What's the worst that could happen?

[MrClint]

Everything else being equal, what's the worst that could happen if I substitute Aromatic Munich Malt 20L when Crystal Malt 20L is called for? I lose some sweetness but gain some maltiness? I think I might gain some ABV (although not really a goal) as well, right? The color should be roughly the same, right?

 

[glick]

The Munich 20L is just a darker roasted Munich malt, which is a base malt. The crystal 20 is not a base malt. It will add body and sweetness that the Munich malt will not. They’re not interchangeable.

 

[jtratcliff]

Dear God Man! Don't Do It!

The fate of the Multiverse hangs in the Balance!


Er.. I mean... It'll be beer.... Not the beer the recipe that you're using is going for, but it'll still be beer.

Less sweet, higher ABV perhaps...

Have you plugged it into software to see the effect on the numbers?

 

[AlexKay]

Hard to say without seeing the whole recipe. But what they said: it’ll be a different beer, specifically not as sweet and perhaps a little toastier.

 

[MrClint]

Dear God Man! Don't Do It!

The fate of the Multiverse hangs in the Balance!

I love it! LOL
I will try it on a one gallon brew. All of the verses are safe.

 

[MrClint]

Hard to say without seeing the whole recipe

One gallon brew:
Pale Ale Malt - 680g
Crystal 20 - 227g

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

One gallon brew:
Pale Ale Malt - 680g
Crystal 20 - 227g

Well, is that your whole recipe? Come on man cough it up!

 

[MrClint]

Yes, that's the grain bill for a one gallon APA from Emma Christensen's Brew Better Beer book. Is there value in knowing the hop additions, etc?

 

[AlexKay]

That’s a lot of crystal (proportionally) and you’re going to get something very different indeed if you substitute a dark Munich. If pale ale and Munich are all you have at hand, I’d use them at 800/100.

 

[MrClint]

That’s a lot of crystal (proportionally) and you’re going to get something very different indeed if you substitute a dark Munich. If pale ale and Munich are all you have at hand, I’d use them at 800/100.

I really appreciate you taking the time to offer your opinion on this topic. That's the kind of feedback I was hoping for. The original APA recipe is very good, I think a little better than SNPA (to my taste), but it is a bit darker. So why tinker with it? Because I can --and maybe I might learn something in the process. A better 1:1 tweak might be a lighter (10L) Crystal/Caramel.

800/107 with the Aromatic Munich sounds like a good place to start. I've made SMaSH beers with 2lb (907g) of Pale Ale and this would be more of a slight twist on that than a twist on the APA.

Thanks again!

 

[wetmk]

That’s a lot of crystal (proportionally) and you’re going to get something very different indeed if you substitute a dark Munich. If pale ale and Munich are all you have at hand, I’d use them at 800/100.

I'd use them at 8/1...

 

[dwhite60]

Think I'd leave out a third of the crystal and replace it with the 20L Munich. Not quite as sweet or dark but will add a bit of maltiness.

Even for 20L crystal, that's a lot of crystal in a beer.

 

[MrClint]

I appreciate the feedback and opinions. Emma Christensen's APA recipe is good enough not to muck with. There seems to be some issues with her amount of Crystal/Caramel and that's OK, but the beer is really good --my wife agrees. I will instead tinker with her SMaSH recipe, as I mentioned previously (making it no longer a SMaSH or course).

 

[dwhite60]

Making what YOU, actually your wife, likes is what's most important.

 

[MrClint]

Making what YOU, actually your wife, likes is what's most important.

Agreed, happy wife... I'm still tweaking things a little to learn what the various additions & subtractions provide -- sometimes changes occur by accident. I forgot to add the Irish moss on my last batch of American Brown Ale and it is looking pretty dang muddy. Sometimes changing one thing can change everything.

 

[Zambezi Special]

I would say you can easily use munich instead of crystal, but not the other way around
It will be a total different beer, but you know that.
Plenty diastatic power

 

[bracconiere]

All of the verses are safe.

my two cents, munich just isn't premashed in the kernel? so it'll be roastier i believe, and less carmely? or in other words roasted starch, not roasted sugar?