Double roasted Crystal

[geetee]

Has anyone used double roasted Crystal malt. Made by Simpsons and reccommended by the brewer at Wylam brewery. Roasted once and then once again, I have put the description below from their website, I think homebrew.UK have it in.

"Brand new from Simpsons Malt, DRCâ„¢ Malt, or Double Roasted Crystal, imparts heavy caramel flavor, with subtle tastes of raisins, plums, burnt sugar, dried fruit. The aroma is intense, sweet and malty.
This new malt has the classic Simpsons Malt house feel and instantly breaks down in the palate once chewed. It has a distinctive aroma and flavour that is very complex and imparts a heavy, dark caramel taste with more subtle notes of burnt sugar, raisin, and dark dried fruits such as cherries and plums. It can also deliver some of the softer roasty notes of a chocolate or black malt but without the astringency or bitterness. Simpsons DRC™ will produce a deep brown colour with ruddy highlights and add body and foam stability like all caramel malts. Use it to brew traditional Belgian Abbey and Trappist Ales, Dubbels and Dark Strong Ales, but also try it in UK Brown Ales, Stouts, Porters and or any other dark beers, to add an extra layer of complexity. Colour: 280 - 320˚ EBC, 100 – 120˚ Lovibond."

Wondered if anyone has used it, will probably be useful in a creamy stout or brown ale

 

[strange-steve]

Not used it but the description sounds a lot like special b which is great in dark beers.

 

[geetee]

Not used it but the description sounds a lot like special b which is great in dark beers.

That's exactly what I thought but the brewer reckons you get a lot of caramel/toffee flavour also.
Once or twice used Special B and there is a hint of late bitterness/ astringency which I think it imparts.

Brew.UK have it in for �£1:30 for 500g so might give it a go!

 

[peebee]

I thought "Special B" too. Recently I tried Special B in place of the "dark" crystal (400EBC) I would normally use in a Mild. I was trying the allegedly "more authentic" smoked malt combination of modern smoked malt plus Special B, but being careful to cut back to keep the Special B within the recommended maximum usage. The result:

Special B was much more "refined" and much drier. Dark crystal is definitely more "in your face" and when describing "raisin" flavours makes Special B seem very anaemic.

So I'd conclude this "double roast" crystal is likely the same; drier and rather thin on flavour compared to dark crystal. Before using it, determine what you are trying to achieve to avoid disappointment.

 

[BeerCat]

I have roasted crystal in oven before before crushing. Can't really say how it affected the recipe but smelt amazing. Like Steve said sounds like Special B which turned out really well the twice I tried it.

 

[Tanzanite]

I have been looking at this malt , i think i am going to buy a better brew irish stout kit, then boil 500g of this double roasted with 4 pints water, then use it to dissolve 500g of extra dark spray malt, third of a tin of black treacle and 200g of dark pure cane sugar, then do it short at 20ltrs, to make a full bodied creamy slightly sweet stout. any ideas to improve creamyness ??? or a ideal yeast to make it more full bodied and thicker textured.

 

[geetee]

I have been looking at this malt , i think i am going to buy a better brew irish stout kit, then boil 500g of this double roasted with 4 pints water, then use it to dissolve 500g of extra dark spray malt, third of a tin of black treacle and 200g of dark pure cane sugar, then do it short at 20ltrs, to make a full bodied creamy slightly sweet stout. any ideas to improve creamyness ??? or a ideal yeast to make it more full bodied and thicker textured.

You could add some lactose ( not too much if you don't want a sweet stout) and a bit of flaked oats to give a smoother creamier taste!

 

[Tanzanite]

thanks for the tip i will put in some flaked oats will they need simmering before adding or seiving and adding the juice , what oats will porridge oats do.

 

[geetee]

thanks for the tip i will put in some flaked oats will they need simmering before adding or seiving and adding the juice , what oats will porridge oats do.

Yes porridge oats from a supermarket flaked are best but make sure they are not flavoured (most aren't)
Just add to the mash, they will give the beer a creamier,smoother, softer flavour.

 

[Tanzanite]

would you say 300-400 grams for a nice creamy stout

 

[MyQul]

Yes porridge oats from a supermarket flaked are best but make sure they are not flavoured (most aren't)
Just add to the mash, they will give the beer a creamier,smoother, softer flavour.

So you can just use normal porrige oats as these are 'flaked oats' that you might buy from a hbf (I'm interested for a oatmeal pale ale)

 

[geetee]

So you can just use normal porrige oats as these are 'flaked oats' that you might buy from a hbf (I'm interested for a oatmeal pale ale)

Yeah flaked or own brand are just the same as porridge, just the size of the flakes may differ, smaller flakes extract better They are not malted but will utilise the enzymes from other malt in the mash


3-400gm in a 23 litre batch should be OK for first go but can go higher if you want.

 

[Tanzanite]

great stuff , i have a chocolate stout 5 days into ferment just fired around 400g into the bucket its got another 8 days at least so should be ok with the oats

 

[BeerCat]

I would try 200g first. Seems to work for me. Also can't beat WLP004 yeast for a stout imho.

 

[DoctorMick]

great stuff , i have a chocolate stout 5 days into ferment just fired around 400g into the bucket its got another 8 days at least so should be ok with the oats

You've put the oats directly into the fermenter?

 

[An Ankoù]

Resurrecting this old thread as I'm having a bit of a clear out and find I've got bit and pieces of Simpsons's DRC, Special B, Special X and Special W, which, to my thinking, are all pretty much the same beast. My question is whether anyone has recent experience of using this stuff in an English style- especially the Simpsons Double Roasted Crystal. I've got a recipe from Château Maltings for a dubbel using 18% Special B, but it doesn't look like the sort of stuff I'd like to drink. Any thoughts would be welcome.
Why, you might ask, have I got all these bits and pieces?
I had a great idea for using Special B a few years ago and thought I'd compare the Bestmalz and Weyermann's editions, too. (I didn't realise, then, that DRC was just a substitute for Special B.) For the life of me I can't remember what the original recipe was about!!!! Obviously the many tanker-loads-full of Watney's and Whitbread I drank in my youth has addled my brain. My dear sainted mum said it would and she's never been known to be wrong.

 

[Bolsover Brewer]

Glad you posted this, I don't know if it was intentional by the posters but some of the comments gave me a chuckle. Boiling the DRC, using raw porridge oats in the mash, and throwing oats into the fermenter.
But sorry I have never used Special B or DRC so can't help you there.

 

[Old Fart At Play]

I used 500g of simpsons drc alongside 5kg of simpsons golden promise in my last brew. Very happy with it.
The resulting beer is quite dark, darker than a brown ale.

 

[Bitter_Dave]

I’ve used DRC and special b (separately) in a couple of milds I’ve made. The one with DRC tasted drier and I did not like it as much, but the recipe was not the same (it also contained brown malt). The special b flavour seemed quite pronounced in the other mild (not in a bad way) to me at least, and I used only about 6% of the stuff. It was brupaks special b. 18% sounds like a lot, but then I’m not sure I’ve ever had a dubbel and of course preferences differ. Hope some of that was useful.

 

[Erik The Anglophile]

I got some when I ordered a bunch of kegs, plan on using it in a Yorkshire/Northern Brown ale
5% DRC
2% Crisp Crystal 150ebc
5% Crisp Brown
2% pale chocolate
And 5% of the grist weight as light muscovado sugar in the boil.
Hoping for a toasty, nutty brew with caramell and toffee notes with a little dark fruit going in the background, my house yeast also throws a little plums/red berries flavours so it should be rather nice I think.
Will report results once it's ready to drink.