Forgot steeping grains!

So I made an excellent kit that I decided I would go ahead and buy 5 batches of in bulk to save some bucks. Only problem was I forgot that it called for .5lb of carapils! Am I going to lose that much flavor? Is there anything I may have around the house to sub for them? There is a health food shop right next to me, but I can't imagine them having that ... do you think? In case you can't tell, I'm lost here, lol.

Your almost 5 batches ahead on supplies so really only the next brew is delayed.
Order what you need and whatever it takes to make shipping worth it and brew what you know works.

Filling in the ingredient or two you forgot to order in bulk is where a local homebrew shop comes in handy. They'll have cara. It adds some slight and aids in head retention.

BierMuncher said:

Filling in the ingredient or two you forgot to order in bulk is where a local homebrew shop comes in handy. They'll have cara. It adds some slight and aids in head retention.

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That's where I got the bulk, but the term "local" hardly applies in my case. About an hour drive away. Can't go back today. I'm just making it without this time. I'll go get some before the next brew session though. I was just wondering if a health food store would have something I could possibly use in place. Or maybe even something I'd have around the house like coffee. Either way ... my cara pils-less brew is boiling away, and I cracked open a 2 month old 8% brown ale to relax.

Carapils is Breiss's version of a dextrin malt. It contributes basically no color or flavor, but as BierMuncher said, can help with foam, and enhance mouthfeel. It might interesting to compare the batch made with it against the one you're making now to see if there's any difference.

BigBlueDog said:

Carapils is Breiss's version of a dextrin malt. It contributes basically no color or flavor, but as BierMuncher said, can help with foam, and enhance mouthfeel. It might interesting to compare the batch made with it against the one you're making now to see if there's any difference.

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Great way to look at it ... I'll use it as a learning experience on the difference the steeping grains make. I can live with a lil different mouthfeel. I'm just worried about the flavor.