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I'm on the hook to brew a big caramel beer for a Christmas bottle swap, so I'm thinking that I need to get on this pretty soon.
I figure that I'll use Maris Otter for the base malt, go unreasonably heavy on the c-malts, keep the hopping low, and use an English yeast to emphasize the maltiness. Just to make it fun, I plan to reduce at least a gallon of the first runnings to a syrup.
How does that sound? Does anyone have any suggestions?
Posted 34 days ago.
I can't wait to taste that cloying deliciousness.
Seriously, the English use a lot of crystal but are masters at using adjuncts to dry beers out (and save money). Something
like MO, 2-3 layers of English Crystal, flaked maize, invert no 1 or
equivalent, Whitbread "B" yeast (1099 I think), and mash very long. I
wouldn't be surprised to see some American 6-row either.
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by chino_brews
I was thinking about a simple sugar to help dry things out. 6 row... I don't think I'll go there. Definitely going to layer English crystal.
Posted 34 days ago.
You don't want my opinion.
Posted 34 days ago.
Wait, is the butterscotch beer you've been trying to create?
Posted 34 days ago.
Lol. No, totally different. This one should have no diacetyl.
Posted 34 days ago.
Looking good to me. How big is big for you? I like Chino's idea for the invert. Will be nice to help dry. Very excited.
Posted 34 days ago.
Although it wasn't that strong, here's a dark strong mild I made;
OG 1061, FG 1020
37 IBU
58 EBC
73% Pale Malt
10% Crystal Rye
8% Cara 120EBC
6% Special B
3% Brown malt
Bramling-X @FWH & @ 5 min
Windsor Yeast
If I'd make it again I'd drop the Brown and Special B, use 10% Crystal Rye and 15% Cara 120EBC. It requires quite a bit of bitterness to balance.
There is an old custom in German beer drinking called "Bier Stacheln", you heat up an iron rod and stick it in the beer, foam forms and caramelises, you drink a cold beer through a layer of warm foam. Perfect for this kind of beers @ Christmas.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hOYKDUt0WA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGjkAUXf59o
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKl61fVVFyo
Ingo
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by ingoogni
You probably don't want my opinion either, but why not do something more palatable, but with clear caramel notes than just going to caramel extremes?
Posted 34 days ago.
What's the negative sentiment with crystal malts?
Posted 34 days ago.
@Zeith - I'm figuring on something in the 8%-10% ABV range.
@ingoogni - I don't know. As I've mentioned to these guys before, I have an English brown that weighs in with ~22% of the grist made up of c-malts, yet it is far from cloying.
Anyway, I'll see soon how my stout with almost 12% of the grist made up of English crystal, then a gallon of the first runnings reduced to a syrup, turns out. I'm going to up the percentages from there, do the syrup thing. Maybe go with a little brown malt, too?
We shall see.
Posted 34 days ago.
So, right now, my working recipe is Maris Otter, three Crisp crystal malts, brown malt, and some simple sugar (to dry things out).
ATM, I'm looking at 1.091 OG (counting the sugar), around 1.018 FG, ~40 IBU.
Hmm. I hate to not include my new favorite malt (honey malt)... but I don't know that it would be appropriate.
Playing with various English strains of yeast...
Posted 34 days ago.