Raging Red Irish Red Ale Recipe (All-Grain): 5 to 30 Gallons
An all-grain Raging Red Irish Red Ale recipe you can brew at 5 to 30 gallons: 5.9% ABV and 23 IBU, with the grain bill, hop schedule, yeast and step-by-step process.
In this post
Raging Red Irish Red Ale at a glance: 5.9% ABV, 23 IBU, OG 1.059. A big, deep-red, malty Irish red with honey added at flameout. Stronger and richer than a traditional Irish red, and very popular with homebrewers for exactly that reason.
Recipe credit: Raging Red Irish Red Ale by Mysticmead on HomeBrewTalk, #18 on HomeBrewTalk’s all-time Top 100. We’ve put it in our recipe card, scaled to 5 gallons at 72% efficiency, and kept the brewer’s gravity and hop schedule. See the original for the brewer’s own notes and the discussion.
Bräu Supply recipe · All-grain
Raging Red Irish Red Ale
Grain · for 5 gal into the fermenter
| 8.75 lb (3.97 kg) | Pale 2-row malt | 80% |
| 1.1 lb (0.5 kg) | Caraaroma | 10% |
| 0.55 lb (0.25 kg) | Carafoam | 5% |
| 0.55 lb (0.25 kg) | Melanoidin malt | 5% |
| 1.1 lb (0.5 kg) | Honey, at flameout |
Hops
| 1 oz (28 g) | Crystal · 3.5% AA | First wort |
| 1 oz (28 g) | Cascade · 5.5% AA | 30 min |
Yeast and water
| 1 pkg | American ale yeast (WLP001 California Ale) | |
| Water | Balanced water. | |
Process
- Mash: 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes
- Boil: 60 minutes
- Ferment: 66°F (19°C) until the gravity is stable
- Condition: Package when stable
- Carbonate: 2.3 volumes of CO₂
Brew it on
Based on 72% brewhouse efficiency and about 5.5 gal after the boil for a 5 gal batch. Adjust the base malt if your system runs higher or lower. Hops scale in a straight line; larger kettles extract a little more bitterness.
About this recipe
Caraaroma gives the deep red colour and a rich caramel malt flavour, with melanoidin and Carafoam for body and head. The honey goes in at flameout so its aroma survives. At about 5.9% it’s bigger than the style guidelines, and that’s the point.
How to brew it
- Mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Add the first wort hops to the kettle as you run off.
- Boil 60 minutes with the Cascade at 30 minutes.
- At flameout, stir in the honey.
- Chill to 64°F (18°C) and pitch. Ferment at 66°F (19°C).
- Package at about 2.3 volumes of CO₂.
Tips
- For a more traditional, lighter Irish red, try our Irish red ale.
- Use a mild honey such as clover; strong honeys can dominate.
Frequently asked questions
Why add honey at flameout?
Honey boiled for long loses its aroma. At flameout it pasteurizes without boiling off the flavour.
Is it really Irish?
It’s an American homebrewer’s take on the style: bigger and redder than most Irish reds.
Related guides
Our Irish red ale, amber ale recipe, how roasted malts change flavour.