If you could only have one crystal malt?

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permo

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Which would it be? I buy in bulk and like to have 10-20 pounds of xtal malt and 100-200 pounds of base malt around at all times. For base malts I always have one "standard" base around like pale or pils and one that is slightly kilned like munich or vienna.


Then I like to have a crystal malt around for color adjustment, flavor, body, head retention, etc..etc.......

So lately I have pretty much settled on C80 as my all around "workhorse" crystal malt. It give good color and I find the flavor to give normal caramel sweetness with a slight roasty edge that adds complexity to my paler ales.


What are you guys using as your "go to" crystal malt and why?
 
C-60. Perfect Crystal malt for pale ale and works well in stouts, porters and IPA's. IMO C-80 is getting to "raisiny" for pale ale where the hops are supposed to be the dominant flavor.
 
Anything above C-45 is too dark, pruney, rich, roasty, nutty, and sweet for my personal tastes in hop-forward American APAs, IPAs, IIPAs. For the darker ales, I'll use C-60 and above.

But I'd say C-30 would be perfect. I could get some of those dark colors/flavors from a combo of other non-crystal dark malts if need be. I don't typically brew beers that require very dark crystal. But couldn't you just toast C-30 a bit more to have C-60? You certainly can't reverse the toast, so choosing to work exclusively with a darker crystal would be silly to me.
 
Simpsons dark crystal. It comes in at about 75L. Tons of character here. It seems to be a blend of different crystal malts. Just looking at the malt you can see different color grains. This makes the malt more complex to me.
 
I don't get any raisin/prune from c80. Just sweetness(caramel flavor), color and mild roasty/nuttiness. I keep it under %10 at all times and mostly 5 - 7 % . I have used C20-C40 in amount approaching %10 and I can't say that it lended a whole lot of complexity to the beer....it was filler IMO, not to far off from carapils. YMMV of course and everybody's pallete and brewing process is unique.

Thanks for the replies so far, very good information...very good!

Also, I would like to throw in there, that as long as I have base malt around I can make biscuit, victory, golden, amber, brown, pale chocolate and chocolate malts at will. It really opens things up for a homebrewer.
 
I don't get any raisin/prune from c80. Just sweetness(caramel flavor), color and mild roasty/nuttiness. I keep it under %10 at all times and mostly 5 - 7 % . I have used C20-C40 in amount approaching %10 and I can't say that it lended a whole lot of complexity to the beer....it was filler IMO, not to far off from carapils.

In lighter styles that's all Crystal malt is supposed to do; add a hint of color, add body and mouthfeel and add head retention.
 
I just used 5% Franco Belges Caramel Pilsen 10L in an A-IIPA with a very basic, clean grist. Finished at 1.011 FG and was laden with IBUs. And yet I could still taste that caramel sweetness and aroma offered by the Cara 10L. It wouldn't have been bad to bump that % up to 7 or 8, or if I used C-40 in place of it... but I would have hated this beer if I used C-60 or C-80. To each their own I guess. But I find Crystal 10 to be very different from Carapils as far as sweetness and character. Despite being simliar in color, you don't really use Carapils for flavor; it's not a Caramel/Crystal malt. It's basically offers head retention, mouthfeel, and body.

http://www.onebeer.net/grainchart.html
 
I'm really loving C120 these days. A little goes a long way...maybe 4oz max gives you body, color and awesome yet not overpowering flavor.
 
I like C-60. Maybe just because it fits so nicely right there in the middle or maybe because I do like a little bit of sweetness to some of my beers but I almost always end up defaulting to this. 5% for me adds a nice flavor without being overpowering even in a simple grist with nothing else but basemalt.
 
In lighter styles that's all Crystal malt is supposed to do; add a hint of color, add body and mouthfeel and add head retention.


I usually mash a bit higher and use a touch of munich and wheat/oats. Thats just because thats what I have around. I suppose if I had C20 sitting around that could accomplish the same thing. There are always different ways to accomplish similar tasks.

Thanks for your input guys. It looks like we have two distinct groups at this point. The folks that like C60 and above and those that do not like it at all and go with lighter malts.

I LOVE dark xtal malts. C80 being my go to, but I love special B and english C150 as well.
 
I'm a fan of cara-munich. Gives a really nice red color and seems a little more complex than c-40.
 
An underrated crystal malt is carahell. I used this in many lighter ales in the past and get a distinct caramel edge to beers with this. A very good lighter crystal malt.
 
No... They are the same; just made by different maltsters. For instance, CaraFoam is simply Weyermann's answer to CaraPils. CaraAroma is Weyermann's answer to C120.

C50 is not made from Munich as a base malt so that is a poor comparison.
 
Thomas Fawcett crystal I 42-48L. I get a nice caramel flavor from it in larger amounts and .5-.75 is great for color in a pale ale.
 
If I had to pick, it would be caramunich. Thank god I don't have to pick only one! I use a lot of caravienne, caramunich, crystal rye, c60, c120, and special B in my recipes. Picking one would be very limiting.
 
No... They are the same; just made by different maltsters. For instance, CaraFoam is simply Weyermann's answer to CaraPils. CaraAroma is Weyermann's answer to C120.





C50 is not made from Munich as a base malt so that is a poor comparison.

Weyermann CaraHell. 11° L. Imparts a fuller, rounder flavor and deep color to pale ale, Oktoberfest, Maibock, and hefeweizen.

Crystal 10L will create a golden color and has a candy-like mild caramel sweetness.

If they are made by different maltsters they are not the same..........

however, I love your comparisons and you are certainly very knowledgable about malt and I/we appreciate your contributions to this thread. I am not disagreeing to be a jerk, but to pry more information..
 
I can post descriptions from websites too:

Weyermann Carahell adds a fuller body, improved aroma, head retention and a deep saturated color to your beer. Use up to 15% in your Hefeweizen, Pale Ale, Oktoberfest, Maibock etc.

Lovibond: 10
Country of origin: Germany

Briess Caramel 10 can be described as having a Candylike Sweetness, and mild caramel flavor.
It's golden in color and it also helps with head retention.

Lovibond: 10
Country of origin: USA

------------------------------

They are the same for the most part.
It's like comparing Lipton unsweetened black tea to Tetley unsweetened black tea.
 
I can post descriptions from websites too:

Weyermann Carahell adds a fuller body, improved aroma, head retention and a deep saturated color to your beer. Use up to 15% in your Hefeweizen, Pale Ale, Oktoberfest, Maibock etc.

Lovibond: 10
Country of origin: Germany

Briess Caramel 10 can be described as having a Candylike Sweetness, and mild caramel flavor.
It's golden in color and it also helps with head retention.

Lovibond: 10
Country of origin: USA

------------------------------

They are the same for the most part.
It's like comparing Lipton unsweetened black tea to Tetley unsweetened black tea.


They definitely don't use the same origin malt, so I think its fair to say they're different.

Are they meant for the same reasons??? Absolutely. So to a homebrewer, they should be interchangeable. :mug:
 
They definitely don't use the same origin malt, so I think its fair to say they're different.

Both are Crystal 10. The base malt is the same, it just comes from different countries. It's like saying Tetley's black tea is harvested in Germany but Lipton's black tea is harvested in America. Sure they are of minor differences based on that fact, but you're still drinking black tea. If you wish to state a claim that the German version is more characterful and complex, then so be it. But Crystal 10 is mainly used in pale beers, so you're typically only using <6% of the total grist, in which case any subtle differences in tastes should be inconsequential. It would not be as important as comparing Maris Otter to American 2-row.
 
I did not mean to start a huge argument over c10. My apologies. I brew a maibock anually and if i have the choice, i use carahell over c10. It tastes maltier and less caramel in a lager beer of this nature. In an ipa or something, this difference us likely masked.
 
Have you ever even tried Briess Crystal 10L as opposed to Weyermann CaraHell 10L for your maibock? If so, I doubt you would notice any differences in flavor.
 
Have you ever even tried Briess Crystal 10L as opposed to Weyermann CaraHell 10L for your maibock? If so, I doubt you would notice any differences in flavor.

I know that rogue switched from carahell to C20 in their dead guy ale, out of convenience, and state there is little difference. So you are probably correct.

I will change to the briess next year on the xtal and see what happens. I am sure it will be tasty.
 
Re: Briess C-10 & Weyermall CaraHell (C-10)

I'm not favoring one over the other. Just trying to dispel the mindset that they are like apples and oranges.
 
I'm not favoring one over the other. Just trying to dispel the mindset that they are like apples and oranges.

Most folks probably aren't aware how similar they are.

its more like comparing braeburn apples to fiji apples :rockin:
 
No, more like comparing Fiji to Fiji... one farmed in Cali, the other in Oregon.
 
No, more like comparing Fiji to Fiji... one farmed in Cali, the other in Oregon.

That is a better comparison.


Maybe it would be a good HBT project to create a list of malts and their comparable subs across maltsters? We have the wyeast/white labs yeast comparison charts, hop subsitution charts, etc..etc.. The malt world is arguably the most complex of them all.
 
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