ACME Red was a collaboration between Blind Enthusiasm and one of our neighbors, Corey the butcher, from ACME Meat Market in Edmonton. Corey likes his beers bold and hoppy so we devised a bold red ale with big stone-fruit notes and a very dry finish. Don’t be afraid to let this one sit in a cold secondary vessel; it gets better with a little time and natural clarification.
All-Grain
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 75%
OG: 1.060
FG: 1.011
IBUs: 65
ABV: 6.5%
MALT/GRAIN BILL
11 lb (5 kg) Maris Otter (Use undermodified malt)
6 oz (170 g) CaraAroma
1.4 oz (40 g) Crystal 50/60
0.7 oz (20 g) Black malt
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
0.17 oz (5 g) Chinook [12% AA] at FWH
0.42 oz (12 g) Chinook at 60 minutes
0.14 oz (4 g) Chinook at 30 minutes
0.11 oz (3 g) CTZ [14.3% AA] at 30 minutes
0.14 oz (4 g) Chinook at 20 minutes
0.11 oz (3 g) CTZ at 20 minutes
0.11 oz (3 g) CTZ at 15 minutes
0.14 oz (4 g) Centennial [10.1% AA] at 15 minutes
0.28 oz (8 g) CTZ at 10 minutes
0.39 oz (11 g) Centennial at 10 minutes
0.28 oz (8 g) CTZ at 5 minutes
0.46 oz (13 g) Centennial at 5 minutes
0.56 oz (16 g) Centennial at 0 minutes
0.56 oz (16 g) Centennial at whirlpool
0.28 oz (8 g) each of CTZ, Chinook, and Centennial, after reaching FG, dry hop to taste, 3–5 days
Yeast nutrient during the boil
YEAST
White Labs WLP090 (San Diego Super Yeast) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale)
DIRECTIONS
Mash in at 122°F (50°C), no rest, then raise the temperature to 147°F (64°C) for 80 minutes, then to 162°F (72°C) for 10 minutes, then 172°F (78°C) for mash-out and sparge at 172°F (78°C). Grist to water ratio should be 3:1. Boil for 60 minutes, following the hops schedule and adding the yeast nutrient during the boil as per package instructions. Chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 66°F (19°C). Aerate the wort and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 66°F (19°C). After dry hopping, transfer to a cold secondary vessel for at least 1 week for clarification.