Special B

[far9410]

got some of the above for a radieuse clone, will end up with about 200g left over, what can I use this for, would it be a substitute for black malt?

[Dennis King]

I would use it more instead of crystal malt, I love the stuff..

[seymour]

I love it too, but only in very particular cases.

You can use it in any Belgian ale with colour, or any other brown ale recipe you want to adapt, making it instantly recognizeable as Belgian. Special-B is one of the most unique and complex malts you'll ever find, but it DOES NOT HIDE: toffee, molasses, plums, raisins, sour cherries, red wine grapeskins, tree nut tannins, burnt toast. No, it's not a substitute for Black Malt, unless you specifically want to introduce all those special layers.

It goes great in Robust Porters, but will no longer taste authentically English, if that matters to you.

[far9410]

Aaah, so no good in a cocker hoop clone!

[seymour]

Well hell, don't let me stop you. Jennings Cocker Hoop is only .5% Black Malt anyway, right? So just use the Special B instead for Cocker Hoop with a splash of Port wine.

[Dennis King]

I recently made a mild using special B, one of my favorites over the last year.

[seymour]

I recently made a mild using special B, one of my favorites over the last year.

That would be tasty, did it kinda emulate those top-cropped, open-top, warm fermentation, English ale traits you think?


Here's another great usage (a Ratebeer perfect 100 score):

Bells Kalamazoo Stout
Bell's Beer Galesburg, Michigan, USA
Style: Stout
OG: 1067
ABV: 6.0%
Grainbill: 52% Pale, 20% Flaked Barley, 14% Roasted Barley, 6% Munich Malt, 6% Special-B Malt, 2% Black Malt, 1/2 licorice stick
Hops: Nugget, Fuggles (60 min)
IBU: 51
Colour: opaque black
Yeast: the Anchor Liberty strain, available as Wyeast 1272 and White Labs WLP051

[IPA]

I've a recipe for Pelforth Brune that uses it, but you would need 715 gr for 25 litres

[MTW]

I put 150g in my recent porter for 23L.

[Capn Ahab]

Bells Kalamazoo Stout
Bell's Beer Galesburg, Michigan, USA
Style: Stout
OG: 1067
ABV: 6.0%
Grainbill: 52% Pale, 20% Flaked Barley, 14% Roasted Barley, 6% Munich Malt, 6% Special-B Malt, 2% Black Malt, 1/2 licorice stick
Hops: Nugget, Fuggles (60 min)
IBU: 51
Colour: opaque black
Yeast: the Anchor Liberty strain, available as Wyeast 1272 and White Labs WLP051

That looks good. Have you tried it? 14% roast barley is an awful lot of roast.

[MashTim]

It goes great in Robust Porters, but will no longer taste authentically English, if that matters to you.

Mine does taste of traditional porter with Special B I also use brown malt, it seems to add complexity, depth and smoothness, but I suppose it depends on the balance of malts overall.

[PhilB]

Hi

I haven't tried using it in this way myself (yet ) ... but I think the bit at the end of the Special B entry in the Brupaks Guide to Grains (link), the bit I've highlighted below, is quite interesting ...

Special B is produced in the same way as other Belgian caramel malts except that it undergoes a second roasting. Its profile is that of a cross between dark caramel malt and medium roasted malt. The resultant distinctive flavour and aroma enhances many Belgian classics, but could also add interesting flavours to British ales, especially milds, brown ales etc. An interesting usage is to blend Rauchmalz with Special B (60/40) to emulate the flavour of the traditional English brown malt, traditionally roasted over open fires.

... I know there are brewers on here who have used "old fashioned", wood roasted brown malts (Orlando?) and who have suggested they've made good porters ... this looks like a "cheats way" of getting that impression

Cheers, PhilB

[seymour]

Bells Kalamazoo Stout
Bell's Beer Galesburg, Michigan, USA
Style: Stout
OG: 1067
ABV: 6.0%
Grainbill: 52% Pale, 20% Flaked Barley, 14% Roasted Barley, 6% Munich Malt, 6% Special-B Malt, 2% Black Malt, 1/2 licorice stick
Hops: Nugget, Fuggles (60 min)
IBU: 51
Colour: opaque black
Yeast: the Anchor Liberty strain, available as Wyeast 1272 and White Labs WLP051

That looks good. Have you tried it? 14% roast barley is an awful lot of roast.

Oh yes, it's fantastic. That is a lot of adjunct and roast...sorta. Then again, even Guiness is around 10% RB. When reading American stout recipes, remember our mash efficiency is typically higher and this yeast strain is MUCH more attenuative than traditional English counterparts.

Here's the commercial description:

This is a full-bodied stout with plenty of roast flavor as well as hints of molasses and chocolate. Ridiculous amounts of black and caramel malts make this stout smooth, creamy, and utterly opaque.

Here's my published rating:

Tasted from a 12oz bottle into shaker glass. It appeared opaque black with a sudsy tan head, long-lasting with sheets of lace. Aromas of coffee, baker’s cocoa, berries, roasted barley, burnt toast, dark fruity ale yeast esters. VERY smooth and creamy flavor while somehow simultaneously crisp and tart (although less tart than Guinness) with a measured earthy, citrusy English-style hops bitterness. Hints of brown bread, fruitcake, toffee, caramelized brown sugar, peach cobbler, campfire roasted marshmallows, chocolate milk. Overall impression is of a chocolate frosted Long-John donut. Medium body and carbonation, full-bodied bready mouthfeel, mild fruity tartness, complex aftertaste which eventually finished dry. Definitely left me wanting more. Delicious.

[beerlion]

Hi IPA, any chance you could publish the recipe for Pelforth Brune? I love that beer!

[zgoda]

It's just dark crystal, even less aromatic than Weyermann Caraaroma (they make a clone of Special B called Special W).