The beer improved a tremendous amount in almost every way after I added that extra bottle. So I will say this about the stuff (used in very high quantities):
- Sinamar adds probably 3.5 SRM per ounce per 5.5 gal batch of beer, not the 5 SRM that is advertised.
- Sinamar does not noticeably contribute to body the way roasted malt does
- Sinamar provides a VERY LITTLE amount of roasted malt flavor - which can make your light crystal taste like dark crystal
- Sinamar is more expensive than dark malts
- Sinamar can be added to the keg
All in all, I would now consider Sinamar more of a "back up" or "fixer" than an ideal ingredient in most applications. I certainly see how it would be great to use some of the stuff to "fix" a malty pale ale by magically turning it into an Amber Ale, or to "fix" a roasty amber ale by turning it into a Brown Ale. But the flavor contribution of Sinamar in high quantities is potent enough to cause me not to want to use it in the traditional way (Schwartbier and Munich Dunkel) because the flavor just isn't as non-existent as I would want, and I find the flavor from Carafa Special malts to be superior. Also, I won't use this in a Black IPA again, except for in cases where, for some reason, I didn't get enough color and I wanted to adjust it after brewing.
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who brewed an older kit of brewers best English brown ale. The beer tastes strongly of dried fruit and he's worried. It isn't a particularly bad taste but I've never run across an English brown with really pronounced dried fruit tastes. Any thoughts?