british caramalt?

[beer gut]

Hi everyone iam trying to formulate a recipe for a golden bitter.I can't decide wether i should use british caramalt or carahell malt, the comfusion started when i read somewhere that bristish caramalt has no fermentable sugars yet i read on a online brew shop that you can use up 40% of caramalt in your grain bill so caramalt must have some fermentable sugars, are i don't know any more.So what do you fine people think is more suited to light bitter caramalt or carahell? i have never used either so iam not so sure. i would love to here your thoughts.

[RichardG]

Never used either (which doesn't help much I know), but I'm curious to know what affect you're trying to achieve, and whether you have considered and rejected standard crystal malt, and if so, why.

[dave-o]

I think "British caramalt" probably = Crystal malt.

[RichardG]

Ahhhh, I see....

[steve_flack]

I think "British caramalt" probably = Crystal malt.

Caramalt is a crystal malt but not regular crystal malt. It's a lot lighter in colour and different in flavour. There's more to crystal malt than just the 120EBC stuff.

[befuggled]

According to Brupaks:

BRITISH CARAMALT

The palest of all crystal malts, this grain is used when a crystal character is required without unduly darkening the beer. Particularly suitable for pale ales and bitters.

Colour 30 - 40 EBC; Maximum percentage 20%

[RichardG]

Caramalt is a crystal malt but not regular crystal malt. It's a lot lighter in colour and different in flavour. There's more to crystal malt than just the 120EBC stuff.

According to Brupaks:

BRITISH CARAMALT

The palest of all crystal malts, this grain is used when a crystal character is required without unduly darkening the beer. Particularly suitable for pale ales and bitters.

Colour 30 - 40 EBC; Maximum percentage 20%

Which suggests to me that if you want a 'golden' bitter you'd be better advised to use ordinary crystal?

[steve_flack]

You wouldn't want to use much regular crystal as 5% gives you copper not gold.

If I wanted golden I'd use caramalt, caragold or Munich. Depends how dark you want your gold to be.

[RichardG]

Yes I see; I guess it also comes down to ones definition of golden. I've just done a brew using just MO pale malt, and I'd considered it... well, pale! My previous was MO with some standard crystal, and was of a colour I would have termed 'golden'; guess it just shows that you'll get different opinions on all this sort of thing! Still, why not give caramalt a go and see how it turns out. What's the worst that can happen?

[beer gut]

Hi everyone the reason why iam not using standard crystal is that when i brewed a bitter similar to the one i trying to brew i used light crystal and the bitter came out a light amber and what i want is golden so i scrapped the recipe.The reason for caramalt or carahell is i want a malt that can give a sliet sweet taste to balance the bitterness of the hopps caus iam trying to brew a light bitter so i don't want it to bitter.I saw a recipe in a craft brewers book where he made a golden bitter using carahell, however i never used carahell or caramalt so iam not sure what to use.I have always used crystal in my bitters and caus of this i never had a true golden bitter so i tried using light crystal and still my bitters came out a light amber.You are right about what is golden and what is not caus in the past i have had people say it's golden then in the next breath no it's more of a amber i thought amber was golden?, but know iam wrong so i have been told.

[RichardG]

Personally I'd just brew what looks and tastes right to you. If you think it's golden, then it's golden. Anyway, of the two you've mentioned I'd use caramalt. For absolutely no reason I can think of!