Danny’s Red Rum Ruos

Danny’s RedRum Ruos

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.046  FG = 1.011
IBU = 5  SRM = 13   ABV = 4.6%

The deep red-garnet color from kettle soured this beer came to existence for a homebrew club Halloween-themed party. While the color could still be achieved with a less malty base grain, it is supposed to add to the fun of the beer. Be sure to go light on the cinnamon, you don’t want to overpower the fruit character . . . think more a berry jelly on toast with a crisp snap from the acidity and hint of cinnamon.

Ingredients
9 lbs. (4.1 kg) Best Malz Red X malt 
1 lb. (0.45 kg) pale wheat malt
1 oz. (28 g) roasted barley (300 °L)
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) frozen raspberries
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) frozen strawberries
1⁄2 cinnamon stick (0 min.)
5 oz. (21 g) dried hibiscus flower (secondary)
1.3 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (0.2 oz./6 g at 6.5 % alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (10 min.)
2 Goodbelly StraightShots or 4 Swanson Probiotic L. plantarum capsules
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or SafAle US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and dough-in targeting a mash of around 1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain (3.1 L/kg) and a temperature of 150 °F (66 °C). Add lactic acid as needed to target a mash pH of 5.2. Hold the mash at 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes. Sparge, or mash-out and lauter with enough water to yield a total volume of 5 gallons (19 L) of wort.

Heat wort to 180 °F (82 °C) in the brew kettle and hold for 8 minutes to pasteurize. Chill the wort to 95 °F (35 °C). Transfer the chilled wort to a sanitized, purged souring keg. Do not aerate. Add the Goodbelly shots or the inner contents of the Swanson capsules to the keg. Seal the keg and purge with CO₂, leaving about 20 PSI of pressure in the headspace after purging. 

Allow the L. plantarum to sour the wort for about 48 hours at 95 °F (35 °C), until the pH drops to about 3.5.

After souring, transfer the wort to a boil kettle and add the amount of distilled water expected to boil off over a 60-minute period. Bring to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, adding the hops, cinnamon, and yeast nutrient according to the ingredient list.

Turn off the heat and chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C) or slightly cooler. Transfer the cooled wort to a “clean beer” fermenter, aerate, and pitch the yeast targeting about 200 billion cells. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until gravity is a few points above terminal.

Thaw and crush the strawberries and raspberries and place in the bottom of secondary fermenter. Using 1 qt. (1 L) of water, make a hot tea with the dried hibiscus flower.  Add the tea with flowers to the bottom of a secondary fermenter. Rack beer into the secondary on top of the strawberries, raspberries, and hibiscus tea. Ferment for about a week at 68 °F (20 °C), until the sugars in the fruit have fermented out.         

If bottle conditioning, carbonate the beer to around 2.5 volumes of CO₂. If kegging, carbonate as high as 3.5 volumes.

Danny’s Red Rum Ruos

(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.046  FG = 1.011
IBU = 5  SRM = 13   ABV = 4.6%

Beets are added to the extract version simply to replace the red hue contributed by the Red X malt in the all-grain version. You could add them before souring, but I added the beets to the boil instead to maximize color extraction.

Ingredients
4.2 lbs. (2.36 kg) extra light dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Munich dried malt extract
2 medium beets, processed (10 min.)
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) frozen raspberries
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) frozen strawberries
1⁄2 cinnamon stick (0 min.)
5 oz. (21 g) dried hibiscus flower (secondary)
1.3 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (0.2 oz./6 g at 6.5 % alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (10 min.)
2 Goodbelly StraightShots or 4 Swanson Probiotic L. plantarum capsules
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or SafAle US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Fill the brew kettle with 4.95 gallons (18.7 L) water. Heat to about 160 °F (71 °C). Turn off heat, add the extract, and stir to dissolve. Heat wort to 180 °F (82 °C) in the brew kettle and hold for 8 minutes to pasteurize. 

Follow the souring instructions from the all-grain recipe. After souring, transfer the wort to a boil kettle and add the amount of distilled water expected to boil off over a 60-minute period. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the hops, beets, cinnamon, and yeast nutrient according to the ingredient list.

Turn off the heat and chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C) or slightly cooler. Transfer the cooled wort to a “clean beer” fermenter, aerate, and pitch the yeast targeting about 200 billion cells. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until gravity is a few points above terminal.

Follow the remainder of the all-grain instructions.