Morgan's Caramalt Amber Lme

[axertes]

Probably a long shot here, but what are you using to determine the 25L, the fermenter graduations? If so, never trust them...

Yeah, but surely they'd only be inaccurate to +/- a litre or so, right?

 

[axertes]

I agree with the gravity estimates put forward by the Brewmate software, MHB and Manticle.

Looking at the recipe and the contents of the Amber extract in the quote you have from the manufacturer, I think there may be issues with the beer other than the starting gravity. The 12 ebc extract lists the ingredients as 60% Caramalt and 40% Pale Malt. So that means, of the 4.5 kg of extract, 1.8 kg is Caramalt (i.e 60% of the 3 kg of Amber extract). This equates to 40% of your malt being Caramalt. That is a large proportion of crystal malt to have in a beer. Brewmate's estimate of 1014 on the finishing gravity is probably based on an Amber extract with a composition different to the one you've got. If you're extract really is made with 60% Caramalt then don't expect to get a finishing gravity as low as 1014.

Did you tell your LHBS guy what you were intending to do with the 3 kg of this particular Amber extract? With respect to the beer being darker than anticipated, did you check the best before date on the tins? Liquid extract does tend to darken as it ages.

As I said, I was a bit confused about it being called 'Caramalt Amber' so I asked him if it was "normal amber LME" to which he replied "yes". If you are right, that means the LHBS guy was in fact wrong, kinda.

However, this still doesn't explain the gravity, so despite my frustrated acusations, he didn't sell me some sort of super-duper sugar-boosted malt.

I'm trying to understand this Caramalt business. Wikipedia just told me, basically, that due to the roasting process some of the sugars in crystal malt become unfermentable. You just said that I shouldn't expect a FG of 1014.

So, is it possible that this LME is marketed by Morgan's to produce a sweet, malty, caramel-ly beer, but is blended in the right proportions that it will result in a lower FG, and therefore similar %ABV to a 'normal' can of LME, despite the OG?

If so, can anyone make even a rough estimate what my FG might be, given that my brew is about 40% Caramalt?

 

[axertes]

STOP PRESS!

So, as it turns out, I never stirred the wort properly. Gravity is 1052.

I'm a ******* idiot. Case closed. I'm highly embarrassed.

Also, thank you everyone who helped me be a ******* idiot (i.e. tried to solve my nonexistent problem).

*makes a new username on AHB*

PS: I actually learnt some stuff from this. It wasn't entirely pointless.

 

[manticle]

We've all been there.

 

[RobboMC]

1) My brewing mentor says that a brew is never wasted; no matter how badly it goes or how poor it tastes, if you learn from it. So you have learned and that's great. I had one memorable dark ale that had a very low OG, I measure in the top of the fermenter, and all the malts were in the bottom and top was mostly water. Yes, I'd failed to stir it. Once bottled
you couldn't tell any differnt, so all should be well with this brew.

2) I have used caramalt almost exclusively for some years now. Unfortunately that link to the Morgans page is out of date, they no longer make all those nice 1kg cans of dark crystal. In the past they made 2 ranges of malt; plain old coloured malts in Light, Amber and Dark, and the superb master blends range Lagermalt, Caramalt, Dark Crystal, Chocolate and Roasted Black. They have basically dropped their old range of flavourless range and now make 3 malts in the 1.5 kg cans, Lagermalt, Caramalt and Black Roasted. I guess they expect these good quality malts to take the market places previosly held by Light, Amber and Dark. Dark Crystal and Chocolate are now sadly unavailable; and it makes it harder to make a caramel free coloured beer.

So I would call Caramalt an equivelent product that has superceded the Morgans Amber. Yes, it is an amber malt; and your LHBS man has not put you on a bad path, in fact it's a good path IMHO. It will make superior beer to the old Amber - all other things being equal. One of my favourite 'K&K' brews is a can of Caramalt and a can or Muntons Yorkshire Bitter. Two cans, nothing else ( but yeast and water of course ) a real easy beginner level brew and it's a beauty. Make it to 19 litres instead of 23 and it's even better.

There are many different types of amber malt. Caramalt is the lightest possible colour crystal malt and carries a soft Toffee Caramel flavour and aroma. Caramalt is ideal for the creation of Amber Ales and light beers, where you may desire a subtle caramel flavour. It contains 60% Caramalt grain and 40% Pale Barley malt grain. Colour added 1.5kg Master Blend in 23 litres 12 ebc.

I'm sure the beer will be excellent, I haven't ever had a bad batch when Caramalt was in the ingredients' but I love caramel in anything.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Glad I'm now AGing. The crystal extract made me some fantastic beers in my extract days.

Goomba