Amber Malt....?

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bochgoch

Amber Malt....?

Post by bochgoch » Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:56 pm

A beer fuelled Sunday night on the Malt Miller led to a delivery where alongside all the stuff I wanted was 2 kg of Thomas Fawcett amber malt that I guess I thought was a good idea at the time...

I know I can use it as a substitute for brown malt in a porter or in a 1845 clone, but has anyone else got any ideas how I can use this up more quickly than in my porter brews over the next 10 years?

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rpt
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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by rpt » Wed Feb 03, 2016 10:40 pm

You can add it to most things. I think I even put a small amount in a lager once.

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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by Rookie » Wed Feb 03, 2016 11:24 pm

rpt wrote:You can add it to most things. I think I even put a small amount in a lager once.
I agree, a few ounces will add a touch of complexity to many brews without being overpowering.
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bochgoch

Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by bochgoch » Thu Feb 04, 2016 12:46 am

So use as a crystal substitute?

Now you say it, I'm pretty sure I've seen a Mikkeller recipe that uses amber in a lager as well.

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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by seymour » Fri Feb 19, 2016 11:26 pm

I love it, but beware that particular malt in high percentages. I'd recommend 3% of the grainbill in every single thing you brew until it's gone.

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Hanglow
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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by Hanglow » Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:22 am

You can use it loads in porters and stouts. Unfortunately Fawcetts amber is rather coffee flavoured iirc, compared to the other ambers you get which are more biscuity, so it's a bit more limited in its use. I believe Fullers use Simpsons malt for their amber which is biscuit flavoured, not like the Fawcetts one at all.

It will keep well though, a couple of years if stored well

edit- you say 2kg, well you could use that up in three stout recipes easy. . Unless you meant 20kg, in which case, good luck sweet prince :)

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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by DaveyT » Tue Mar 01, 2016 1:27 pm

I've used it in pale beers, like Seymour says at only about 4%. It gives a nice malty edge to things. It worked really well in a saison.
I've just done a porter with it and I'm really pleased with it. I've used 15% in that with 10% brown malt and 5% chocolate malt. I did a bitter that had 10% amber and 5% brown malt and that was really good. Both have lots of coffee and deep roast flavours without the residual sweetness of crystal malts.
It works well with fruitier hops; the bitter was with Mandarina Bavaria and it went down a treat.
There's a Ron Pattinson recipe for a table porter that uses 25% odd amber malt. I bet that's really good.
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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by PoppaZombie » Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:47 pm

My last beer 'Lady Liberty Ale', the example of an APA from Palmers 'How to Brew' used 6.5% of Amber malt and it has a distinctly coffee/liquorice twang to it that I'd say is a little too strong. As soon as I tasted it for the first time I recognised the flavour as being the dominant smokey/coffee thing from Sharpes 'Doombar'. Am I right in thinking that is down to the Amber malt?

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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by Jocky » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:18 pm

Hanglow wrote:You can use it loads in porters and stouts. Unfortunately Fawcetts amber is rather coffee flavoured iirc, compared to the other ambers you get which are more biscuity, so it's a bit more limited in its use. I believe Fullers use Simpsons malt for their amber which is biscuit flavoured, not like the Fawcetts one at all.

It will keep well though, a couple of years if stored well

edit- you say 2kg, well you could use that up in three stout recipes easy. . Unless you meant 20kg, in which case, good luck sweet prince :)

I repeat this. Fawcett amber is a darker version, more dry coffee flavour than some others.
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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by vacant » Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:34 pm

Guess what's in my glass as I'm writing this?

A little while after I started AG I decided to do a few brews using Amber, increasing the quantity until it was "a bit too much". That turned out to be 6% Amber with 5% Crystal for me.

Current glass is 94% Proant Extra Pale, 6% Amber.
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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by Jocky » Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:42 pm

vacant wrote:Guess what's in my glass as I'm writing this?

A little while after I started AG I decided to do a few brews using Amber, increasing the quantity until it was "a bit too much". That turned out to be 6% Amber with 5% Crystal for me.

Current glass is 94% Proant Extra Pale, 6% Amber.
Which maltsters amber?
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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by PoppaZombie » Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:57 pm

I steered away from the Thomas Fawcett and went with the Crisp. Description was as below on the malt miller

'EBC 50
Gives a dry, biscuity flavour to ales and provides red hue
This is very different from the much stronger amber malt from Thomas Fawcetts'

Looking back at my notes it was 5.8% grist. Crystal and Munich at 5.8% too and the rest lager malt. Pretty much at your 'too much' cut off point, vacant.
I've got a glass now and there is just too much coffee in the aftertaste for me and, just as Jocky puts it, it's a dry coffee taste. Like the bits of raw freeze dried coffee when someone doesn't stir it in properly. I think I'll max out at 3% next time. As someone else points out, a dash for complexity sounds like a plan for the future.

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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by vacant » Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:15 am

Jocky wrote:Which maltsters amber?
No-name from Worcester Hop Shop 65 EBC
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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by Hanglow » Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:54 am

That's in the range of Crisp or Simpson; Fawcetts or Bairds are a fair bit darker. I imagine it'll be crisp as that's where he seems to get his big sacks of base malt from

Do you like the proant malt? I was thinking of getting some to do an orval clone at some point, they use it for about half their grainbill I think, although I imagine it's from a belgian maltster instead

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Re: Amber Malt....?

Post by vacant » Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:36 am

Hanglow wrote:Do you like the proant malt?
I can't say I noticed any difference. I brewed a couple of kegs back in October. I got through the first cornie in November and it was perfectly clear then.
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