Carafa III vs "Roasted Barley"

[sieglere]

I have some Crafa III Special lying around. First question is it's about 6 months or so old (uncrushed), has this passed it's prime?

Second question: If i were to use carafa instead of roasted barley in a stout, what kind of difference would I see in the flavor?

Thanks

 

[beertroll]

Give it a sniff. If it smells stale, it probably is.

Carafa special is the dehusked stuff, right? It's milder and less astringent than roasted barley. Much less in the way of black coffee character. I've only used it once in a black IPA. The best I can describe is that it tests dark but not roasty, and it doesn't have much edge. Does that help?

 

[sieglere]

Well the good news is after all this time, it still smells nice, so I think I'm good on that front.

I'm not sure i can perfectly imagine the difference until I have a grain or two of each side by side, but as far as a web description, that's a pretty good one. Thanks.

I need 0.75 lbs of either, and I think i only have half a pound of carafa, so I might mix and match. It'll be nice to taste them side by side and try to discern the difference