Caracrystal

[TidalPete]

I've just been to Brisbane looking for crystal malt (30L) without result. I am looking to create an APA partial with less of that caramel taste & colour that the 60L imparts. Being new to grains I purchased what the HBS bloke called caracrystal. Is this caramalt? What rating on the Lovibond scale would it be? What's the ebc? :blink: :blink:
Tried a search without much success. Can anyone give me a rundown on all the differences between caracrystal\caramalt & crystal malt. Any help to increase my AG knowledge would be appreciated.

 

[Trough Lolly]

Ask the HBS owner what the heck it was he sold you! It reads like you bought pale crystal malt, which is malted barley that has undergone partial malting and then stopped after conversion and dried to crystallise the converted starches / sugars, hence the term crystal.

Have a search for crystal malt - Thomas Fawcett and Sons in the UK make a good crystal malt that adds a caramel sweetness to beers. I use it in all my English Pale Ales...
Basically, any adjuct that has cara- at the start is a crystallised malt that doesn't need mashing. Examples include Weyermann Carapils, Caramunich, Carawheat, etc etc...
For more on crystal malt info...check this listing out...
TL

 

[Jovial_Monk]

Never heard of caracrystal, methinks you need a new HBS!

Thomas Fawcett caramalt or light crystal sounds like what you need, light color and low glugginess

Jovial Monk

 

[GOLIATH]

I agree with Tom!
Your HBS is immediately suspect.
I bet it's JW Caramalt

Dave

 

[TidalPete]

Ask the HBS owner what the heck it was he sold you! It reads like you bought pale crystal malt

Trough Lolly,
I suspect that the term 'caracrystal' was his way of saying caramalt. When asked, he stated that it was no different from crystal malt only with less caramel & colour. Am I correct in assuming that his statement applied to caramalt? BTW, a second HBS offered me caracrystal as well. Until that day I had never heard of the term. maybe it was crystal malt (10L)???? :blink:

 

[TidalPete]

I agree with Tom!
Your HBS is immediately suspect.
I bet it's JW Caramalt

Dave

[post="61374"][/post]​

Maybe you're right? the HBS seems to have only JW grains in stock. Never thought of that angle.

 

[Ross]

Joe White do Crystal, dark crystal & caramalt - My local Brizzy store has all 3 in stock - Hope they wern't the ones that confused you...

 

[Trough Lolly]

Trough Lolly,
I suspect that the term 'caracrystal' was his way of saying caramalt. When asked, he stated that it was no different from crystal malt only with less caramel & colour. Am I correct in assuming that his statement applied to caramalt?

There are lots of different types of cara malts - Carapils, Carawheat, Caramunich, Caravienne and Carahell just to name a few. Each has a particular property that we want to infuse in our brewing. For example, Carapils from Weyermann maltings in Bamberg Germany is good for head retention and adding body to the beer without adding too much colour or sweetness. Weyermann also sells Caramunich II which goes down well in amber or darker German styled beers and I always toss in some when I'm doing a James Squire amber clone. Carapils or Carafoam as it's also know as, is the grain version of maltodextrin that extract brewers use to push up the body (and final gravity) of their beers through the brew booster bags of adjuncts.
In essence Caracrystal and Caramalt are one and the same. It's just that Caracrystal is not a commonly used term - it's like saying Palepilsener malt! I'm no guru or HBS owner, but if I was selling crystal malt that was pale and had less caramel than normal, I would have bagged the stuff as "pale crystal malt" or "extra pale crystal" and left "cara" out of it to avoid the inference that the malt has caramel or toffee flavour properties.
Confused yet? h34r:
TL

 

[TidalPete]

Trough Lolly,
I suspect that the term 'caracrystal' was his way of saying caramalt. When asked, he stated that it was no different from crystal malt only with less caramel & colour. Am I correct in assuming that his statement applied to caramalt?

There are lots of different types of cara malts - Carapils, Carawheat, Caramunich, Caravienne and Carahell just to name a few. Each has a particular property that we want to infuse in our brewing. For example, Carapils from Weyermann maltings in Bamberg Germany is good for head retention and adding body to the beer without adding too much colour or sweetness. Weyermann also sells Caramunich II which goes down well in amber or darker German styled beers and I always toss in some when I'm doing a James Squire amber clone. Carapils or Carafoam as it's also know as, is the grain version of maltodextrin that extract brewers use to push up the body (and final gravity) of their beers through the brew booster bags of adjuncts.
In essence Caracrystal and Caramalt are one and the same. It's just that Caracrystal is not a commonly used term - it's like saying Palepilsener malt! I'm no guru or HBS owner, but if I was selling crystal malt that was pale and had less caramel than normal, I would have bagged the stuff as "pale crystal malt" or "extra pale crystal" and left "cara" out of it to avoid the inference that the malt has caramel or toffee flavour properties.
Confused yet?
TL

No confusion TL, just good to have someone put things in their right perspective & set things straight. Seems as if I was going down the right track? :blink: :blink: Didn't know about the Carapils\Carafoam\maltodextrin connection. My thanks.

 

[warrenlw63]

Tidalpete,

If it's Joe White's it would be Cara Malt (crystal) colour is rated at between 40-60EBC.

Warren -

 

[Trough Lolly]

Tidalpete,

If it's Joe White's it would be Cara Malt (crystal) colour is rated at between 40-60EBC.

Warren -

[post="61420"][/post]​

And therein lies the issue - the HBS guy should be able to tell you the source of the grains you buy. He of all people should know. And if not, that tells you a lot about the HBS in general... :huh:
TL