Victory Malt - BeerSmith vs. Jamil

[Bonneville]

So, I just got Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Z and John Parker. Looking at the first American Pale Ale recipe. Since I do smaller batches (5 gal) than in the book and can't always get some ingredients readily, I re-do the recipe in BeerSmith before brewing attempting to maintain the integrity of the original recipe.

So, the recipe calls for steeping Victory. BeerSmith cautions against this and flags Victory as a "Must Mash" grain recommending Crystal 30L as a substitute. I plan to use Victory per the recipe, but what's the deal with the "Must Mash" flag in BeerSmith.

Just a question for my own education. Cheers!

 

[mmb]

Victory is roasted/toasted and the starches it contains are not already converted to sugar. If you want to gain OG points from the malt then you need to mash it. If you just want the color and toasted flavor it imparts then you can steep it.

Beersmith picked that "must mash" up from How To Brew by John Palmer. Both are right, depending on what you want from the malt.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

mmb beat me to the punch...


A few other malts to steer clear of if steeping... Biscuit, Munich, Vienna, Carapils (dextrine), Flaked oats, Flaked Barley, Flaked Wheat, Oatmeal, Corn, etc.

 

[Bonneville]

mmb beat me to the punch...


A few other malts to steer clear of if steeping... Biscuit, Munich, Vienna, Carapils (dextrine), Flaked oats, Flaked Barley, Flaked Wheat, Oatmeal, Corn, etc.

Steer clear of only if wanting OG points, right?

I asked about Carapils specifically here. Again, seemed steeping only was OK.

Funny that Palmer is the source of "Must Mash" and also co-author of the recipe book. We'll see how it turns out. My stout with Carapils was yummy... and will be gone this Friday.

 

[Yooper]

I've steeped biscuit and victory and carapils with good results. I wouldn't steep corn or oats, though.

Dark kilned malts will be ok in a steep- you'll get color and flavor from them. Anything really "starchy"- corn and oats, for example, should be mashed or otherwise you'll get a starch haze.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Right. As Yooper said, steeping most things that aren't extremely starchy will be fine. They will add flavor and color, but no gravity.

 

[bernerbrau]

Read the bottom of my sig and take this with a grain of salt but... Victory does have diastatic power, does it not? So while it may not be much, I'd expect at least some conversion while you raise the steep temperature through the 130-160 window. As long as you do it slowly.

 

[Revvy]

I use victory a lot, and did when I was an extract w/grains brewer. It did a lot of research, it is a popular misconception that it can only be mashed.

Victory Malt | Brew Dudes

Victory malt has always intrigued me. Maybe it’s the name. I guess I feel like I would be “winning” if I used this malt in my brews. I did a little research and thought I would combine all the information into some kind comprehensive overview.

This malt’s creation is American in origin. I believe that refers to the process to make Victory malt was developed here in the USA.

The processing is different than the processing a maltster would use to create, for example, a caramel malt. It’s this special processing that gives the malt it’s flavor.

Flavor: Imparts a “toasty” character to beers.

* Nutty taste
* Biscuity
* Baking Bread

Color: 25 - 28 Lovibond. Colors described from sources I discovered ranged from slight red to amber to orange highlights. I guess it depends on how much you use.

Body: Improves body and head retention.

Use: The malt has no diastatic power so you can use it as a steeping grain. Because of the flavor it imparts, Nut brown ales are a good candidate for this malt. I think it would be a good addition to dark beers, especially a porter. If you wanted to make an American Brown Ale and stay on theme, Victory Malt would be a good addition. Probably no more than 20% of your grain bill.

 

[bernerbrau]

Revvy > brownie. Listen to the preacher-man.

Oh, and but happy birthday.

 

[mmb]

Briess (the maltster/producer of victory) seems to say no to the enzyme question...

http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Assets/PDFs/2007-2008 Briess Product Flyer.pdf

 

[Bonneville]

Thanks so much to all.

Very strange that all literature says Vicotry is great in Browns and other dark beers, and this is the bulk of steeping grains in this APA recipe. I'm going to give it a shot.

Thanks for the info and helping me differentiate Victory/Carapils/Biscuit from the starchier grains (corn/oats/etc.) I need to edit some of the default grain flags in BeerSmith because it's annoying to see that little "warning" sign in a recipe.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I wouldn't edit the flags. Beersmith just wants to make sure if you create recipes, you're not relying on these grains for gravity contributions.