Exodus Red Ale

This is my second recipe and I'm really happy with how it turned out. It has a very thick mouthfeel and the hops are well balanced. The only thing I don't like is that it is a very dark red. It's more of a brown color but it definitely has a red ale flavor.










Recipe:





3 Gallons


SG: 1.049
FG: 1.015
ABV: 4.48
Color: 12.9 SRM
IBU: 32.7

Grains:


5lb Pale Malt
.33lb Crystal 60L
.10lb Flaked Barley
.10lb Chocolate Malt



Hops:


1 oz Fuggles 60 min
.5 oz Fuggles 15 min
.25 oz Fuggles 10 min



Yeast:
European Ale Wyeast 1338

Mash schedule:

Mash in 11.06 qt at 95 for 45 min
Decoct 2.95 qt
122 for 60 min
Decoct 3.69 qt
148 for 30 min
Decoct 2 qt
158 for 30 min
Mash out at 168

Fermentation:



3 weeks at 68
Bottle condition 5 weeks



Notes:


As you can probably tell, I followed a triple decoction mash schedule. I don't believe decoctions are necessary, especially for English ales. However, I wanted to figure out the technique before I tried it on wheat beers or Belgians, which typically do use some sort of decoction process. Also, when I bought my grains, the LHBS didn't have flaked barley so I substituted pale malt. Since I didn't have flaked barley to add thickness, the decoction was my substitute.

Let me say, this ale is awesome. It has a tremendous thick mouthfeel. It almost, but not quite, has a stout mouthfeel. That's pretty impressive for a beer that's almost straight pale malt (in my opinion).

It has a solid red ale taste and the fuggle hops (although I know so many people are not a fan) meld really well together. As I've said before, I'm not a tremendous fan of hoppy beers. This is on the upper reach of my enjoyment of a hoppy beer, but it works really well because it's balanced with a great maltiness. I find Smithwick's -- the standard for red ales -- a little thin and boring. This beer really kicks up the taste without going overboard and becoming an imperial red. I think this has a flavor more like Sam Adams Irish Red, but a much thicker mouthfeel.

I definitely foresee myself making this again. I might try making it with a single infusion mash, but I will definitely make future batches with a triple decoction.

Pictures to follow!