Founders Red

I like to start with a 50/50 blend of Munich and Maris Otter, about five pounds of each. Then it’s half a pound each of Aromatic malt, Briess Special Roast, and flaked oats, and a quarter-pound of Special B. You’ll find recipes that drop in wheat here, which is fine, but to me the flavor was always too mild and I’d rather have more of the others! This blend, though, really ramps up the toast and grain complexity while adding a touch of malt-derived dark fruit character.

Hops are easy here: 15 IBUs of anything. If I have Hallertau on hand (I usually do), that’s what I use, but you can also go with any European or English low-alpha hop variety.

Then there’s yeast…and more. I ferment this one with Wyeast 1007 German Ale yeast first, which is generally clean but adds some light red fruit esters (which we want), and then let the Wyeast 3763 Roeselare blend finish it off in secondary. If there’s a criticism here it’s that it’s a little too clean, but if I stick to these two I almost certainly minimize both diacetyl and a strong acetic flavor, both of which are killers.

Finally, you’ll (eventually) need some French Oak cubes, Medium or Medium-plus toast.
Do a standard mash and boil here, then ferment as usual with the German Ale yeast at about 65F. Near the end of primary fermentation, increase the temperature to 68-69F to ensure that any diacetyl/precursors are cleaned up (there shouldn’t be much, but better safe than sorry!). At this point, rack into a second (usually glass, to minimize oxidation) vessel and pitch the bug blend.

Total aging time in secondary is 6-12 months