Author: Jake Huolihan

I don’t tend to use much Crystal (aka Caramel) malt when brewing, though certain styles demand a decent portion. With various options in regards to roast level, a brewer can rather easily select a single Crystal malt that will impart both the sweet characteristics and color they so desire in their beer.

I’ve been on a mission to craft the perfect ESB and have often relied on Crystal 60 (C60) malt, which in the amounts I use comes across to me as a toasty sweet flavor with a touch of dark fruit. It’s quite nice, as is the color C60 imparts, a gorgeous amber with orange-red highlights.

There are times, however, when a particular Crystal malt like C60 isn’t available, which got me wondering if blending Crystal malts of other roast levels to achieve the same color would have an impact on flavor.

| PURPOSE |

To evaluate the differences between two beers brewed to the same SRM where one was made with Crystal 60 while the other was made with a blend of Crystal 100 and Crystal 20.

| METHODS |

With the hope of amplifying any potential impact of the variable, I went with a recipe for this xBmt that was inspired by my house Bitter with a much higher percentage of Crystal malt.

Sticky

Recipe Details Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV 6 gal 60 min 48.4 IBUs 12.8 SRM 1.050 1.012 5.0 % Actuals 1.05 1.014 4.7 % Fermentables Name Amount % Pale Malt, Maris Otter 10 lbs 83.33 C60 OR 50/50 Blend of C100 & C20 2 lbs 16.67 Hops Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha % Hallertau Magnum 20 g 60 min Boil Pellet 14 Challenger 15 g 30 min Boil Pellet 8.1 Challenger 15 g 5 min Boil Pellet 8.1 Yeast Name Lab Attenuation Temperature British Ale Yeast (1098) Wyeast Labs 74% 64°F - 72°F Notes Water Profile: Amber Balanced in Bru’n Water Spreadsheet Download Download this recipe's BeerXML file

The night before brewing, I collected the full volume of brewing liquor then weighed out the grains, immediately noticing that the C60 looked quite a bit different than the C20/100 blend. Nothing unexpected.

The following morning, while the water was heating, I milled the grains.

Since this brew day required 2 mashes, I started the C60 mash about 30 minutes before starting the batch with the crystal blend. Confirming consistent process, both hit my target mash temperature.

At the completion of each 60 minute mash rest, I removed the grains and allowed them to drip into the kettle as the wort was being heated.

Each batch was boiled for 60 minutes with hops added as noted in the recipe..

After the boils were complete, the worts were quickly chilled to slightly warmer than my groundwater temperature.

After racking the chilled wort to fermentors and placing them in a fermentation chamber to finish chilling, I took hydrometer measurements showing each had hit the same target OG.

The color of each beer was similar enough to validate my confidence in BeerSmith’s SRM prediction.

I used some remnant wort to whip up a vitality starter, which I pitched 4 hours later when both worts were stabilized at my target 66°F/19°C fermentation temperature.

I observed both batches actively fermenting 12 hours later.

Noticing dwindling activity 4 days later, I raised the temperature to encourage complete attenuation and clean-up of any potential off-flavors. After a couple more days, I took hydrometer measurements showing a small difference between the batches.

When follow-up hydrometer measurements a few days later were the same, I cold crashed the beer overnight then transferred them to kegs.

The filled kegs were placed in my keezer where they received a brief brief period of burst carbonation before I reduced the pressure. By data collection time, they were both clear, evenly carbonated, and ready to drink!

| RESULTS |

A total of 24 people of varying levels of experience participated in this xBmt. Each participant was served 2 samples of the C60 beer and 1 sample of the beer made using a blend of C100 and C20 then asked to identify the sample that was unique. Given the sample size, 13 tasters (p<0.05) would have had to select the unique sample to reach statistical significance. In the end, 15 people (p=0.003) correctly identified the odd-beer-out, indicating participants were able to reliably distinguish an English Bitter made with Crystal 60 form one made with the same amount of a blend of C100 and C20.

The participants who correctly selected the unique sample in the triangle test were instructed to complete a brief set of additional questions comparing only the two different beers, still blind to the nature of the xBmt. Of the 15 correct tasters, 5 chose the C60 beer as their most preferred, 6 liked the Crystal blend beer more, 1 person reported having no preference despite perceiving a difference, and 3 tasters felt there was no difference between the beers.

My Impressions: I was able to consistently identify the unique sample over numerous triangle test attempts. To me, the crystal blend beer possessed more of a dark fruit flavor while the C60 beer wasn’t as deep, which left me with a slight preference for the crystal blend sample. That said, for the purposes of this xBmt, I used way more Crystal malt in these beers than I normally would and likely wouldn’t do so again in a beer I brewed for enjoyment’s sake. They were both good, neither got dumped, just a little too Crystal-y for my tastes.

| DISCUSSION |

As I considered the practicality and applicability of this xBmt, I could only come up with two main reasons a brewer would opt for a blend of Crystal malts over a single Crystal malt, the first one being to substitute for a an unavailable ingredient. While tasters in this xBmt were indeed capable of distinguishing a beer made with C60 from the same beer made with a C100/C20 blend to achieve the same color, I believe the differences were subtle enough that such a substitution actually works quite well. Basically, I’d have little issue using a Crystal blend in place of a single Crystal malt, or vice versa, if it meant I didn’t have to place an order or drive to my local shop.

The second reason I could think of that a brewing would blend Crystal malts is to increase the complexity of a beer, something often cited by experienced brewers as a pitfall of entry level brewers. While I’ve been known to regurgitate the merits of simple grain bills, the results of this xBmt served to remind that layering various grains can help some achieve a desired goal. The fact is, I preferred the beer made with the Crystal blend a little more than the one made with C60 alone, which I didn’t expect to be the case.

Overall, this xBmt motivated me to play around with different grain combinations, not just Crystal malts, but base and specialty as well. Is it possible, for example, to achieve Maris Otter character using a blend of Pale and Munich malts? I look forward to finding out!

If you have thoughts about this xBmt, please share them in the comments section below!

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