I’ve picked up some Crisp roasted barley from a LHBS. According to a few different sources, it’s 695 °Lovibond. I typically use Simpsons, which is 550. I’m considering decreasing the amount in my recipe slightly, because of the darker roast.
Who has experience with the Crisp product and can address how it compares to lighter kilned roasted barley products?
I happened to have a couple ounces of the Simpsons left, so I did a side-by-side taste test. The Crisp is definitely more bitter than the Simpsons. Any other flavor differences were too subtle for me to pick up from tasting a few grains.
I went ahead and dropped the roasted barley in my recipe down from 7% to 6% of the grain bill. May not make much difference, though. The wort tasted pretty bitter from the roasted grains, but in my experience this is typical of stouts and usually smooths out a lot during fermentation.
Keep us posted.
