Carapils/Dextrin Malts

[Bamsdealer]

So, now that I've got plenty of brews under my belt I'm going back to my third beer... an IPA that called for carapils. Since that beer, I've always came up with my own recipes and haven't used any malts or adjuncts specifically for head retention or a thicker body with the exception of an oatmeal stout I recently brewed.

The dozen or so all grain beers seemed to have an appropriate head and head retention for the style. The beer that used carapils had an almost ridiculous head. Fluffy. To the point I could scoop it out and it would retain its shape for some time. That was only a half pound in a 5 gal batch.

Seems completely unnecessary to me, and creates what seems to me an artificial or manufactured mouthfeel/head. Any expertise out there with dextrin malts?

 

[cincydave]

After having a couple batches without much head retention, I just started adding some carapils to last two batches. Haven't tried any yet to see what effect it had, but also interested in peoples thoughts on the use of this.

 

[Hammy71]

I don't use it all the time. Some recipes I do use some. To be honest, I can't really see a coalition between using it and head retention. Some beers with it don't seem to keep their heads and some without do. I think it's more a product of the proteins in the other ingredients in the beers. I imagine Carpils has more of these proteins in it, but how much I don't know. But hey? Who doesn't like good head? But if the recipe calls for it, I usually dump it in.

 

[Odin_Brews]

I seem to recall reading info about getting proper mash conditions to get good head retention without the carapils. I believe there's more factors than just tossing that ingredient in but maybe carapils makes it easier to get good retention??? Im not sure so hopefully someone will chime in here.

 

[Bamsdealer]

http://***********/stories/wizard/a...arapils-and-what-are-those-other-qcaraq-malts

So carapils is basically an ultra light crystal malt used to add body, mouthfeel, and head retention. Looking back at the ipa I orignally posted about... I find it odd that sugar and carapils were both on the ingredient list. The sugar to dry the beer out and the carapils to add body. Seems counter productive?

 

[bobbrews]

Wheat malt also works well.

How much carapils did you use in terms of percentages? I found that 3-5% works well.

 

[bottlebomber]

The sugar to dry the beer out and the carapils to add body. Seems counter productive?

It would seem so, but it doesn't work in some kind of a linear method so that the sugar cancels out the carapils. It's not 100% accurate to say that sugar dries a beer out. It may have an effect on the FG of a beer, but mainly it's role is that it is 100% fermentable and adds booze to the beer. Also, FG is connected to but not synonymous with having body. For example, I have a Saison that has a FG of 1.004, and yet it has a medium, silky body despite the low FG and a high percentage of sugar. I used 30% wheat in the recipe. I guess it's just something that you have to play around with when you're designing recipes.

 

[Bamsdealer]

Wheat malt also works well.

How much carapils did you use in terms of percentages? I found that 3-5% works well.[/QUOTE

I just remember it was around a half lb for a 1070ish ipa. That was the last extract batch I did and last recipe I followed... since then I have used a smaller portion once or twice and know I put no more than a couple ounces in. That was to help out with my darker beers as they seem to lack much of a head without it.

Looking back to the ipa, I just remember being able to scoop the head right out and it would just sit in my hand without losing its form. Almost like bubbles in a bubble bath. I found that odd and very unbeer like. Who knows... it could have been something else that I screwed but thats he only time I ran into it and only time I used carapils in any appreciable quantity. Its also the only time I used lme...