# Caraaroma - Usage?



## Bribie G (7/1/10)

I have used Carared and just bought half a kilo of Caraaroma to try it. Does anyone use it in UK bitters? Does it sub for normal Crystal Malt or should I use it alongside Crystal?

I find Carared gives a nice malty roundness to bitters, and tweaks the colour nicely, whereas Munich tends to make them a bit too 'perfumy' in the malt department. I was looking for something robust for colour and enhanced malt aroma - sort of a Carared on steroids? Or is Caraaroma more like a melanoidin?

I'm thinking along the lines of:

5000 TF Maris Otter
200 Medium Crystal
150 Caraaroma

tips n tricks appreciated


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## winkle (7/1/10)

BribieG said:


> I have used Carared and just bought half a kilo of Caraaroma to try it. Does anyone use it in UK bitters? Does it sub for normal Crystal Malt or should I use it alongside Crystal?
> 
> I find Carared gives a nice malty roundness to bitters, and tweaks the colour nicely, whereas Munich tends to make them a bit too 'perfumy' in the malt department. I was looking for something robust for colour and enhanced malt aroma - sort of a Carared on steroids? Or is Caraaroma more like a melanoidin?
> 
> ...



I use 100gm of it in a Irish Red and while my beer is no great shakes it should give you the colour and 'maltiness' you are after (colour should workout about 13 SRM). 
_(Note to self - sort out that recipe.) _


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## paulwolf350 (7/1/10)

Yeah I use it in my ESB to darken it up, if I use only carared it is a blood red, to get to a terra cotter/ rust colour i use caraaroma. I cut my carared back and sub the caraaroma in as crystal

dunno if this is exactly correct but its how i use it

Paul


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## j1gsaw (7/1/10)

Im planning a Ruddles County type brew soon, and will be using both caararoma and carared in the brew with the M/O.
They should marry well together, especially with the Bramling cross hop :icon_drool2:


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## Bizier (7/1/10)

I use it in mild ale.
Great stuff.

ED: I used it in a current IIPA so I could add some colour, but keep the overall crystal down.


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## MCT (7/1/10)

I use it in my ESB's and got 1st place at the ESB comp last year. It gives a good caramel flavour and was the edge in that beer I reckon.
Just don't go too crazy with it, it's pretty overpowering if you put too much in. Maybe around the 3% mark mixed with other crystals.


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## Mantis (7/1/10)

Just started a keg of the below and its one fine beer. Probably the finest I have made so far
Very smooth drinking with a fine lasting head. The caraaroma malt is the prominent malt flavour and is balanced by the hops. 





BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: PaleRed
Brewer: Richard
Asst Brewer: 
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 38.00 L 
Boil Size: 40.20 L
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 16.6 EBC
Estimated IBU: 38.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 76.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU 
7.04 kg Pilsner, Malt Craft Export (Joe White) (3.Grain 81.43 % 
1.01 kg Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (3.5 EBGrain 11.63 % 
0.30 kg Caraaroma (256.1 EBC) Grain 3.47 % 
0.20 kg Biscuit Malt (45.3 EBC) Grain 2.31 % 
0.10 kg Acid Malt (5.9 EBC) Grain 1.16 % 
35.00 gm Pride of Ringwood [9.50 %] (60 min) (FirsHops 21.2 IBU 
35.00 gm Cascade [6.90 %] (45 min) Hops 12.9 IBU 
30.10 gm Cascade [6.90 %] (10 min) Hops 4.4 IBU 
20.00 gm Cascade [6.90 %] (0 min) Hops - 
2 Pkgs US-05 Yeast-Ale


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## RdeVjun (7/1/10)

Bribie, I'd toss the crystal and just go with the MO, 3% caraaroma, caramelise some wort (or not), usual Landlord hops, Wood Ale/1469, lo! and behold you have a pretty decent version/variant of our old favourite, TTL! Some sugaz wouldn't go astray either, I don't mind a bit to keep a lid on the overt graininess, have been putting half a kilo in them.

Dr S was waxing lyrical on the 3% caraaroma version in his recipe DB thread, the ones I've done in that vein have been quite OK, but I still fart around with 100% base malt, decoction and caramelising wort because I just can't help myself.  Having said that, caraaroma is quite high on my list of spec malts while I'm not a big fan of Munich either.


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## thanme (7/1/10)

Mantis: I've been umming and erring about using caraaroma in an APA. Guess you just answered that for me ;P That looks great.


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## brando (7/1/10)

RdeVjun said:


> Bribie, I'd toss the crystal and just go with the MO, 3% caraaroma, caramelise some wort (or not), usual Landlord hops, Wood Ale/1469, lo! and behold you have a pretty decent version/variant of our old favourite, TTL! Some sugaz wouldn't go astray either, I don't mind a bit to keep a lid on the overt graininess, have been putting half a kilo in them.
> 
> Dr S was waxing lyrical on the 3% caraaroma version in his recipe DB thread, the ones I've done in that vein have been quite OK, but I still fart around with 100% base malt, decoction and caramelising wort because I just can't help myself.  Having said that, caraaroma is quite high on my list of spec malts while I'm not a big fan of Munich either.




I use 3-4% caraaroma with MO in my UK Bitter. Very nice result but lacking the red colour in side by side test with TTL.


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## mika (7/1/10)

Bizier said:


> ....
> ED: I used it in a current IIPA so I could add some colour, but keep the overall crystal down.



It's still a crystal ?


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## Bizier (7/1/10)

mika said:


> It's still a crystal ?



Yep. It is about as dark as they get.
I think that is what the 'cara' (caramel) denotes, but the logic does not follow through to carapils, which is definitely not.


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## dr K (7/1/10)

> Yep. It is about as dark as they get.
> I think that is what the 'cara' (caramel) denotes, but the logic does not follow through to carapils, which is definitely not.



carapils is a crystal (as is carahelles) but very light, cararoma is very dark crystal, before SpecB was available about the nearest to SpecB in Australia. I would avoid using it in bitters, especially if just for colour, it has quite a distinctive flavour, perfectly OK for darker malty lagers but not universal.
K


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## Bizier (7/1/10)

dr K said:


> carapils is a crystal (as is carahelles) but very light



OK. I know this would happen.

Perhaps I have been sold a product other than Wey Carapils. BUT the couple of kilos or so that I have gone through had a powdery/starchy crush consistency just like base malt, not the crystalline glass candy structure of a crystal malt (i.e. being converted and then kilned). Different to Carahell, which I use all the time. But this should be filed under "The great Carapils/Dextrine Malt Debate" another time.

Yes, Caraaroma is crystal malt.

I argue it goes well in a mild, wouldn't use it in a bitter variant, but that is the wonder of homebrewing, you do whatever the hell pleases you.


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## Mantis (7/1/10)

Yep


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## mika (7/1/10)

Think I misinterpreted your previous post. I was thinking, why would you use Cara-aroma if you were trying to keep the crystal down ? But re-reading I'm thinking you used it for the colour ? Though a crystal blend would have probably got you the colour and would have worked behind all the hops in an IIPA


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## winkle (7/1/10)

Bribie - thought about using cara-munich 3 instead?
Sorry to skew the thread.


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## Back Yard Brewer (7/1/10)

Have never really entertained the idea of using Caraaroma in anything but my porters. Looks like I may have to go outside the square more often.


BYB


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## Adamt (7/1/10)

The smell of caraaroma gives me a semi.

So I guess, if all else fails, it can help with ED.


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## Bizier (8/1/10)

mika said:


> Think I misinterpreted your previous post. I was thinking, why would you use Cara-aroma if you were trying to keep the crystal down ? But re-reading I'm thinking you used it for the colour ? Though a crystal blend would have probably got you the colour and would have worked behind all the hops in an IIPA



I used Caraaroma as the crystal component of my grist because it is strong stuff.
I wanted to maintain a dry beer,so I only needed a pinch to achieve the colour and a subtle dark crystal character. This is compared to if I had used a med crystal, which would contribute a lot more sweetness when shooting for a similar colour. I don't normally work colour backwards, but in this case I did.
ED: and I am already battling alcohol sweetness at 8% abv, so I don't want to add more malt sweetness.


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## Barry (8/1/10)

I really like cara-aroma and use it for most beers that have crystal in them, lagers and ales. I like bitters but can't usually brew good ones. Last year made an ESB that went well in comps and, more importantly, I really enjoyed it.

ESB, 1.060, 1.014, 50 IBU, 6%, 22L in the fermenter.

5.3 kg MO
0.2 kg CaraMalt 
0.2 kg Crystal 90
0.2 kg Cara-Aroma
0.1 kg Amber

60 gms Challenger 6% 60 mins
10 gms Fuggles 6% 15 mins
50 gms EKG 4.8% 15 mins
20 gms EKG 4.8% dry hop
5 gms CaSO4 in mash

WLP013 London Ale

Mashed at 68oC for 80 mins, 71oC for 10 mins. Fermented around 18oC for 22 days.
Hope this helps.


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## drsmurto (8/1/10)

Last Landlord i made had 3% caraaroma. 

I overdid the hops a touch but my return bout with use the same grist and wind back the bittering.

I've used it in a few bitters as well as a few golden ales that werent so golden! Also use it in porters and stouts. 

I've used it in my standard bitter recipe a few times. 90% ale, 5% torrified wheat and 5% crystal where the 5% crystal is a mix of med and dark crystal malts such as caraaroma.

Your old mate Butters swears by it in bitters and milds.

I treat it like a dark crystal malt so a little goes a long way.


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## Steve (8/1/10)

Bribie...try Tonys EKG Bitter or Bulls Tail Porter (in the recipe DB). Made them a few times and they include caraaroma. Both excellent. I use caraaroma a lot now after trying these two.
Cheers
Steve


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## Bribie G (2/2/10)

Update: 

I finally jumped into Caraaroma with an Irish Red Cream Ale

4000 Thomas Fawcett Halcyon
250 Caraaroma
150 Carared
250 Wheat

65 degrees 90 min

30 Admiral 90 min
20 EKG 10 min

Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale 

I was about to put it into CC for a week but a couple of days ago my sons came over for my birthday and we succeeded in demolishing a keg of ale and I ended up with an empty with nothing ready in the lagering fridge. Nature abhors an empty keg  so I just kegged / bottled out of primary and I'm glad I did. After 3 days I'm getting a malt orgazzm with each mouthful. Lovely red colour as well. Can't post piccie as I'm out of Duracells until I go shopping.

I'm in. :beerbang: :beerbang:


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