Our homebrew swap/exchange program hits the big 2-0 as we take a look and a taste of a beer from a guy named Chris from Montana.

True Celt Irish Red

You may know this guy from the comments section on our YouTube channel. His handle is the The True Celt and he is a regular contributor to our video output. It was an honor to get a beer from him. Here are the particulars that we got from him on this beer.

Irish Red Ale – BJCP category 15A

Brewed in June 2017
Bottled in July 2017
10.5 gallon batch

Grain Bill:

90% Maris Otter Pale Malt
3.3% Crystal 40°L
3.3% Crystal 120°L
3.3% Roasted Barley

Hops:

3 ounces East Kent Goldings – 4% alpha acids – added with 60 minutes to go in the boil.

Yeast: Wyeast London Ale III

Details:
Mash was at 153° F for 60 minutes
Mashing out 168° F for 15 minutes

Boil was fort 60 minutes
Original Gravity: 1.060

Fermented in primary at 72° F for 10 days
Racked to Secondary and conditioned at 65° F for 8 days

Bottle conditioned and sent to us.

Tasting Notes

Mike stated the beer had a big doughy, bready aroma with hints of graham cracker or molasses. It also have a subtle yeast character. The flavor was smooth and had a very nice, dry finish. The mouthfeel was medium-bodied, not too full for the high-ish gravity. Our overall impression was that this beer was well balanced and hit the right notes for the style.

Some of our thoughts for next time included bringing down the carbonation a bit. A softer carbonation would bring out the malts a bit more. The other thought we had was in regards to the roast character. We felt like if Chris pulled back on the roasted barley, either by using a lower Lovibond roasted barley or by bringing down the amount in the grain bill, it would lighten the roasted quality and potentially make the red color pop a little more.

A great beer and a welcome swap to taste for our 20th exchange.

Cheers and brew on!