Caramel and Crystal Malts

Caramel malt is a staple in a wide variety of beers worldwide, and is used to add color, flavor and sweetness to beer. Note that the terms Crystal and Caramel malts are used interchangeably.

• Carapils, Carafoam, Dextrine Malts - These are the lightest caramel malts, made from light pilsner malt and roasted slowly at very low temperature. They do not have strong caramel overtones, and very little color so these are primarily used to add body and head retention to the finished beer.

• Light Caramel Malt (10-30 L) - These malts impart a light honey-like sweetness as well as body to the finished beer. They also add some color to the finished beer, usually a light straw color if used alone. They are not as sweet or caramel flavored as the darker variations.

• Medium Caramel (40-60 L) - These are the most commonly used caramel and crystal malts. They impart a measurable sweetness and caramel flavor to the finished beer, which you can taste even by sampling the raw malt. These are well suited for many English and American style milds, porters, stouts and bitters. They also add significant body and head retention to the finished beer.

• Dark Caramel (70-90 L) - These malts add a much darker color as well as caramel flavor. Due to the high roasting level, some bitterness is also added, creating a bitter-sweet finish. The finished color can show hints of reddish tint, depending on the level of malt used. These also add body and head retention and are used most often in darker beers such as porters and stouts.

• Very Dark Caramel/Crystal Malts (100-220 L) - These malts add not only significant color and caramel flavors, but also often include a bitter, nutty somewhat roasted flavor. They should be used sparingly (1/8-1/2 pound max per 5 gal/19L), as the bitterness can easily overwhelm a beer.

— Michael Myers, Sergeant-at-Arms