Crystal Malt?

ex0ja · Post by **ex0ja** » Tuesday May 02, 2006 2:39 am

I've noticed lots of recipes include 100g or 150g of steeped (I think) crystal malt.

I'd like to try some of this stuff in my next brew, but I was wondering what you actually need to do to steep it(I understand that its something to do with boiling water). Is it a complicated procedure?

What sort of effect does crystal malt have on the beer?

gregb · Post by **gregb** » Tuesday May 02, 2006 5:41 am

Steeping Crystal grain is simply pouring hot water over it and letting it sit for a little while. The liquid is added to the fermenter, the grains go out for the chooks. Crystal adds a subtle sweetness, together with body mouthfeel and a complexity that is not readily achieved with extract alone.

See also: http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter13.html

Cheers,
Greg

Paleman · Post by **Paleman** » Wednesday May 03, 2006 3:45 am

In my humble opinion, Crystal Grains add a nice grainy character to a kit beer.

Not too much though, it can become sweet and overpowering. Around 200 grams is ok in lighter beers. Up to 400 in darker beers. You must steep.....not boil, to get the most out of Crystals.

Also think about adding some extra hops to balance out the taste. Depends on what turns you on.

Smabb · Post by **Smabb** » Wednesday May 03, 2006 12:27 pm

Paleman wrote: You must steep.....not boil, to get the most out of Crystals.

Definitely!

Don't boil speciality grains like Crystal - apparently 70 degrees is the go, but if you boil it you can (apparently) release some dodgy flavours. In the absence of a decent thermometer I just kind of heat it up till it looks "pretty warm"........

velophile · Post by **velophile** » Wednesday May 03, 2006 4:33 pm

As others have said, heat but don't boil.

I only just got a thermometer & was able to check my dodgy steeping process.

I'd add hot tap water (mine was about 40 - 50 degrees, I think) to your grain in a pot, just enough to make a thick 'soup', stir it well.
Put it on the stove at minimum heat. My batch took at least 30 mins to reach 70 degrees, with me stirring every few minutes. I was preping the rest of the brew while the pot heated & returned to stir & check the temp every 5 - 10 mins.
I think the mash showed a little simmering movement at about 80 degrees so that would be plenty hot enough.

Without a thermometer, a slow rise to just simmering over 30 mins would be fine.

A pot full of Crystal, Choc & Roast grain smells great too!

drtom · Post by **drtom** » Thursday May 04, 2006 9:27 am

If you want to get water to a specific temperature, read the "How do I get the correct temperature to start my fermentation?" question at
http://www.cascadehomebrew.com.au/faq/fermentation.asp

For steeping, however, my understanding is the best thing is to put the grain in cold water and heat slowly until it gets to 70C. Requires thermometer. I have a sugar thermometer, and highly recommend it as an investment. Especially if you or your better half ever make jam.

Tom

Rubber.Piggy · Post by **Rubber.Piggy** » Thursday May 04, 2006 11:09 am

In the past I had sucess by putting my specialites in a stocking and dropping it in the cold wort. Then I pull the stocking out when the water gets close to boiling.

ex0ja · Post by **ex0ja** » Friday May 05, 2006 1:43 pm

Rubber.Piggy wrote:In the past I had sucess by putting my specialites in a stocking and dropping it in the cold wort. Then I pull the stocking out when the water gets close to boiling.

Is a normal stocking ok to use as a grain bag?

drtom · Post by **drtom** » Friday May 05, 2006 1:48 pm

Well, I wouldn't use fishnets, but what ever you have in your drawer.

Tom

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Friday May 05, 2006 2:44 pm

Do not boil at all costs. This releases tannins that make the beer very bitter in a non-hoppy way. I only ever did that once.

Rubber.Piggy · Post by **Rubber.Piggy** » Friday May 05, 2006 4:53 pm

ex0ja wrote:
Rubber.Piggy wrote:In the past I had sucess by putting my specialites in a stocking and dropping it in the cold wort. Then I pull the stocking out when the water gets close to boiling.
Is a normal stocking ok to use as a grain bag?

yes a regular stocking is fine. just boil it on it's own first in some water to extract the dye (1/2 and hour or so seemed to work) so it doesn't come out into your wort.

ex0ja · Post by **ex0ja** » Wednesday May 24, 2006 12:10 am

OK, so crystal malt imparts a sweet flavour, chocolate I'm guessing imparts a chocolate flavour

; what about roast grain? What sort of beers should I use each type in? I'm guessing chocolate goes in porters and stouts.

gregb · Post by **gregb** » Wednesday May 24, 2006 4:47 am

Choclate grain is my steeping grain of choice for darks.

Cheers,
Greg

Rubber.Piggy · Post by **Rubber.Piggy** » Wednesday May 24, 2006 10:17 am

ex0ja wrote:what about roast grain?

It gives that bitter charcoal flavour, I use a little in stouts.

ex0ja · Post by **ex0ja** » Wednesday May 31, 2006 7:24 pm

Do I just tie a knot in the end of the stocking or what? Do I stir the stocking around in the pot?

ex0ja · Post by **ex0ja** » Wednesday May 31, 2006 7:30 pm

Oh yeah, can I put different types of grains all in one stocking and steep it all together?

Aussie Claret · Post by **Aussie Claret** » Thursday Jun 01, 2006 8:09 am

exoja,
Yes you can put all the grains together.
AC

Thirsty · Post by **Thirsty** » Thursday Jun 01, 2006 3:11 pm

So, if we are already adding extra malt (light or dark, dry or liquid) then why does the grain (crystal, dark, choc or roast or whatever) already have to be pre-malted? I take it that the "grain" referred to is barley (unless otherwise stated to be wheat, oats or whatever), so why can't I just buy some of that from the health shop (I go to HBS while my wife goes to Health shop!) at about $5.00 a kilo instead of paying about 10 times that at the HBS.

I'm sure there's a simple answer to this, so let me have it. Also, is crystal and chocolate simply varieties of barley, or is it actually to do with this pre-malting process.

Some input from those wise and experienced brewers would be appreciated.

Aussie Claret · Post by **Aussie Claret** » Thursday Jun 01, 2006 3:18 pm

Thirsty,
If the grain is not malted you won't extract any of the sugars or at least considerably less than malted grain. As per the other thread you should be paying $3-4 max / Kg of grain.

Even the brewcraft stuff which I first started to use when I started making partials was $5-6. This is far more an expensive way of buying grain and the quality I found whilst it was ok wasn't a patch on the freshly cracked stuff you can get from the local HBS.
But I digress, it isn't as expensive as you think and less hassle than trying to do it yourself.

AC

ex0ja · Post by **ex0ja** » Thursday Jun 01, 2006 6:52 pm

Well I tried steeping specialty grain for the first time last night. I think it all went well, but I had a taste of the water after the grain had been steeped and it didn't taste very strong at all, I get a feeling I won't taste any difference in my beer. Did I do something wrong, should there be strong flavours in the water after the grain is steeped?

I tried eating a few grains on their own and quite liked the taste