Help Deciphering Recipe?

[BrothersTrout]

I'm reading Wheeler & Protz's Brew Your Own British Real Ale, and it's a great source of information about brewing in general. I don't know much, I'm extremely new at this, but as I've read through, one thing's been nagging me. The recipes simply call for "Crystal malt." No mention of the lovibond. Now, I have absolutely no idea yet what "lovibond" actually is - but I do know that crystal malts at my local brew shop come in varieties from 10 to 120. Quite a range! But nowhere in the book do they mention which crystal malt they're referring to. Anyone have any ideas? I've seen other recipes online for British ales and bitters, and Crystal 80 comes up a lot - should I assume that's what they were using?

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

Lovibond is just a color rating, the higher the darker. It doesn't really mean anything else that I'm aware of.

I believe British crystal is supposed to be 50-60 lovibond, and I think some places actually mark it as such.

 

[surfbrewer]

TBL is correct that lovibond is a color rating and as you stated it runs from 10 degrees - 120 degrees. But, along with color comes different flavor characteristics as well. The way that the maltsters achieve the color is due to the time and temp. of the kilning process.

Generally speaking the darker the crystal malt the more of a malty sweetness, caramel flavor you will get, hence the reason they are also referred to as caramel malts.

Considering that pale malt is about 3 degrees lovibond you can see that even adding some 10 degree to your beer will adjust the color quite significantly depending on the amount you use. As you become more knowledgeable with what malts will add what type of character and how much to use for color and flavor adjustments you will be able to add or delete items like a chef creating a new recipe. The possibilites are endless. Crystal malt will also add body and aid head retention in your beer as well.

To answer your question on the recipe, I doubt that they are using Crystal 80, unless it is in very small quantities. I would think that it would be more in the range of 20 degree up to about 60 degree, similar to what TBL stated. Hope this helps.

Cheers

 

[BrothersTrout]

Terrific, thank you both very much. I'll probably start with about a 50, and adjust from there as necessary.

Thanks again!

 

[Bob]

In my experience, when English authors state "Crystal malt" and do not specify color, they refer to 55oL English Crystal. I don't know for sure, but I think it's a holdover from when there was only one kind/darkness of crystal malt available to the homebrewer.

You're looking for "medium" Crystal, which will range between 50 and 65L. Muntons, Fawcett, Simpsons, and Pauls all make excellent Crystal malts. Avoid American Crystal/Caramel malts in Real Ale; the taste just isn't the same. I find I prefer Pauls, but Muntons is widely available.

Cheers!

Bob

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

TBL is correct that lovibond is a color rating and as you stated it runs from 10 degrees - 120 degrees. But, along with color comes different flavor characteristics as well.

Lovibond itself does not indicate any kind of flavor characteristic, though. Crystal malts are often talked about in conjunction with their flavors because there's no other way to separate the crystal malts than with lovibond, but every malt has a lovibond, and while it often is maltier as it gets darker, that's not always the case (roasted barley, for example, has a high lovibond, but is not malted at all).

 

[surfbrewer]

Agreed.....I didn't mean to suggest that lovibond had anything to do with flavor and I was refering only to crystal malts in my response. But, I think its safe to say that color does have a direct corrolation with flavor due to the process by which the color was achieved. The longer anything is kilned or roasted or baked or whatever, the darker it will get and the more flavor it will impart. Whether that flavor is roasty, toasty, caramel, or whatever. IMO anyway.

Cheers

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

Yeah, that's probably a pretty good rule of thumb.