Expert: John Snyder - 1/20/2010

Question
John,

In formulating extract/specialty grain recipes, I have read a wide range of opinions on how much Caramel/Crystal is too much.  Is there a common ratio, against the amount of extract, that can be used as a baseline?  I know this would depend on style.  I guess this question comes from an IPA and an Amber that I cooked up. How much "sweetness" do the caramel malts add, both in terms of balancing with the malt itself and the perceived sweetness of the finished product?  

I ask this question because I seem to get a different answer from everyone I talk to and everything I read.

Many Thanks,

dac

Answer
The amount of "sweetness"depends on how much barley dextrin remains after the malting process,and the brewers mashing process. Dextrins,(sugars) which are not fermentable by yeast.Malt sweetness can be balanced by hop additions.Gravity of malt can vary from 1.026 to 1.038;calculated from 1 Lb.malt in a gallon of water.An over abundant amount of dextrin in beer create problems,with stability.It doesn't surprise me,you get a varying degree of answers,there isn't one definte answer.