Is Over 10% Specialty Grains Too Much

[Rowy]

I'm doing an English Bitter and have been mucking around with a recipe that has about 11% victory and carahell (split roughly between the two). Is this too much? I've searched the DB but to say the variance is considerable is an understatement.

 

[Dazza88]

Post the recipe and maybe people can give directed feedback.

Put Jamil in front of a recipe search and you can get a good idea on a decent recipe, usually.

http://beerdujour.com/Recipes/Jamil/JamilsOrdinaryBitter.htm

it's got 11% spec and roast malt.

 

[mje1980]

IMHO you wont notice anything from the carahell with 5% ish of victory. It has a very strong flavour impact. That doesnt mean it will not be good, just saying that it will stand out. If you love victory malt, go ahead.

 

[Rowy]

Post the recipe and maybe people can give directed feedback.

Put Jamil in front of a recipe search and you can get a good idea on a decent recipe, usually.

http://beerdujour.com/Recipes/Jamil/JamilsOrdinaryBitter.htm

it's got 11% spec and roast malt.

Recipe as requested.

Original Gravity (OG): 1.040 (P): 10.0
Final Gravity (FG): 1.010 (P): 2.6
Alcohol (ABV): 3.93 %
Colour (SRM): 6.8 (EBC): 13.4
Bitterness (IBU): 35.9 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)

88.89% Perle Malt
6.67% Carahell
4.44% Victory

0.7 g/L East Kent Golding (4.3% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
0.7 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil)
0.7 g/L Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil)
0.9 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
0.9 g/L Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)


Single step Infusion at 66C for 75 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 18C with Danstar Nottingham

Notes:

Recipe Generated with BrewMate

View attachment Morrisons_Mild.txt

 

[SJW]

looks fine, I have gone up to 30% crystal in a American Brown, just make sure the IBU's up up in the high end to balance out.

Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3800 g Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 1 67.9 %
1000 g Caramunich II (Weyermann) (124.1 EBC) Grain 2 17.9 %
750 g Carared (Weyermann) (47.3 EBC) Grain 3 13.4 %
50 g Carafa II (Weyermann) (817.5 EBC) Grain 4 0.9 %
40.0 g Cascade [7.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 33.4 IBUs
10.0 g Chinook [11.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 12.6 IBUs
25.0 g Cascade [7.80 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 7 7.6 IBUs
50.0 g Cascade [7.80 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 8 1.8 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.2 ml] Yeast 9 -


Steve

 

[Wolfy]

A quick look in my Real British Ales recipe book shows that while most recipes call for approx 5% crystal some have 10% or even up to 15%.

 

[Rowy]

Thanks Gents I'll run with it and see how it goes.

 

[Bribie G]

It depends what you mean by "spec malts" - depends on how much they are going to influence the final brew. For example Weyermannn Carapils can be used up to 1/3 in a brew according to Mr Wey himself at a seminar I got to on his downunder tour. On the other hand use roast barley at that rate and you are in big strife

Victory is a great boost to many brews and I've used it a few times since I got a free sample last November then re ordered from my supplier. I'd have no qualms using it to 10% then stack more spec grains on top.

 

[Dazza88]

Its timely for myself that you ask this question cause i brewed 30 L of the recipe below, 9L has been fermented and the 22L cube is awaiting for the first lot to chill and be kegged. My concern is the other way - will my brew finish too low on gravity.

I didn't add any crystal malt (only the touch of carafa), the first batch finished at 1.005 (from corrected refract reading, all of my recent brew seem to be finishing too low - maybe i should invest in a hydrometer, review mashing procedure etc). Should I add some crystal into the miniboil for the big batch?

Then again i am pretty sure the 32 no chill adjusted IBU calc by beermate isn't accurate either; not as bitter as expected.

Any advice appreciated?

Maybe i will reserve decision making until i taste the small first batch.

======================
Winter Falcon Pale Ale (American Pale Ale)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.048 (P): 11.9 (actual 1.046~7)
Final Gravity (FG): 1.010 (P): 2.6 ()
Alcohol (ABV): 5.03 %
Colour (SRM): 6.9 (EBC): 13.6
Bitterness (IBU): 32.6 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)

48.86% American 2-Row
32.57% Pilsner
9.77% Munich II
8.14% Wheat Malt
0.65% Carafa II malt

0.5 g/L Falconers flight (10.5% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil)
0.5 g/L Falconers flight (10.5% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
0.5 g/L Falconers flight (10.5% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
0.5 g/L Falconers flight (10.5% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
1.1 g/L Falconers flight (10.5% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)

0.2 g/L Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) @ 0 Minutes (Mash)
0.3 g/L PH 5.2 @ 0 Minutes (Mash)
0.3 g/L Polyclar @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
0.2 g/L Whirlfloc Tablet @ 0 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 66C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 75 Minutes

Fermented at 17C with Wyeast 1272 - American Ale II

Notes: B
MASH started at 67 and 65 at 60 min
72 for 15 minutes.
78 for 10 minutes.
BOIL
60 minutes then first hop addition - 75 minute boil.


Split: 21L into cube with 0 min 15g FF hops in cube and 5g of amarillo and 9L into cube with 15 amarillo.

30L at 1.047 (!2P)

dunked into water after 30 minutes in cube.

9L finished at 1.005 (5.4P reading corrected using onebeer.net refractometer calculator. Dry hopped with 8g of amarillo and simcoe each.

======================

 

[Acasta]

looks fine, I have gone up to 30% crystal in a American Brown, just make sure the IBU's up up in the high end to balance out.

Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3800 g Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 1 67.9 %
1000 g Caramunich II (Weyermann) (124.1 EBC) Grain 2 17.9 %
750 g Carared (Weyermann) (47.3 EBC) Grain 3 13.4 %
50 g Carafa II (Weyermann) (817.5 EBC) Grain 4 0.9 %
40.0 g Cascade [7.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 33.4 IBUs
10.0 g Chinook [11.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 12.6 IBUs
25.0 g Cascade [7.80 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 7 7.6 IBUs
50.0 g Cascade [7.80 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 8 1.8 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.2 ml] Yeast 9 -


Steve

How'd that turn out? Looks very interesting.

 

[SJW]

How'd that turn out? Looks very interesting.

Very big and very red. Big thick dense head. Like I said I am glad I went hard with the hops. Just like APA on steroids and not so pale. Now that I think about it ....it was a clone of a Brooklyn Brown ale. It was so far of the style guide I had to give it a crack.

Steve

 

[neonmeate]

Try 100% specialty malt, from Wheeler's CAMRA guide to "Home Brewing" (Cambridge: CUP, 1990):

Old Dorchester Ale 25L (1055 OG)

Amber Malt 4600g
Chocolate malt 2300g
Copper hops (Goldings) 100g

i believe someone actually brewed this beer on ahb, can't remember who

 

[Sammus]

I just did 6kg of munich and 1kg of melanoidin in a 25L batch. More than 10% and it rocks

 

[Nick JD]

I often use 10%+ Melanoidin, but it's a bit different not being a "crystal" as such. Much softer flavours.

There's the high heat-altered crystal malts that are roasted to caramelise, then there are the lower heat-altered malts (like munich and vienna and melanoidin) that are altered by induced mailard reations.

Anyway - if you look at Weyermann's website, they list how much their spec malts can be used ... most of it is ******* heaps.

They say that caraaroma can be used up to 15% ... that's one malty beer!

 

[sponge]

snip...

48.86% American 2-Row
32.57% Pilsner
9.77% Munich II
8.14% Wheat Malt
0.65% Carafa II malt

...

Sorry to the OP as this is slightly OT...

Your brew may be finishing a lot lower than expected as theres not really any spec/crystal malts in there at all (classing munich as a base malt), besides the very small amount of carafa.

And with you saying that a lot of your brews are finishing lower than expected, id be looking at re-calibrating your mash thermometer as you may be mashing a lot lower than expected.

Also, invest in a hydrometer so youve got another reading for SG to compare to your converted refractometer readings (is the refract. reading 0 with water? I found mine to be a few points out when I checked it last and make sure I check regularly now)


Sponge