hoppy red specialty malt recommendation

[thejasonsherman]

new(ish) AG brewer here.

looking to brew a hoppy red for my 5th batch this coming weekend. so far i've been doing all SMASH brews (pale 2-row/amarillo) and am very interested in keeping it as simple as possible, but the more research i do on hoppy reds the more i realize i'll need a more complicated grain build.

assuming i'm looking for 6-7% abv w/ 70-75% efficiency, and sticking wit pale 2-row as a primary base malt, i'm looking for suggestions for a specialty malt (or maybe 2) to get the complexity and color of a hoppy red ale. hop head red by green flash is a little bit on the too-complex side, but that is the direction...

thinking pale 2-row at around 9 lb (maybe 10), munich at 1-2 lb and one specialty to give me the color and some added flavors and mouthfeel (also planning to mash at 152-153 for the same reason).

seeing a lot of variation between recipes, victory, c40, c80, c120, carapills, carared and more all being used together or in conjunction.

what can you guys tell me to help me keep it simple but still get some red coloring and better flavoring?

thanks in advance!

 

[Ramitt]

Perhaps carared?

 

[thejasonsherman]

here's where i'm landing - if anyone has any feedback i'd love to hear it, planning to get the grain tonight

11 lb pale 2 row
1.75 lb munich light
.25 lb roasted barley

1 oz CTZ at 60 min
3 oz hop burst amarillo (10/5/flameout)
2 oz dry hop

us05 yeast

 

[wobdee]

Get some Best Red X malt. You can use 100% and get a good red beer.