Do small malt additions (1-2%) have a significant impact on flavor?

[hogg44]

My question is, do small malt additions (1-2%) do anything for flavor or are they primarily for color?

I've only been brewing about a year and I've seen lots of recipes with 1-2% of different malts. If I'm only concerned about flavor and not color, can I just skip those additions and scale the rest of the malts to get the appropriate gravity?

Some examples of what I'm talking about in Brewing Classic Styles: 2 oz of Black Patent in the dark mild recipe, 2 oz of CaraMunich in the saison, 1 oz of black patent in the biere de garde.

Just trying to follow the K.I.S.S. philsophy! Thanks for your words of wisdom!

 

[bionut]

2 oz of black malt will sure do a lot of difference for the color if the beer. For Munich i can't say much, probably in a saison, which should pe based on Pilsner malt, can make a difference.
Edit: just read that you talked about flavour... My mistake. Anyway, in a wort based on light malts a small proportion of dark malts can impact a little on the flavour.

 

[jjeffers09]

I think so, depends how complex the gb is

 

[Davemci]

Peated malt has big flavor contributions with little amounts. I used 3 oz in a 5 gallon scotch ale and it was just right. It's probably the most pungent malt used. For color changes, dehusked roasted malts (caraf1,2,3) give the least flavor.

 

[Beerthoven]

Some examples of what I'm talking about in Brewing Classic Styles: 2 oz of Black Patent in the dark mild recipe, 2 oz of CaraMunich in the saison, 1 oz of black patent in the biere de garde.

The black patent in these examples are for color adjustment. I've never used caramunich or made a saison, so I can't speak to that.

I see a lot recipes, in places like BYO Magazine for example, that call for 2 oz of some specialty malt like biscuit or victory in a 14 lb grain bill. I honestly don't think such small additions have any meaningful impact, especially if there are also a ton of hops.

 

[meatcleaver]

I'd say it really depends on the recipe

 

[imasickboy]

I've made the saison from BCS, (all grain), and omitted the caramunich, and it was fantastic.

As far as the beers with the black patent, I can't say for certain without looking them up, but it's likely that they are mostly color adjustment at that quantity.

However, if you just buy a pound of black patent just to keep on hand, you'll have it around for a good while, and can make all the color adjustments for a whole bunch of beers for a long time.

 

[Bosh]

2% caraaroma can definitely be tasted if there's not something powerful to overwhelm it.

 

[ChelisHubby]

It does depend on the recipe and the style, you can't really generalize most of the flavor malts. 2 ounces of base malts won't make a huge difference but 2 ounces of dark malts can and the smoked and patents malts and several others but 2 ounces of vienna or light munich won't greatly affect a blond beer.

 

[Photopilot]

I am not familiar with the types of beers you suggest as examples but it seems like a KISS way to approach it.

I tend to use a Black Patent only in a darker beer that needs "that" color and bitterness, like Porters or usually a stout. Amounts like 1-2 oz in a medium color beer would give a huge color change per oz relative to flavor imparted. I tend to add a combination of grains to get to the color I want with a bit of knowledge about the other characteristics the grains will impart.

It could be two different outlooks: add grains at a minimal amounts to get to the SRM you want or add a variety of grains to get to the target SRM with other contributing characteristics.

 

[madscientist451]

My question is, do small malt additions (1-2%) do anything for flavor or are they primarily for color?

The answer is yes, there can be a flavor impact. A vintage BYO magazine article described the flavors that can be contributed by small additions of black patent:
Black malt primarily gives a highly roasted flavor, that carries some bitterness and acidity. But it can also show a deep fruity character reminiscent of currants, blackberries or sultanas. It gives deep contrast to a round malty beer by giving it some elbows, without being pushy. Most importantly, even in very small quantities, it provides a drying quality that brightens up the finish of any beer.
Here's the full article:
http://byo.com/malt/item/155-back-in-black-the-truth-about-black-patent-malt

Not all specialty malts are the same, Black Patent from Briess (US) isn't the same as Black Patent from Simpson's (UK) or Weyermann ( Germany)
and everyone's tastes are different, you may be able to tell the difference, or maybe not.
I agree some recipes seem ridiculously "busy" and sometimes I wonder about muddled flavors. I'd say, go ahead and experiment, leave out the specialty malt and then do a rebrew with it back in and see what you prefer.

 

[FatDragon]

2% caraaroma can definitely be tasted if there's not something powerful to overwhelm it.

For some godforsaken reason I bought 1 kg of CaraBohemian a year or two ago, even though I don't really brew anything that needs it. It's closer to 75L so it's no CaraAroma or Spec B/W, but it's still very notable stuff. I decided to toss 100g in my saison recipe and it's definitely noticeable, if not exactly prominent. In my experience, the darker the malt, the more noticeable it is in small quantities.

 

[mattdee1]

Yeah, it definitely depends on what malts you’re talking about.

A while back I did 2 simple blonde ales back to back. The first was a 2-row smash, and the next was the same in all respects except I substituted 25% of the 2-row with Vienna. A subtle color variation could be discerned by placing glasses of each side by side, but the flavor impact was pretty much nil—I was surprised.

 

[JKaranka]

I often use patent malt as the only speciality malt. For example, to bring bitters or stock ales to a light amber colour. No real impact on flavour using 1-2oz. Roast malts have the interesting side effect that even in small quantities they help to preserve the beer.