Hi. In the following recipe, how much a difference would 1.25 pounds of crystal 40 make? I forgot to tell my LHBS to include it and I didn't notice it until I started the mash. I'll continue, but just wondering your thoughts. I'll likely re-do it and compare, but still curious what y'all think... Thanks. 12# US 2-row 1# wheat 1.25# carapils (missing: 1.25# crystal 40) 6 oz chocolate 2 oz Northern Brewer @ 60 1 oz NB @ 15 1.5 oz Centennial @ 10 1.5 oz Cent @ 0 2 oz Cent dry hop WLP 001
It will definitely be fine. The recipe prob calls for it as a color adjustment, other than that it may contribute some sweetness to help round out the chocolate. Either way I think it'll be ok without.
Thanks. This is my 100th batch of home brew (hence all the "centennial hops"). I'm PISSED I screwed up the recipe I formulated. As far as I can tell, this is the 1st time I did that.
Do you have other grains you can add, at least to hit your gravity? I'd add a pound of Munich and mash at 156F. If you still need sweetness, you can add Stevia when you package. Not exactly the same, but you know that. Edit: Maybe 200 will treat you better.
I think it will be OK, but it will be a noticeably different beer. Better or worse depends on the beer you are hoping for. I find that I like to taste some crystal malt along with chocolate malt. Although usually I avoid this much crystal in a recipe, Janet's Brown Ale has a similar grist, and the one time I brewed it, I was surprised that I didn't find this much crystal off-putting. In fact, I was a quite a fan of that homebrew.
Janet's Brown was the model for this recipe. I added a lot of Centennial b/c it's my "centennial" batch. Should I leave it or add some light DME (if add some, how much?).
You'll lose a small amount of body, get less (Not by a lot) head retention as well as less sweetness. I would just go with what you have and not worry too much. You could always nano-mash and add to your fermentor; but I would not fuss with doing this myself. Just brew another and make sure to add the crystal and taste test them against each other. I always try to turn mistakes into learning experiences and take away as much as possible to help me In the future. Let us know how it turns out when finished.
Got a brew shop near by that's open? Do you have the crystal malts already? You could nano mash the crystal and just add to the boil, or post boil...
If you just add some DME, make it a small amount so you don't further change what you're going for. Try .25 lb.
Headline: Happy Accident produces great Happy Anniversary beer. Congrats on the mistake, and enjoy the beer anyway.
