With fresh Briess non-canned extract is it packaged in air tight plastic or something? Similar toe White Labs pure pitch packages, I don't even make starters when pitching that yeast, as long as its fresh.

[ScrewyBrewer]

... as what is in the can is of indeterminate age and storage conditions...

Generally correct... Age and storage can be an issue...

The good news in this case is, Screwy got this lme from the LHBS that I use and I can vouch for the fact that they turn their pils lme around as quickly as I have ever seen... Since I use it as well, I know... In this case, he'll be fine...

I get a little more concerened about how I buy it lately... To save some bucks, I get 33 lb growlers of it... Also very fresh (I get it the day it arrives) but since I get about 5- 7 brew sessions out of it until it's gone.... Well, certainly it has some age on it by the fifth brew...

In any case, I have all my ingredients as well and am looking forward to brewing this one soon.

Not sure exactly when, but soon I hope.

@BigPapaG this is going to be awesome!

[ScrewyBrewer]

... as what is in the can is of indeterminate age and storage conditions...

Generally correct... Age and storage can be an issue...

The good news in this case is, Screwy got this lme from the LHBS that I use and I can vouch for the fact that they turn their pils lme around as quickly as I have ever seen... Since I use it as well, I know... In this case, he'll be fine...

I get a little more concerened about how I buy it lately... To save some bucks, I get 33 lb growlers of it... Also very fresh (I get it the day it arrives) but since I get about 5- 7 brew sessions out of it until it's gone.... Well, certainly it has some age on it by the fifth brew...

In any case, I have all my ingredients as well and am looking forward to brewing this one soon.

Not sure exactly when, but soon I hope.

I buy in bulk, also. My LHBS gives a discount for 33 (36?) lbs or more. I have a bunch of 1/2 gallon containers. I divide it up (one container holds 6 lbs) and freeze what I won't use right away.

@bpgree I am definitely learning a about where and also how to select the best extract options, thank you.

[BigPapaG]

Agreed Vince!

I am chomping at the bit to brew this!

So far, our recipes differ in only the following ways:

You are using 5 lbs of Red X, I think my pot will max out at 4 lbs.

So, I will use the four pounds of Red X and add about a pound more Pils LME and a few ounces of sugar to make up the difference.

I really liked the color of Rebel's Red X hydro sample but he was at like 73% Red X in his grain bill and yours is less, and mine less still... I think I'm at 53% Red X...

So, we both are using a touch of dark malt to enhance the color... Carafa for you, Midnight Wheat for me.

The last difference is that you will use your IPA water profile and I will go with straight up Lake Erie as I always do. This could be big!

Everything else is the same so they should be very close in final product...

With the exception of the different water profiles...

And therein lies the test...

We should be able to discern a difference based on the water...

[bpgreen]

I don't see how this can go wrong, although I would have gotten non-canned Pils extract. I don't like the canned stuff as much. It doesn't ferment out as well/consistently as the fresh MoreBeer stuff (even though it is the same Briess stuff), as what is in the can is of indeterminate age and storage conditions - so if you use it again later to re-brew it might not turn out quite the same. Where MoreBeers stuff they get it fresh right off the loading dock of Briess and then sell it right away.

But... this sounds delicious.

@mashani thank you for sharing that, I didn't even know that such a thing existed. With fresh Briess non-canned extract is it packaged in air tight plastic or something? Similar toe White Labs pure pitch packages, I don't even make starters when pitching that yeast, as long as its fresh.

My LHBS gets big barrels (probably 55 gallon, which would be about 660 lbs).

They used to sell light, medium, dark, but now only sell Pilsen/extra light. If you want to change it, you use steeping grains. That way they turn it over faster and it's always fresh. I always call or email in advance, and it's rare that a barrel is more than a week old. I ask in advance because I buy in bulk to get a discount and want to make sure they have enough. One reason they go through it so fast is because they sell a lot to bakeries.

A long time ago, I bought a 15 kg jerrican of muntons, and there may be places that sell those (but shipping would be a killer).

I used to fill a 5 gallon container, bring it home and sole it out, but they told me it's just as easy for them to fill individual containers, so I do that now.