Doctormcbrewdle
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Crystal vs. Cara malts
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Doctormcbrewdle
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 20/9/17
- Messages
- 478
- Reaction score
- 76
Well, it's been in the bottle a week or so now, so how is it?
It's good! (Left home brew, right Pirate. Mine hasn't cleared just yet and is a few shades darker) it's actually very close, but still not as hoppy as the real deal. Whatever I do I just can't quite get the same level of aroma there. But I'd say it's definitely the closest brew I've ever made to the real deal, about 95% of the way there! so crystal is definitely a big factor and I'll say quite confidently that if you weren't looking you'd never notice this was used. The mouthfeel is really good, not too overbearing at all suprisingly! It's 'malty' without being overpowering. Next time I'm going to lighten it up to around 22ebc
It's good! (Left home brew, right Pirate. Mine hasn't cleared just yet and is a few shades darker) it's actually very close, but still not as hoppy as the real deal. Whatever I do I just can't quite get the same level of aroma there. But I'd say it's definitely the closest brew I've ever made to the real deal, about 95% of the way there! so crystal is definitely a big factor and I'll say quite confidently that if you weren't looking you'd never notice this was used. The mouthfeel is really good, not too overbearing at all suprisingly! It's 'malty' without being overpowering. Next time I'm going to lighten it up to around 22ebc
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Doctormcbrewdle
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 20/9/17
- Messages
- 478
- Reaction score
- 76
Well, it's been a few weeks now so I'm confident at giving the final verdict. It's a good beer. A little heavy on the mouthfeel, a little confused and hops don't particularly shine through.
You wouldn't think of it as a pale ale if it were served to you in a pub, it's more a. Well.. I don't know what it is!? It reminds me of a porter or ESB with a strange hop schedule. Something you'd drink in a pub in England while saying to yourself, what the $uc@ is this!?. And for some reason it gives me a wicked beer buzz.. too
Nice and creamy but the crystal dominates the stage. All-in-all, glad I tried it to see what effects crystal in high doses does have exactly, rather than just reading about someone else doing it
Next up is an IPA, for a change. I've got milled
6kg BB pale ale malt
300g Cara
200g Medium crystal
450gms sucrose because I think I'd enjoy a bit ir a drier finish and picked up the tip from the 'Pliny the elder' guy
So that's 7% total crystal, probably as high as I'd want to go(?)
First wort hop with Cascade combined with bittering magnum (this will be my first time FWHing)
Steeping hops are mosaic and Cascade
Flameout whirlpool hops under 80 degrees celsius Amarillo and Simcoe
2x packets US West coast yeast. Hopefully this is more to style?
(Crystal pale ale pictured)
You wouldn't think of it as a pale ale if it were served to you in a pub, it's more a. Well.. I don't know what it is!? It reminds me of a porter or ESB with a strange hop schedule. Something you'd drink in a pub in England while saying to yourself, what the $uc@ is this!?. And for some reason it gives me a wicked beer buzz.. too
Nice and creamy but the crystal dominates the stage. All-in-all, glad I tried it to see what effects crystal in high doses does have exactly, rather than just reading about someone else doing it
Next up is an IPA, for a change. I've got milled
6kg BB pale ale malt
300g Cara
200g Medium crystal
450gms sucrose because I think I'd enjoy a bit ir a drier finish and picked up the tip from the 'Pliny the elder' guy
So that's 7% total crystal, probably as high as I'd want to go(?)
First wort hop with Cascade combined with bittering magnum (this will be my first time FWHing)
Steeping hops are mosaic and Cascade
Flameout whirlpool hops under 80 degrees celsius Amarillo and Simcoe
2x packets US West coast yeast. Hopefully this is more to style?
(Crystal pale ale pictured)
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