NomoAdmin: Created page with "Shun Nakade (expat Brewers) I’m brewing a Red IPA next week. Funny timing. My go to malt bill is: ~75% Base Malt -12% Melanoidin ~12% Spelt Malt ~1% Midnight Wheat As expected, the ratio varies depending on the color ramge you are aiming for, and which base malt you are using. I tend to go for Ireks Pilsner or Rahr North Star. Red X is good but I have had a few under attenuated beers when I went 100% Red X. I do use finings to get that clear red color, and spel..."

2026-02-14T11:56:26Z

Created page with "Shun Nakade (expat Brewers) I’m brewing a Red IPA next week. Funny timing. My go to malt bill is: ~75% Base Malt -12% Melanoidin ~12% Spelt Malt ~1% Midnight Wheat As expected, the ratio varies depending on the color ramge you are aiming for, and which base malt you are using. I tend to go for Ireks Pilsner or Rahr North Star. Red X is good but I have had a few under attenuated beers when I went 100% Red X. I do use finings to get that clear red color, and spel..."

New page

Shun Nakade (expat Brewers)

I’m brewing a Red IPA next week. Funny timing. My go to malt bill is:

~75% Base Malt

-12% Melanoidin

~12% Spelt Malt

~1% Midnight Wheat

As expected, the ratio varies depending on the color ramge you are aiming for, and which base malt you are using. I tend to go for Ireks Pilsner or Rahr North Star.

Red X is good but I have had a few under attenuated beers when I went 100% Red X.

I do use finings to get that clear red color, and spelt malt doesn’t usually cause much of a haze but it provides that body you expect from that color. Melanoidin is for both color and perceived sweetness.

Another thing about haze for me when it comes to red beers is to reduce the amount of time of diacetyl rest as much as possible. Run the diacetyl test frequently and keep that 20c post fermentation tank to minimum.

I don’t have a good source for this info but coming from experience. My best guess is that with red beers (and my use of melanoidin malts), letting it sit in that range for a long time, the yeast gets stressed and keeps working hard and produce too much enzymes to break down some proteins into amino acids. You end up with smaller protein particles that end up binding with polyphenols from dry hops or heavy WP hopping that cause that haze.

As I said fining is important, but when I have shorted D rest time, my red beers with exact same grist bill and similar hopping regime come out clear. Like crystal (not crystal malt) clear.

Sorry for the rant, and it’s just my own experience. I wish both of us good luck with red hoppy beers!

Red - Revision history