My homebrew shop messed up on my last grain bill, and the ‘mistake’ left me with a 7.5lb bag of Briess Caramel 20L Malt.
I would like to build a batch of beer around this grain, but am not entirely sure what I could use it as a base for, since I’m new to the AG side of things.
Suggestions?
Is this a common grain to use as a base?
well, nothing really…
For most beers I max out on Caramel/crystal malts at 10% of the grain bill. Sometimes a tad more or less. But not a base, it is less fermentable than a basemalt and would leave you with something really sweet.
Any chance you could return. 7.5# is a lot. At least 7 beers worth if you are using that as your main caramel malt.
This is a common grain you could use for a small flavor and/or color addition. Adding a bit (I would say no more than 1lb per 5 gal batch) for anything on the lighter side of the spectrum wouldn’t be off at all.
I use crystal 20 with a little bit of Belgian Biscuit and a small amount of Honey with a Belgian Yeast… I know not everyone likes it but I certainly find it tasty.
Other styles could be APA, IPA, or really anything with just a bit of color really.
As the previous poster said, this cannot be used as a base malt. I’ll spare you the science of it, but it wont work.
If it’s not crushed, it will be good for a while. Put it in ziplock bags and keep it somewhere dry.
Good point, you could save it for a year if not more. If you are thinking about getting into recipe formation so you can use it I’d recommend Ray Daniel’s Designing Great Beers. It’s getting a bit outdated and has always been a bit dry at times but still easy to use and understand.
If I were you, I’d see if I could get them to swap out for what I ordered. 7.5 pounds is one heck of a commitment to a specific crystal malt. Of course this depends on your brewing tastes, frequency and batch size. Personally it would take me years to use that much C20. I tend to be all over the map in terms of the crystals I use.
Make a couple batches of Stone Ruination with it in place of the Great Western 15L.
C20 is pretty versatile though. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it as the only Caramel malt in any IPA or Pale Ale. You can use it blended with other cara malts in an amber, brown, or bitter. And you can use it to increase body and sweetness in porters and stouts.
Do what shadetree said. Then send it to me.
