Using crystal 30L for american styled porter?

[Brew2Be]

Hi guys.

I'm doing a clean-up brew and I have Maris Otter, crystal 30L, chocolate malt available to me. I want to brew an american styled porter, but I am unsure whether crystal 30L will give it enough character, compared to 60L. Should I simply use more than when using 60L? Or will the 30L be fine?

My basic recipe goes like this so far:

76% Maris Otter
8% crystal
8% chocolate
8% oats

mashing at 154F for 60 mins and hopping with centennial.

 

[markstache]

You could toast it in your oven if you are really worried. I wouldn't be. 30L will be fine.

 

[Brew2Be]

You could toast it in your oven if you are really worried. I wouldn't be. 30L will be fine.

So I should just use 30L as normal (8% of the grist in this case) and then maybe a tiny bit of black patent for color adjustment (I like dark porters)?

 

[markstache]

I would keep the total crystal around the same percentage. More and you risk making it too sweet. Brewing software would help you dial in how much black malt to hit the same expected SRM. Off the top of my head, I'd guess around 2 - 4oz (assuming 5gal batch).

 

[JordanKnudson]

You could toast it in your oven if you are really worried. I wouldn't be. 30L will be fine.

Just be aware that if you were to do this, you would be changing the color and flavor, but not creating *actual* C60 (or C-whatever). The crystal malts get their flavor from literally stewing in their own juices. Before they are dried, they are heated to cook their sugars in the natural moisture of the grain within the hull. Once they are dried, however, applying further heat will not continue to caramelize the malt, but rather begin to toast it, similar to malts such as amber, biscuit, etc. If you started with a crystal malt and then went this route, you'd then, theoretically, have something of a hybrid between crystal and toasted malt. It could be cool (and probably would be), but unless you went through the soaking process again with your grains, you wouldn't be creating true darker crystal malt.

The suggestions that 30L will be fine is totally accurate, though. Adjust for color and any roasty-ness that you want with some darker malts, and don't worry about the lovibond rating of the crystal.