On Pilseners and Carapils

[Somerville]

So I recently bought The Complete Joy of Homebrewing as an addition to my Dummies guide (which is great). I've been looking at Papazian's pilsener recipes and it seems that he never includes carapils. I plan on brewing a German Pilsener this weekend and I have 0.5lb of carapils. I know that carapils adds body and head retention, so why wouldnt it be used all the time? What are its other effects in terms of pilseners? I remember reading somewhere that it gives off an amber color...perhaps I want to avoid this in order to achieve the highest amount qualities of a german pilsener's profile. My recipe is extract based and, if used, I will be steeping the carapils. But, at the temperatures I get to (~170), it seems that steeping and mashing are somewhat similar--the grain bag acting as a strainer. Though, Papazian describes mashing procedures at 150-160degrees. Perhaps thats an entirely different discussion...

 

[david_42]

If you don't mash carapils, you will very likely have a problem with starch haze. It isn't a fully converted malt and puts out a lot of starch.

 

[Somerville]

Should I use some maltodextrin powder instead? If so, how much? Will this create a fakey taste?

 

[mysterio]

Does carapils achieve roughly the same thing as crystal malt, only without the colour? Or am I way off.

 

[david_42]

About 4 oz. of maltodextrin powder would do the job and it has very little flavor.

Carapils is a roasted malt that has been raised & processed to maximize maltodextrin content. It is used to improve mouthfeel and body. Crystal/caramel undergoes a slow heating process that forms complex unfermentable sugars. It provides color, sweetness and a caramel flavor.

 

[Somerville]

Thanks, I'll use the powder for my lager instead. At what time should I place it in the boil?

 

[boo boo]

http://www.bodensatz.com/staticpages/index.php?page=Grains this makes good reading for grains type and uses.