Weyermann Carafa 3 substitute

[Asalpaws]

I'm looking to do a US black IPA, the grain bill calls for a small amount of WC 3. Could I substitute this with black patent malt or roasted barley. As I understand it a black or cascadian IPA shouldn't taste roasty like a stout. Any advice?

 

[zgoda]

Carafa III is normal black malt, c3 Special is dehusked black malt.

 

[Asalpaws]

Cool, thanks Zgoda. Now I just need to locate all those hops!

 

[thejesmonddingo]

I've never tried it,cos I've never tried the style,but a lot of US brewers cold steep their black grains,to get the colour without the roast taste.I'd suggest a google trawl of the American homebrew sites.
Ian

 

[jamesb]

There is no substitute.

WCSIII is a dehusked black malt and there is nothing like it. I suppose cold steeping black malt may give you a similar character but it won't be the same.

IMHO there should be no roastiness in black IPAs. Others will (and do) differ.

If you want some cheap, then I've got a couple of kilos hanging around you can have for the price of postage.

 

[zgoda]

C1 Special can be substituted with chocolate wheat malt, but AFAIK there's no black wheat malt to sub C3 Special. Wheat has no husks and flavour effect is exactly the same.

But non-Special Carafas are normal roasted malts, choc and black.

 

[Asalpaws]

That's really interesting, thanks guys. Must say I've never tried black IPA but would be really keen to try and re-create one as I havn't seen any commercial examples for sale in the UK. I might give you a PM when I get back from my holiday Jamesb. Cheers !

 

[Asalpaws]

Hmm opinion certainly seems divided on the cold steep vs carafa 3. Seems like carafa 3 might be the safest option for now.

 

[borischarlton]

Can you not just use Carafa Sp 2, it's just a little lighter? The wheat will be nothing like Carafa, it tastes really bitter and burnt. Personally I would crush the CS to a powder and add it to the mash just before sparging.

Rob

 

[Clint]

Looking at a black ipa as a future brew...is blackprinz a suitable alternative for the c3?

Cheers

Clint

 

[GlentoranMark]

If it's just the colour you need, you could try adding the malt during sparging only.

 

[foxbat]

I've used chocolate wheat malt (EBC 1000) to get dark colouring with smooth instead of roasted flavour. I was aiming for dark brown but I actually got black with just 3.2% chocolate wheat and 1.5% regular chocolate malt. No complaints for me though as the beer tasted fantastic.

 

[MrRook]

The May/June issue of Brew Your Own has an article on brewing dark versions of pale color beers and explores various grains and techniques.

 

[MrRook]

C1 Special can be substituted with chocolate wheat malt, but AFAIK there's no black wheat malt to sub C3 Special. Wheat has no husks and flavour effect is exactly the same.

Briess makes midnight wheat which is the same color as C3, maybe a little darker.

 

[BeerCat]

Cold steep roast barley instead. It's perfect for a BIPA.

 

[joel]

To answer Clint's question yes blackprinz is the Briess equivalent to Carafa III and is a debittered black malt, a straight substitute. Midnight wheat also is a sub but milder flavour according to Briess. But yes lots of ways to brew black IPA and all the ways mentioned above make good beer, just depends on whether you want the convenience of debittered black malt at the start of the mash or to add another step with a regular dark grain like chocolate or roasted barley which are often a fair bit cheaper.

 

[Clint]

Thanks all! That's great..a few options to consider. Definitely fancy a bipa!

Cheers

Clint

 

[IainM]

I've done 3 BIPAs with blackprinz and midnight wheat and they are great for getting very dark beer while holding back the roasty flavours. Bit expensive, but you don't use much.