Forgot to add crystal malt to a stout recipe....what should I expect?

[beowulf]

So I was building up a clone of the Founders Breakfast Stout, using this post as a foundation:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/founders-breakfast-stout-clone-139078/

Well, somehow while making substitutions, the C120 got removed. I think I originally planned to substitute with C60, but evidently I forgot to add it. So I brewed it yesterday and now noticed today that I don't have any crystal malt in the grain bill. Does anyone know what affect that may have on the finished product? I'm concerned that with nothing to bridge the gap between the heavily roasted malts and the MO, the coffee/roasty flavor may be a little abrupt. I'm hoping though that it'll just be a bit more aggressive and not overpowering. Any thoughts?

 

[rexbanner]

I think I can help you here. I've been drinking a dry stout I made for a while, which is just two row and roasted barley. I'm a big fan of the roasted taste, kinda tastes like coffee. Of course you have a bit more roasty stuff in there, including coffee, so it could be a little overpowering.

If you do want to sweeten it somehow, you could try Torani syrup. I'm about to use some hazelnut on a nut brown that will finish in a week, and I had great luck using toffee nut and caramel in a brown ale before. You can just pour some of your beer in a cup before you bottle or keg, and keep adding increments of syrup until you get a good flavor, then multiply it out to fit your volume size.

Good luck. That recipe looks delicious by the way.

 

[the_bird]

I wouldn't worry about it. It was only what, seven ounces? The beer may be a little drier but it's entirely common to see stout recipes with no crystal malt in them at all.

 

[stevedasleeve]

Well your gravity will have been effected - not that much though just a couple of points. Maybe you will have a better stout? I wouldn't sweat it myself, but then again I wouldn't brew a stout with crystal at all!

 

[beowulf]

Thanks for the help, guys. I subbed with Maris Otter and London ESB yeast, upped the chocolate malt and decreased the roasted barley (ran out @ 6oz), so maybe that will cut some of the dryness. I'm still pretty excited about it, regardless.

rex - interesting info on the Torani. Never tried it before, so I'll look into that.

 

[beowulf]

Yeah....looks like most of the dry stouts don't have crystal, but a lot of others do. I did hit my gravity but my Beersmith entry was calculated sans C120 so that's why. I'm glad I asked the question, though...responses much appreciated!

As an aside, I racked this on top of a yeastcake that was used for a Brown Ale...which was previously used for a Porter.....and then previously used for a Porter before that I wonder if the Brown Ale residue will add much to the finished product...I'm thinking it could only be good...