Special B Malt????

[Jtwillis]

So I was talking to a brewer at the beach about a brown ale recipe I use and he suggested adding Special B malt to it to give it more of a caramel flavor.

My question is:
Im doing 5 gallon batches and I have a good basic stout grain bill I like to use. If i were to try to get a good caramel flavor from this how much "Special B" would I add for a 5 gallon batch?

Also anyone know if it truly gives off a caramel flavor?

Also thinking if it does give out that caramel flavor how would it do with some chocolate malts or flavorings added in fermentation.

Just thinking out loud and asking for yall's thoughts...

Cheers!

 

[Yooper]

It's not really a caramel flavor, more of a toffee flavor. I have a friend who has a brewery in Milwaukee, and he swears by it for his American brown. I think you'd notice .25 pounds in 5 gallons, and would start there.

 

[divrack]

I second the above.
Its a bit gooey flavoured I find in large amounts but nice to round out a brown in small amounts. Spoiled a beer with about a half pound of it, turned out cloying and mank

 

[JohnSand]

Agreed, a little too much is too much. Try 4oz.

 

[corax]

IMO, it's just the wrong kind of flavor for a brown ale. I'd describe it as dark dried fruit, like raisins, or black currents, or prunes. In small quantities I think it's appropriate in Belgian dubbels, sweeter porters and stouts, or strong dark ales, like barleywine or old ale. If you do use it, definitely keep it under 2% of the grain bill.

Early on, I made the mistake of adding 1 pound of Special B in a 5 gallon batch of brown ale -- probably about 10% of the grain bill. It tasted like undiluted prune juice. Much later I tried a brown ale with just 2%; this one was drinkable, but still had too much raisin flavor for my liking.

 

[Jtwillis]

definitely gonna try adding .25 of a pound to my brown ale recipe and see how it comes out.

Anyone use it in stouts?

 

[broot]

I use .5 lbs in a porter.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I’ve used it in stouts and barley wines. I definitely think it contributes raisin profiles if used to excess.

 

[Darthbrewder]

I use about 4 oz in an Irish red that I like to brew. Adds a little depth of flavor that I like. I also use 12oz in my house red ipa. I think it lends itself well to the fruity aroma of the mosaic hops that I use.

It definitely doesn’t take much special b. In large quantities it can be a little cloying.

I wouldn’t use it in a stout. Maybe an imperial stout aged on oak or something. The flavors don’t really mix well. I’ve tried it once in a stout and maybe I used too much, but it was closer to a weird porter than a stout. Too much toffee, stone fruit going on in the background that just seemed out of place.

 

[kh54s10]

Special B is one of my favorites. I stumbled upon it for my "Brown Eyed Girl" brown ale by using up leftovers. I used 6 ounces in the first recipe and .5 pound in the most recent. This came out as 4% of the first and 4.5% in the most recent. That was my sixth and I made it closer to #1 than 2,3,4,and 5. all of them were pretty good but not as good as 1 and 6

I don't know if it is to "style" and don't care.

This is my favorite "brown" of any. My others or any commercial one I have tried.

Can't remember what else I have use it in.

 

[brewbama]

I don't know if it is to "style" and don't care.

+1

 

[corax]

I'd avoid it in dry stouts, but it's fine in small quantities in bigger or sweeter stouts. I use ~2% Special B in a stout I make; I can't really identify it specifically against the background roasted grains, but I like to think it adds to the complexity.