Adding steeped crystal malt to primary?

[Moody_Copperpot]

I brewed an IPA on Friday that had 6.75 oz of hops in a 6 gallon batch, and something just hit me...
I am 99.9% sure that I forgot .5lbs of crystal 40 that was supposed to be in the recipe. I didn't buy it at my LHBS because I already had some crushed 40L at home. I absolutely do not remember measuring it out and adding it to the tun. So basically it's 10.5lbs 2 row, .5lb carapils, and 3oz crystal 60...and then 6.75oz hops.
I thought I remembered something in Gordon Strong's book about being able to just add steeped crystal malt directly to the fermentor if you wanted. Is this something I can do? If not...it's a good thing I like hops!

 

[bullinachinashop]

I'm sure you could steep it in 150 degree water for 20 min or so, strain it and then bring it to a boil for a few minutes. Cool it to the fermentor temp and add it.
No worries.
Bull

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

I'm sure you could steep it in 150 degree water for 20 min or so, strain it and then bring it to a boil for a few minutes. Cool it to the fermentor temp and add it.
No worries.
Bull

How much water would you recommend for .5lb of grain?

 

[bullinachinashop]

Not much, maybe a pint or a little more.

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

What about adding carapils to the primary too? That doesn't have to be mashed, correct?

 

[bullinachinashop]

If you want to add some dextrins to the finished product, I'd just biol up a small amount of maltodextrin.
It's really difficult to know how the beer is going to feel until after its carbed up though.

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

I've brewed countless AG batches, and never had this issue haha. That's what I get for having leftover crushed grain, and not adding to the stuff I got right away.

 

[Dr. Francois]

I wouldn't add anything. You'll have a good beer! It might even become your new house recipe!

For an IPA, I would advise against maltodextrin. You want that IPA nice and dry.

 

[HomebrewMTB]

I wouldn't mess with it. Live and learn.

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

I wouldn't mess with it. Live and learn.

Even with the crystal malt? I know I read in Gordon Strong's book about adding steeped crystal malt to the fermentor. I just don't recall if it was all lovibond crystal malt.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

It won't hurt anything, so go for it if you want. Might sample it first though to see what you think before you go to all that trouble. And if you do add it, I would use more than a pint of water for the steep. The grain will likely absorb a pint of water or a little less. Problem here is, you don't want to add much extra water to the brew or you will dilute it. But, you need enough water to extract the sugar and flavor from the grain. Your best bet would probably be to use about a gallon of water and boil it down after the steep to minimize dilution while actually getting from benefit from the grain.

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

I'm steeping right now in about 1/4 gallon or so. I'm going to let it cool in a sanitized growler for about 10 hours or so. When it's cooled down, I'm gonna pop open the primary and see how it tastes before I add the crystal malt wort to it.

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

I just took a small sample, and it tastes pretty good! I don't know if I'll add the crystal wort or not. Then again, stuff always tastes way different out of the fermentor...maybe I'll just add some of it, but not the full 1/4 gallon.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Boil and cool it before adding to your fermentor. This is a must IMHO.

 

[Dr. Francois]

Crystal malt is partially fermentable, so I wouldn't add it after final gravity is reached.

Also, adding the crystal late in the fermentation is a non-reproducible variable. If the beer comes out great, you'll never likely repeat it again.

 

[kingwood-kid]

Warm beer out of the pail will have much less dissolved CO2 than cold beer in a bottle/keg. Dissolved CO2 is an acid, which will counter any sweetness, as will the bubbles. This is a long-winded way of saying that your sample will taste much sweeter than the final product.

I don't think you need to worry about cooling the quart. Pouring a quart of boiling water into 5 gal of 65 degree beer will only increase your temp about 6 degrees. Since you're basically done fermenting, that's not really a problem.

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

Crystal malt is partially fermentable, so I wouldn't add it after final gravity is reached.

Also, adding the crystal late in the fermentation is a non-reproducible variable. If the beer comes out great, you'll never likely repeat it again.

I figured as much about the FG.

As for repeating the beer, the malt profile is one I've done before, so I am already happy with that. There are 6.75oz of hops in this sucker, so at this point it's more about trying to make sure that the beer tastes good.

 

[Moody_Copperpot]

Warm beer out of the pail will have much less dissolved CO2 than cold beer in a bottle/keg. Dissolved CO2 is an acid, which will counter any sweetness, as will the bubbles. This is a long-winded way of saying that your sample will taste much sweeter than the final product.

I don't think you need to worry about cooling the quart. Pouring a quart of boiling water into 5 gal of 65 degree beer will only increase your temp about 6 degrees. Since you're basically done fermenting, that's not really a problem.

Great info, thanks!