I don't like Special B

When I first started All-grain brewing I really wanted to make the perfect Brown Ale. I really liked commercial examples that had a nice caramel/toffee taste with a subtle sweetness. From what I was reading, it seemed like Special B malt was the perfect answer. I was told it had an "intense Carmel taste". After using t I learned that it is not Caramel-like at all but that it has a strong fig or raisin taste. Has anyone else been disappointed by Special B? What do you guys use for a caramel taste? My "go to" specialty malt"for this is crystal 45. Any opinions?

 

Not an expert by any means but I think like you said the lighter crystals have more of a caramel flavor and the darker malts (like special B) are more fig and plum flavored. Look at the descriptors for some dark strong ales that have special B in them.

 

I've always heard people equate Special B to a raisin taste. It's a pretty unique malt.

You might want to try some of the darker crystal malts, like 90L and 120L. Even though Special B is a dark crystal malt, it's nothing like the others.

 

Special B does give the fig/raisin flavor which I love in my Belgians.


A little goes a long way so used in small amounts it can add some complexity to other recipes. I use. and ounce or two in some recipes and you do not get that flavor but just a hint. Just like cooking, if you can identify the spice you have used too much.

 

I think your looking for brown malt, if you want more subtle of a toffee, Caramel flavor try crystal wheat. I love caracrystal wheat 45.

 

You might try crystal malts in the C40 to C60 range besides C45, another option would be caravienne and/or some maltsters' caramunich.

 

Try British pale malt, munich II, carabrown, oats, pale chocolate malt

 

Try a different brand of dark crystal. For all of the crystal malts I've played with there are definite flavor differences between malts with the same color rating from the different maltsters. Simpsons extra dark crystal has no raisin notes.

I am a strong advocate of tasting a few kernels of all of the "raw" malts you put in a recipe. It really helps when you are tweaking a recipe to have a better idea of what each malt brings to the party.

 

Yeah, Special B is pretty distinctly "dark fruit." It's also a malt that's pretty easy to overdo. Sounds like you might want crystals that are a little lighter, maybe even a mix of 60° and 90°. It's nice in particular beers but only in particular beers, it can add some complexity to a dark, malty brew.

 

Apparently wyeast1469 accentuates caramel flavour in a big way. I've a smack pack of it in my fridge at the moment for my next brew.

 

I like Special B in darker Belgians. It isn't carmely. It's dry and rasiny. Good stuff.

 

I judged several beers in the NHC this year that had excessive Special B that produced overwhelming figgy/raisiny flavor. I typically enjoy the complexity that Special B provides, but these were over the top. Use in very modest amounts (if at all) for most beers, but styles such as Dubbel demand a more significant dose.

Just consider that brew a learning event and try it again with a much smaller addition. In the proper amount it can provide an interesting complexity! The caramel malts produce a cleaner 'crystal malt' flavor, but even that can be overdone. In most beers, about 10% is the maximum crystal malt content that you can get away with.

All things in moderation.