[mabrungard]

I'd use at least 50% of your malt as Munich.  That got me the closest I've been. 

I find that this is true for me also. One of the best Milds I made was with Paul's Mild Malt and that malt is more like a Munich malt than a pale malt, in my opinion. Since I can't get that malt at my LHBS, I do use a measure of light Munich malt to provide the flavor I think should be there.

[kramerog]

I used enough brewer's caramel to turn Pivo Pils into a dark schwarzbier, and didn't pick up a lick of flavor. I'd consider it a colorant only.

Where did you get brewer's caramel?  I haven't had luck finding it commercially in homebrewer sizes.

[Phil_M]

I don't know where Eric got his, but after some googling I found a place that sells it. It was around $5 a bottle, with $17 shipping, probably from the UK. I didn't want to spend that much on an item that sounds to be just coloring.

[erockrph]

I ordered mine from the UK, and paid through the nose for shipping. It was a total impulse buy at the time. My impression is that it is essentially the same idea as Sinamar, but with even less flavor impact.

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[kramerog]

Thanks for the info on brewer's caramel.

[erockrph]

Thanks for the info on brewer's caramel.

Here's my post from my taste and color testing when I got this in:

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=24192.msg308521

[Phil_M]

Ended up mashing at 156 for ~45 minutes. Went with the original recipe I outlined, we'll see what happens. I've got an hour left in the boil.

I'm going to reuse the 1450 yeast cake from my American Brown, and save the 1968 for another beer. Might be interesting to redo the beer with the original British ingredients.

[Phil_M]

Update: Kegged the beer on Saturday. OG was 1.040, FG was 1.005, meaning the beer ended up being a LOT more alcoholic than I thought it would - 4.6% ABV.

That being said, it's dangerously drinkable. Very dry, but has a nice maltiness to it. Bitterness I'd call balanced to slightly bitter. I bottled it for the spring swap, we'll see how it holds up till then.

[Phil_M]

Another update: Rebrewed this beer on the 18th, same exact recipe but with a one hour boil. Sadly I erred in the opposite direction this time, with too little boil off. The result was an OG 1.027 beer that's actually really surprised me. Finished at 1.004, still has good body and mouthfeel. Really pilsner like, the caramel notes are absent in this iteration. A hint of grapefruit, a touch of malt sweetness, but still very dry and quenching.

I think I'm on to something with this recipe, I've really been pleased with both beers.

[dmtaylor]

Another update: Rebrewed this beer on the 18th, same exact recipe but with a one hour boil. Sadly I erred in the opposite direction this time, with too little boil off. The result was an OG 1.027 beer that's actually really surprised me. Finished at 1.004, still has good body and mouthfeel. Really pilsner like, the caramel notes are absent in this iteration. A hint of grapefruit, a touch of malt sweetness, but still very dry and quenching.

I think I'm on to something with this recipe, I've really been pleased with both beers.

[Phil_M]

Another update for those following at home:

After fining with gelatin the beer is clearing up nicely. Definitely get some grapefruit from the Cascade hops, which I didn't get with the previous batch. Maybe the high gravity/maltiness of the prior batch covered it up? Though I brewed this batch at the local brewpub's "teach a bro to brew day" and I forgot to use my hop spider. As a result of that, and "on location" brewing, a good amount of hops ended up in the fermentor. I'm thinking the latter is the likely reason, though the result isn't a bad thing.

[HoosierBrew]

Another update for those following at home:

After fining with gelatin the beer is clearing up nicely. Definitely get some grapefruit from the Cascade hops, which I didn't get with the previous batch. Maybe the high gravity/maltiness of the prior batch covered it up? Though I brewed this batch at the local brewpub's "teach a bro to brew day" and I forgot to use my hop spider. As a result of that, and "on location" brewing, a good amount of hops ended up in the fermentor. I'm thinking the latter is the likely reason, though the result isn't a bad thing.

Sounds good to me anyway !