How does one interpret degrees Lovibond?

I have several recipes that note the degrees L (which I believe means Lovibond).

Example: 10 oz. US 80 oL Crystal Malt
(interpret the little "o" as the symbol for degrees)

If I cannot find a grain with the exact degrees lovibond, does it matter? Do I need to substitute via some calculation / formula? Or, does this measure relate only to the depth of color that the grain imparts?

In other words, would using the same grain with a different degree lovibond rating simply alter the color, or would it have an impact on flavor also? I don't care if, for example, my porter is a little darker or lighter than the recipe intended. I do, however, care about an impact to the flavor.

If it makes any difference, I am doing a "Beer Captured" recipe for Sierra Nevada Porter, with the following recipe:

US 80°L Crystal Malt, 10 oz
US Chocolate Malt, 10 oz
US Black Malt, 4 oz
Alexanders Pale Malt Extract Syrup, 4 lb
Muntons Extra Light Dry Malt Extract , 3.5 lb
Malto Dextrine, 8 oz
Nugget hops @ 12% AA - bittering - 6 HBU, 1/2 oz
Centennial @ 10% AA - bittering - 5 HBU, 1/2 oz
Cascade hops - flavoring, 1/4 oz
Irish Moss, 1 tsp
Wyeast 1056 American Ale tube

Lovibond will only affect color. A german malt and an american malt that are 80° L should be the exact same color--HOWEVER--the taste may be different.

BTW...*alt+2-4-8* on the keyboard will give you the degree symbol.

another BTW....that recipe sounds kickass!!!!

a darker crystal malt would have more caramel, sweeter flavors. the higher the degree Lovibond, the more pronounced the caramel flavor and aroma will be.

Crystal Malt
10°
1.033-35
Sweet, mild caramel flavor and a golden color. Use in light lagers and light ales.

Crystal Malt
20°
1.033-35
Sweet, mild caramel flavor and a golden color. Use in light lagers and light ales.

Crystal Malt
30°
1.033-35
Sweet, mild caramel flavor and a golden color. Use in light lagers and light ales.

Crystal Malt
40°
1.033-35
Sweet, mild caramel flavor and a golden color. Use in light lagers and light ales.

Crystal Malt
60°
1.033-35
Sweet caramel flavor, deep golden to red color. For dark amber and brown ales.

Crystal Malt
80°
1.033-35
Sweet, smooth caramel flavor and a red to deep red color. For porters, old ales.

Crystal Malt
90°
1.033-35
Pronounced caramel flavor and a red color. For stouts, porters and black beers.

Crystal Malt
120°
1.033-35
Pronounced caramel flavor and a red color. For stouts, porters and black beers.

yeah color and the degree of sweetness. but if you can find anything from 80-120 it would probably work for that recipe. with the black patent and chocolate malt i doubt the color would really be impacted too much, its gonna be black anyways.

All - thanks! That chart with specifics was particularly interesting.

Clarification - is "caramel malt" the same as "crystal malt?"

Right. The processing caramelizes the sugars, which then crystalize.

It's quite common for a recipe to list a range, like 60-80L. If you need 60L and can only find 40L and 80L, use half of each.

If you cant find the 80L, the 60L on up should be fine. Not much of a color diff. If i member right, the lower the L the lighter the color, and vice-versa.

Hi everyone! I live in Chile and sometimes it's hard to find the grain variety that I need for some recipes. Basically because of the different names they have in spanish. What else should I consider besides ºL to know if a certain grain is similar to the one I'm looking for?