Crystal Malt

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daveisbludging

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Guys,

I've got hold of 1kg crystal malt and I want to find out what it tastes like in a brew. My usual method is to make up 2 kits, one with an ingredient and one without, so I can compare them and discover what a flavour is. Can anyone recommend a kit or style for Crystal and is 1kg way over the top but I want to ensure I can really taste the Crystal even if it's not properly in balance?

Cheers,

Dave
 
for one brew ?

Yes 1Kg is over the top , try around 250gm , still it up to you , only one way to find out...try it !
 
Yep
got that
 
I made up a nut brown ale with one of those ESB 3kg full wort jobbies and added 250g of crystal 60L. Nice. Could go up to 500g but 250 probably better.

I just put the cracked grain in a muslin bag into cold water. Dunk a few times to wet through. Bring it almost to the boil on lowest possible flame over about 45 minutes. Remove bag and dunk it a few times into another pot of almost boiling water. Pour one into the other and bring to the boil. Could add finishing hops here. Then add your kit and stir gently to dissolve. Chill as quickly as possible, add to fermenter, top up, pitch yeast.
 
Dave

If you are only adding crystal then i would use 250gms and steep overnight in 5ltrs of water.

I would use a Coopers Canadian Blonde and make two 10 ltr batches.
Add the crystal thru a sieve to one batch and do everything else the same....ie same yeast same temp etc.

Rack and dry hop both with the same amounts and bottle and taste.

The reason for suggesting the Canadian Blonde is because it is a very light beer style - therefore your crystal malt flavour will be more pronounced.

Please post feed back....
alternatively, just throw a few grains in the mouth and chew...that will give you the flavour....
 
Ken,

That sounds like a good suggestion. I'll give it a shot and report back my results.

Dave
 
There is the Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild recipe, about 400g crystal. Should be some black patent as well but you couldl leave it out. OG 1058, IBU 30


Jovial Monk
 
JM,

I've had a hunt around for the Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild Recipe without any luck. Can you please post?

Cheers,

Dave
 
Here ia recipee i found:

Sarah Hughes Ruby Red
OG1058
Mash
5000g pale malt (75%)
1650g crystal malt (25%)

In the copper:

41g Fuggles hops (start of boil)
35g Goldings hops (start of boil)
20g Goldings hops (last 15 minutes)

Mash temperature: 68C
Mash time: 120 minutes
Boil time: 120 minutes
Final gravity: 1014
Bitterness: 30 EBU

Note :
This is for final volume of 23ltrs

Supply feedback if you make this...
 
I've made up two half batches of the Coopers Blonde. One was a straight 1/2kg dextrose and half kit made up to 11ltr. The other included 250g crystal 120EBC steeped at 68-75degrees for half an hour. I was surprised how dark the steeped liquor was.

The stove top was a bit erratic and it was tough trying to keep the temperature stable. I tried the steeped liquor and found it tasted a little bitter. I don't know whether I steeped too hot and those are tannins or whether that is normal for Crystal.
 
Dave

How much water did you mash the grain with?
I dont think 30mins is long enough.

Tanin is like the furry taste you get on your tongue from red wine.
It usually tastes harsh.

But it will eventually go away. i had alot of tanin in my barley wine...steeped Xtal in boiling water for 3 hours.

Made the beer any way - dont like wasting it. Initially huge tanins - but they dissipate over time and the BW ended up wining a place at the ACT State Championships.

Ken....
 
GMK,

I'm interested that you think that isn't long enough. Any particular reason? I've tended to steep my crystal at 70 degrees for 30 minutes in roughly 2 litres for 200-250grams. My results have been OK so far but am always willing to change if a better method comes along...

Shawn.
 
You would not have extracted enough sugars in 30min, you really need to steep/mash your grains for up to 90mins to really get as much sugar out as possible, any more and you risk extracting tanins.

70oC is a touch warm too, the warmer your mash (above 66oC) the less/more body you achieve (i think)
 
Mmmm. I thought steeping was different to mashing in terms of its process? Certainly that's the way I've approached it :blink:

Shawn
 
Same here Shawn, I don't worry too much about efficiency as I just use steeping to add freshness, body and taste to extract brews. And yeah, treat it different to mashing where temp is crucial. Tannins from 250-500g of grains would be minor.

I just put grain bag in tap water and bring very slowly almost to boil on lowest possible heat over 30-60 minutes.
 
And you are correct Gough , it is , you should be ok with what you have done

I am sure it will be a good result , wedge is correct as the tempreture is a little to warm , but not to worry you have taken to plunge and given it a shot.

I am sure you will be pleased with the results


Only one way to learn this stuff....do it
 
wedge said:
70oC is a touch warm too, the warmer your mash (above 66oC) the less/more body you achieve (i think)
More body, ie a higher FG due to less fermentable sugars. I found out the hard way :)
Still, I'm drinking it :chug:
 
Steeping Grains

I have steeped grains in just boiled water for 3 hours -huge Tanins and cold water overnight...loose a bit of mouthfeel and freshness.

My now prefered method is to steep the grains in at least 5-10 ltrs of water because my saucepan is 20ltrs....for 3 hours or 90mins minimum.
and boil for 20mins min - with hops and let the saucepan stand for 20mins in cold water.

I do this only for the steeping grains:
Xtal, Choc, Black, Roast Barley and occasionally flaked oats when i make an oatmeal stout.

No probs so far.
 
My approach was taken from JP's How to Brew. Below are the couple of para's I based my approach on. I don't know how much cold water I added to the 250g to start with but I ended up with 1.5 litres at the end.

(lifted from ww.howtobrew.com)
Steeping specialty grain is like making tea. The crushed grain is soaked in hot 150 - 170F degree water for 30 minutes. Even though a color change will be noticeable early on, steep for the entire 30 minutes to get as much of the available sugar dissolved into the wort as possible. The grain is removed from the water and that water (now a wort) is then used to dissolve the extract for the boil.

The analogy to a tea bag is a good one in that if the grain is left in for too long (hours), astringent tannin compounds (a.k.a. phenols) can be extracted from the grain husks. The compounds give the wort a dry puckering taste, much like a black tea that has been left to steep too long. The extraction of tannins is especially prevalent if the water is too hot - above 170F. Previous practices regarding the use of specialty grains had the brewer putting the grain in the pot and bringing it to a boil before removal. That method often resulted in tannin extraction.
 
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