why not use carapills?

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wkaidy

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I love a good creamy rocky head. so I have been adding a pound of carapills to every batch. I figure because it does not greatly effect SRM of gravity why not. anyone have any reason that this ccouuld be detrimental to my beer??
 
1 pound seems like a lot of carapils. If you're adding any crystal malts, you get the same effect from those on head retention and body. My understanding is that carapils is basically crystal 1L or 2L. Also that much carapils is adding a lot of unfermentables so you might have trouble getting your FG down to where you want it. But, that being said, if you've been doing it and you like the results then I don't see any reason to change it.
 
I love a good creamy rocky head. so I have been adding a pound of carapills to every batch. I figure because it does not greatly effect SRM of gravity why not. anyone have any reason that this ccouuld be detrimental to my beer??

No problem but I agree with peterj that a full pound sounds alike a lot, assuming a five gallon recipe that may also have other crystal malt(s). I use dextrin malt often, my choice being Weyermann Carafoam, and 3-5% is my typical addition. That probably translates to 1/4-1/2 lb for a five gallon brew. :mug:
 
beersmith has carapils potential at 1.033/lb and standard us 2 row at 1.036/lb so i wouldnt say it doesnt add any fermentables, cant say that this information is gospel but i assume they know more than me.....just some food for thought....
 
Thanks for the advice, ill try cutting back to a 1/2 or quarter pound and step up my base malt to fill in the O.G. i have had trouble in the past with getting my F.G. low enough this is probebly why because im defently pitching enough yeast and oxigenizing my wort well
 
The points that a grain will add to OG is definitely not the same thing as adding fermentables. OG is just a measure of how much "stuff" is in suspension. It really doesn't tell you anything about how fermentable that "stuff" is. eg. you could have 2 beers with the same OG and same yeast and end with dramatically different FG .


And that is what carapils does. It bumps up the OG with a mix of fermentable and unfermentable sugar. Those unfermentable sugars are going to make their way into your finished beer and will bump up FG and increase the body/mouthfeel.
 
I've had good success using flaked barley/wheat in relation to head and head retention. My last IPA, I used 1 lb of flaked barley and I have a nice pillowy head that never really goes away. It retains a < 1/4 in head throughout the duration of the drink, from start to finish, and has a nice lacing profile.

Perhaps this could be an acceptable alternative to carapils? Thoughts from those more knowledgeable than I?
 
Duvel has about the best beer foam out there and uses nothing but pils malt and sugar. The point is that you don't need carapils, flaked barley or wheat, or anything else to get good foam. What you need are good procedures. Check this out....

http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/35-head-retention/697-getting-good-beer-foam-techniques

Good point. While many folks want simple, direct answers in brewing almost any question can have many answers. While it seems the typical homebrewer thinks of Carapils/Dextrin malt as only for head retention that is not the only thing it does and as explained above good head retention, or more correctly, foam stability, doesn't necessarily need help from accessory ingredients.
 
what's the difference between head retention and foam stability?
 
First of all, carapils is a crystal malt and should be treated as such (keep the % low in your grist- a pound is a lot unless it's the only crystal in your recipe).

Second, it's really a bandaid for other problems that may be causing poor head retention (recipe formulation, process issues, water composition). Consider Chimay White, a tripel which is just pils malt and sugar- massive everlasting head.

Third, it's more expensive than flaked barley, which will give you way better head retention anyway, add mouthfeel, contribute fermentable sugars and not sweeten your finished beer.

So, in conclusion: look to your recipe/process/water first if you're not seeing what you want. Then if you want even more head or rockier foam, try some flaked barley!


PS: this is primarily for all-barley beers. Rye and wheat also add some nice proteins which contribute to head retention.
 
Some folks may find it easier to think of crytals/carapils additions to the grist in terms of percentage of the total weight?
I work on a max of 5%, does that sound a reasonable proportion?
 
I'd only use carapils in low gravity beers so that they aren't like water. Or in some IPA's that have a (relatively) low gravity to give the beer more body without having to increase the abv.
 
First of all, carapils is a crystal malt and should be treated as such (keep the % low in your grist- a pound is a lot unless it's the only crystal in your recipe).

and that's exactly when i use carapils/carafoam - when i have no other crystals in my recipe. the point of carapils, for me, is "i want the all the contributions of crystal malts EXCEPT the flavor". if i have any other crystals in the recipe, i'm already getting carapils' main contribution... so why bother.
 
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