Crushed Crystal Malt - What Do?

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Dribs

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Greetings!

I have bought some crushed crystal malt for the first time. There's plenty advise on steeping and what have you. I was just wondering how long will it last in a sealed bag and where is the best place to store it?

Also, wondering about it's fermentation ratio, ie: what percent of 100g steeped crystal malt juice will get eaten by the yeast? Or is it relative to the amount of water you're steeping it in?
 
Also, wondering about it's fermentation ratio, ie: what percent of 100g steeped crystal malt juice will get eaten by the yeast? Or is it relative to the amount of water you're steeping it in?

Not a great deal will be eaten. Crystal is a spec malt, which means it has little diastatic power in its own right (i.e. the ability for the sugars in the grain to be converted to something the yeast will eat - in layman's terms).

Generally, with spec malts, if they are mashed with a base grain (which does have high diastatic power), then you'll get some edible sugars from the spec malt as well.

Given, I'm assuming, you are an extract brewer adding some spec malt in, this is a non-event for you.

You'll get some nice juice, which will enhance your beer. But it won't be something that the yeast will really get to use all that much.

Make sure you soak in water 65-70 degrees. 78 degrees or above will give you tannins (think the puckering bitterness of black tea), too low and the useful flavours won't be extracted all that well.

Goomba
 
Given, I'm assuming, you are an extract brewer adding some spec malt in, this is a non-event for you.

Correct! Looking at balancing the double hop effect of a toucan while making a better tastings beer with minimal cost and effort.
 
Correct! Looking at balancing the double hop effect of a toucan while making a better tastings beer with minimal cost and effort.

The likelihood that it won't (the spec malt, that is) ferment may actually balance out (or help to) the double hopping effect.

100g won't do much, but it'll help. I'd be on 300-500g, if it were me.

Certainly the proportion of my house APA is 5kg base malt (effectively the equivalent to your toucan) and .5 of some specs to trick it out.

I hope you are adding late addition (10 minutes or less) hopping to your beer. All the flavour and let the kit bitter.
 
Not adding extra hops unless I manage to scab 100g or so off a mate.

Would a meat spike thermometer work well enough in liquid to gage the temperature?
 
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