Return to TheElectricBrewery.com
  [ Shop ]   [ Building ]   [ Using ]   [ Recipes ]   [ Testimonials ]   [ Gallery ]   [ FAQ ]   [ About Us ]   [ Contact Us ]   [ Newsletter ]

Log inLog in   RegisterRegister   User Control PanelUser Control Panel   Private MessagesPrivate Messages   MembershipClub Memberships   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   Photo AlbumsPhoto Albums   Forum FAQForum FAQ


Carabrown, a review

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic   Printer-friendly view    TheElectricBrewery.com Forum Index -> All Grain Brewing
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
cafelinhchi
Guest








PostLink    Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 8:42 am    Post subject: Carabrown, a review Reply with quote


        Register to remove this ad. It's free!
I picked up 2lbs of Carabrown on a whim last month. After a bit of research on this malt, it became apparent that there isn't a whole lot of clear information regarding this malt. The object of this post is to provide some information on what it is and what it does.

I brewed the following recipe with the aim of showcasing the malt and figuring out what it really is. The recipe has 20% Carabrown, the most that the manufacturer suggests.

For 5.5gal
7lbs Marris Otter
2lbs Carabrown
8oz C-40
1.25oz EKG for 90
WY1469 W. Yorkshire

While crushing the carabrown, I was unable to find any evidence of crystallized material. In the hand, the crushed malt looked like light brown malt or very pale chocolate malt. I'm not sure why this malt was given the "cara" prefix.

The beer turned out on the border between brown and copper, a bit more brown than Newcastle. The beer has some red highlights. It's a pretty looking beer and the head is not colored by the malt.

Flavor wise, I think it is useful to think of carabrown as being a "debittered" version of brown malt. The downside to using brown malt is that, if used in excess, it produces that annoying "twang" and astringency. In my opinion, 2lbs of standard brown malt is usually too much brown malt in most recipes. The carabrown worked out okay at the 20% rate used in the recipe above. I wouldn't want to go anywhere near this recipe with standard brown malt. To be sure, the carabrown is sitting front and center in this beer's flavor profile, but it's not overbearing (it's pretty close, though) and it's not fatiguing to the pallet.

It's a very complex, very interesting malt. It has leather, pipe tobacco, and nutty qualities to it. It also has some woody or oak-like flavors. There's a kind of nutty fruitiness to it that some sherries and some types of coffee display. It also shows some dried fruit, but that's either being accentuated by, or fully provided by, the Yorkshire yeast. Kinda fig-like. The malt contributes to a dry finish and roasted and coffee-like flavors come into play in the beer's finish. It leaves the mouth slightly dry, but not in an unpleasant fashion.

There's no hop aroma in the beer, the yeast and the carabrown provide the aroma. The carabrown provides dark bread crust or toast that was a bit too toasted notes to the aroma. As with the flavor, the aroma of this beer is more complex than the simple recipe would suggest.

In a nut shell, this is an interesting, very complex malt. You can do things with this "debittered" brown malt that standard brown malt wouldn't let you get away with. It's much smoother than standard brown malt and it doesn't seem to require the extra aging that large doses of brown malt often require. It's clear that carabrown is an assertive malt. I think 8oz will comfortably punch through the flavor threshold of most beers. When I incorporate it into my milds, I'll be starting in the 3-4oz range.
Back to top
kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aha! After 3 posts (the first two of which were questionable), your spamming has finally caught up to you.

This is identical to content posted here over 2 years ago: http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=124268

Consider yourself nuked....

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
Back to top
View user's photo album (21 photos)
Gurthnar




Joined: 25 Jan 2015
Posts: 12
Location: Slovakia, Bratislava


PostLink    Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 3:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

very complex, very interesting
leather
pipe tobacco
nutty
woody
oak-like flavors.
nutty fruitiness to it that some sherries and some types of coffee display
dried fruit
Kinda fig-like
roasted
coffee-like
dark bread crust
toast

Wow that is a lot of things to say about a single malt variety Very Happy
Back to top
foomench




Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 704
Location: Longmont, CO

Drinking: Pinot barrel aged quad

Working on: Flanders oude bruin in barrel, Flanders red fermenting to refill the barrel


PostLink    Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 4:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And there weren't even links in this post, or perhaps you took those out Kal?
_________________
Brewery equipment photos (et al) here: https://picasaweb.google.com/114861423235799103704
Back to top
kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

His account was nuked so his signature with 3 links are no longer shown (Since they don't exist anymore). Was some restaurant in vietnam (I think).

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
Back to top
View user's photo album (21 photos)
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic   Printer-friendly view    TheElectricBrewery.com Forum Index -> All Grain Brewing All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum



Forum powered by phpBB © phpBB Group