caramunich subsitute ?

I want to do the Belgium Pale Ale out of Jamil's recipe book as my second AG. It requires .75lbs of caramunich. My LBS doesn't have any caramunich. They are recommending crystal as a substitute. Is caramunich vital to a Belgium Pale? Are there any better substitutes I could consider?

CaraMunich is a crystal malt and you should be able to substitute with a crystal/carmel malt. But I don't know which color.

If you listen to the podcast episode where he discusses that belgian pale ale recipe, IIRC he does indicate that the caramunich is important.

When I brewed that beer, I was in a similar situation (no caramunich locally) so I held off on brewing it until I got my hands on some.

I have the same problem, I'm going to be doing Jamil's recipe either this weekend or next, and my LHBS doesn't have Caramunich either. I know it's not the same without the Caramunich, but I figured I'd sub 1/2 pound crystal 60 (the caramunich is 56 L) and bump up the munich to 1 pound.

I always assumed that, like carapils, caramunich was a dextrin malt. Is this incorrect?

Yup. It's a crystal malt. Of course, crystal malts also contribute non-fermentable sugars like a carapils/dextrine malt, but they're actually SWEET sugars, not (effectively) flavorless dextrines.

EDIT: I think the "cara-" prefix is a brand name, is it not?

From what I'm reading, it's essentially a belgian crystal malt. Is that pretty much it?

Reading some more, I'm thinking instead of 0.75 lbs. of Caramunich, maybe 0.5 lbs. crystal 60 and 0.5 lbs. of aromatic malt. I figure the crystal will give the sweetness and the aromatic the malt aroma that caramunich imparts.

Professor Frink said:

From what I'm reading, it's essentially a belgian crystal malt. Is that pretty much it?

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That's what I thought. I'm sure you coould sub a crystal malt that is close in color and properties. But I would try to stick to a Belgian or German or UK crystal malt that would closely resemble the caramunich.

Thanks for the input guys. Not sure what to do. I like Professor Frinks idea of crystal and aromatic. I think I will just go to the HBS, taste a few crystal/aromatic malts, and pick one I like.

fifelee said:

Thanks for the input guys. Not sure what to do. I like Professor Frinks idea of crystal and aromatic. I think I will just go to the HBS, taste a few crystal/aromatic malts, and pick one I like.

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Despite what I said previously about Jamil indicating the caramunich was important, I agree that you shouldn't be afraid to substitute. If I were brewing it again and didn't have caramunich, I'd do just what you say - I think it'll make a great beer regardless.

Obviously Jamil knows his s**t when it comes to formulating recipes, but at the same time, since he's out winning contests left and right and has every kind of grains and ingredients available on hand all the time, he doesn't hesitate to use exactly the ingredients he thinks are best, even if they may be difficult for some people to get their hands on.

I also find British "Medium" crystal malt that comes in around 55L. That's a good substitute for CaraMunich.


TL

Dingemans cara45 is CaraMunich. So if the LBS store doesn't have it maybe try subbing some Munich 10L with crystal 50/60. Mix and match to your liking or style.