Crystal 80L Recipe

I just got a big bag of crystal 80L from someone who had a lot extra on their hands. It's about 2 years old but was stored very well. I've never brewed with it and and I'm looking for some ideas for AG recipes. I thought I would first try a simple recipe of with just 2-row pale malt and crystal, OG 1.050 or so.

What is the maximum % of crystal I should use? I'm looking to go big in order tto get a feel for what this crystal adds, but still have a drinkable beer. I like beers that are malty but not overly sweet, if that makes any sense.

Also, a recommendation for hop and IBU level please, I have Willamette, Simcoe, Centennial and Styrian Goldings on hand.

I'm fairly new to AG, done 2 SMaSH recipes so far. Looking to build recipes from the ground up.

10%

I believe with those ingredients, you can make a nice APA

Ok, I’d like to try 10% crystal 80L and 90% 2-row pale. I like a malty beer but definitely want to avoid sticky sweet. If I mash low, say 60C (140F), will it still be sweet because of the crystal, but not malty? If I mash high, say 70C (158F) will it be sweet and malty?

I was planning on making an Irish red this past weekend with 20% 80L and the rest 2 row. Didn't work out since I got shorted a pound of grain on my order but I've read reviews that say it's a fairly good easy recipe. So don't be afraid to go as high as 20%

Thanks Blitz. Do you have a link or 2 that you could share for that Irish Red review? My google fu is a bit off today. Do you recall the mash temperature and hops used?

Mashing @ 140 would be too low IMO.

Malty & Sticky sweet are two different subjects, that get intertwined.

You can have a malty beer, that is relatively dry mouthfeel wise.
Likewise, you can have a malty beer that is cloyingly sweet.

Look around on here for recipes that use C80, there a quite a few.
APA's to Ambers....

Mash from 152-154, and you should be just fine.

The recipe is from an all grain kit that comes from an online HBS. Heres a link where you can read the reviews: http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Iris..._Beer_Recipe_Kit_p/grainkit-irish-red-ale.htm

The recipe is on that same page, it calls for; 8lbs 2 row, 2 lbs crystal 80, 1oz hallertauer at 60 min, single infusion mash 60 min at 152F. Its pretty simple which is why I picked it, I went with WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast.

That's great Blitz, thanks. Lots of positive reviews. I'll go for the 20%, 152-154F, but I think I’ll go 30 to 40IBU.

I don't seem to have a good substitute for Hallertauer in stock. Which would be best out of Simcoe, Willamette, Centennial, Styrian Goldings?

scott613 said:

Ok, I’d like to try 10% crystal 80L and 90% 2-row pale. I like a malty beer but definitely want to avoid sticky sweet. If I mash low, say 60C (140F), will it still be sweet because of the crystal, but not malty? If I mash high, say 70C (158F) will it be sweet and malty?

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I would never go above 15% crystal malt, particularly a dark crystal like 80L. That recipe is nothing like an Irish red, which uses a bit of roasted barley to get that distinctive dry finish. English hops would be great in it, but German hallertauer I guess is good enough for bittering. If you want to make that, you could use the goldings for bittering and have a similar result.

I would use up to 15% in an American red that is well hopped, but my preference would be a mix of crystal, like 40L and 80L and not straight 80L.

Why don't you try something like an American red since you have the American hops?

These might help:

https://byo.com/resources/hops

http://hopschart.com/zoom.html

Ok sounds good. I'll dial back to 10% crystal 80L, 35 IBU Simcoe hops and call it an American Red. I'm really just trying to get a simple recipe for an enjoyable beer using what I have on hand.

scott613 said:

Ok sounds good. I'll dial back to 10% crystal 80L, 35 IBU Simcoe hops and call it an American Red. I'm really just trying to get a simple recipe for an enjoyable beer using what I have on hand.

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If you're going with an American red, I'd use some centennial and maybe willamette too!

I'd hop at 60/15/0, using about an ounce at each addition. If you use enough hops, you can even go up to 12-15% for crystal, but I'd probably still keep it at 10% to be safe.

Thanks Yooper. This batch is for learning about my ingredients so I think what I'll do is bitter all of it with one hop, i.e. Simcoe, split it into 3 carboys 15L each, and then dry hop each sub-batch with Simcoe, Centennial and Willamette. Got to keep things interesting!

Perhaps I should bitter with a Centennial instead? I've heard Simcoe is an acquired taste.