Caramel 20 vs. Crystal 20

I'm new to brewing and brew software, and since I don't know all of the ingredients that well yet, for me, the hardest part is trying to figure out what to select in my software (Beeralchemy) when a malt isn't already in the default list. I'm trying to add a recipe that I found online which calls for "American Briess Crystal 20" but of course, I can't find it in my list. The closest thing looks to be "US Caramel 20L Malt". Are these the same, or do I need to manually add the crystal 20 to my list?

Thanks

Same thing. Generic term.

Cheers!

"Ask The Maltser" claims it is a difference in regional terms. Carghill says there is a difference with the caramel malt being less astringent. I "asked the maltster" for clarification but never got an answer.

eggs vs poultry renewal devices... same thing

I had a feeling they might be the same thing. Is there any easy reference like a chart or something somewhere for different malts that are really the same thing? Or is there a trick to knowing which ones are the same? I'm sure caramel 20 and crystal 20 are not the only ones.

THis may help

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Malts_Chart

beergolf said:

THis may help

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Malts_Chart

Click to expand...

This is helpful. Thanks.

Probably better to say "very similar" than "same thing." Crystal and Caramel refer to the same treatment of the malt and are pretty interchangeable. Although I have never done a side-by-side of M&F Crystal and Briess caramel I would imagine you could find some slight differences due to the grain they start with. I have heard some pro- brewers saying that the use of British Crystal is important for their recipes especially in beers with a simple grist that highlight the Crystal.

That said, most LHBS will only carry one or the other and I (like most people) use whichever is available unless a recipe is very specific about which malster they use. It probably won't be noticed much unless you do a triangle test between the beers made with them and perhaps not even then...