Can I just buy crystal malt 75L and use it as an all-purpose crystal malt in recipes?

I am having a hard time getting malts (especially different types of CMs) and I mainly brew AAA, sometimes porters and also some light ales with some crystal malt.

Now......can I just simply buy a darker CM 75L and use it (using less or more to adjust to the profile of the recipe) as an all-purpose CM?
What do you guys think?

yes you can. when I was young and dumb I bought a bag of crystal 60, a 50 pound bag... i only use a little here and there.

I've been using it in all kinds of stuff for years, i get great results.

It limits your flexibility but sure makes storage, ordering and recipe creation easier.

I stock one really dark crystal (half bag so 25-27.5#) and one really light crystal (also half bag) as well as a base malt (1-2 full 50-55# sacks). I then buy one or two roasted grans as needed.

Picking one medium is great for your darker beers but a little too dark for you ales IF you care about the lighter sweetness of 10-30 C verses the caramel of a 60-80 C malt. Personally, since I do not try to hit a style I would just use what you have and enjoy your beer.

You can get your color exactly by using more or less of whichever crystal you have. The flavor on the other hand, will be different. How different depends on the recipe, but as crystal malts darken they more rich flavors like raisin and molasses. No matter how much crystal 10 you use you won't get these flavors. Using only one type of crystal is certainly fine, but you may start to find your beers all have a certain "house" flavor that carries through from recipe to recipe...

You could go a step farther and get a bag of c20 and a a bag of c80. Blend the two to get the desired flavor for anything in between and buy small amounts of c120 or special b as needed.

I split a sack of Crystal 60 with another club member on a bulk grain order about a year ago. Still not even close to getting through it, but glad that I have it for the price we paid, less than $20 each. It'll last me a while, and Crystal 60 is probably the best one to go with for an all-around crystal malt. It's used regularly in a ton of recipes.

Not really. The flavor difference between light and dark crystal is dramatic and blending a light and dark will not give you the flavor of a medium L crystal. Also Crystal 75 would dominate any light ale you make.

I would probably buy two crystals, 20-40 and 80-120, depending on what you brew the most. That would get you damn close to what you are looking for in most beers. With porters and stouts I really like the use of a medium and dark crystal for depth of flavor.




Another option is home malting, not easy, or the best solution but if it's an access thing for you then it may be a very good option.




Where do you get your supplies, what is available in Spain?

FWIW, you can make a ton of delicious styles with no crystal at all.