National Homebrew Club Ireland

I'm doing up a recipe for a Belgian dubbel at the moment. I've noticed that the  EBC values on my specialty malts are higher than that listed on the recipe I am working off. Hence my beer will be much darker than the original recipe.

So my question is: Do I reduce the amounts of specialty malt to get the desired colour? I'm more interested in getting the taste right. If I am using a malt with higher EBC value, does that mean it has more flavour too?
For example: If a recipe calls for 100g Aromatic(40 EBC) and you have Aromatic(100EBC), to get the right flavour from this malt, what adjustment should you make? I know it easy to adjust for colour using software, but how does that affect the flavour?

Haven't seen this discussed before, and would love to know..

The last day I was using some Crystal 40 and 80, so nibbled a bit of both to see the flavour differences. It's quite a difference and not just in the caramel flavours, so I don't think you can just add less of the darker version of a grain and have the same flavour. My opinions is only based off an impression though, so will be good to hear others weighing in.

As an aside, tasting the grain you are using really changes how you view the grain and it's effect on flavour. I'm thinking of having some milled to hand when I taste the beer it made, just go see how the flavours came out in the finished beer.

You can't really get away with less of a darker grain because the flavour profile changes so much. Lighter grains tend to be sweeter, with more caramel and maltyy notes whereas the darker you go the more coffee, chocolate, burnt flavours you get.

Here's a chart showing a few common malts.

(http://www.beercolor.com/briesscolorchrt%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg)

If you're just looking to add colour a cold steep of the dark grains might be a better idea.

I'm happy enough with different types of crystal. They are named according to colour and available to buy accordingly.

But for example, if a recipe calls for 100g Roasted Barley(1000EBC) and you have Roasted Barley(1300EBC). Does 100g of each give the same flavour....or do you use the 900EBC Chocolate malt you also have?

Is the malt called Roast malt because it reaches a desired flavour or colour? Or is one companies Roast malt another companies chocolate malt?

I don't think there's a hard an fast rule for substitution. Different maltsters will have different EBC on their malt. Similarity will end at the name. If your recipe calls for 40 Aromatic and you use 100 EBC it will be different. You'll just have to make a call on what is acceptable for your beer.

Lets just remember that brewing is a combination of art and science.

Science: Is all about control of physical parameters like Time/Temp/pH/Water Profile/Sanitation

Art: Is all about the mash and the boil and the ingredients. Just 'coz a maltser staes an IBU or an expected extraction the your mash may not for all sorts of reasons. Ditto for Hops. When you buy hops trhe numbers are already out of date!

Blending art and science is what all great craftsmen do:

Artists
Blacksmiths
Farmers
Brewers
and not to forget cider makers!

Grand, I was hoping for a scientific answer. But I guess there isn't one.
Just going to have to team up with an artistic sidekick for future brewing:)

Or a blacksmith. They're probably not too busy these days.

Quote from: irish_goat on December 17, 2014, 02:57:26 PM
You can't really get away with less of a darker grain because the flavour profile changes so much. Lighter grains tend to be sweeter, with more caramel and maltyy notes whereas the darker you go the more coffee, chocolate, burnt flavours you get.

Here's a chart showing a few common malts.

(http://www.beercolor.com/briesscolorchrt%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg)

If you're just looking to add colour a cold steep of the dark grains might be a better idea.

THIS. (Well done, by-the-way!)

Adam