[Bomar]

Hi.....how is a grain that builds body and mouthfeel and really has no other flavor notes a bad thing?? I brew very dry belgian farmhouse style beers with heavy brett. Brett will take away body by its nature because it eats everything!!! LOL!!! Carapils stands up and gives my beer incredible body without change of color or taste......I love it and it is a 1 lb addition to most of my beers....thank you for listening and I hope for feedback!

[Megary]

I have found that a Pale Wheat Malt will do what CaraPils is supposed to do, but with much better results  Just my experience though.

[majorvices]

Cara pils is a tool to use in your toolbox of malts. There's nothing "bad" about it. It can be over used. Perhaps sometimes it is underutilized

[denny]

Cara pils is a tool to use in your toolbox of malts. There's nothing "bad" about it. It can be over used. Perhaps sometimes it is underutilized

Totally agree.  Very much like how it became trendy to diss crystal malt.  Drew and I discuss this with Dave Taylor on the next podcast.

[dmtaylor]

I'm not convinced that Carapils actually does much of anything in the amounts that people typically use it, 5-10% or whatever.  Try white wheat instead, in my humble opinion.  But as I say so often... more experiments are needed.  If you're not doing blind experiments, then do you *really* know what it does or how much it takes? 

[RC]

I'm not convinced that Carapils actually does much of anything in the amounts that people typically use it, 5-10% or whatever.

I totally agree. I put carapils in the same category as flaked oats...in theory contributes something, but in reality it doesn't seem do a darn thing, at least in my brewery. I never use it anymore.

Edit: However, if using a diastaticus strain that strips out all the dextrins, I can see how a small amount of any grain, including carapils, might be noticeable. Once you get rid of all the extraneous noise, the signal becomes more visible.

[majorvices]

Cara pils is a tool to use in your toolbox of malts. There's nothing "bad" about it. It can be over used. Perhaps sometimes it is underutilized

Totally agree.  Very much like how it became trendy to diss crystal malt.  Drew and I discuss this with Dave Taylor on the next podcast.

I certainly think crystal malts have been over used by both home and commercial brewers. Especially East Coast commercial breweries. Way too many super sweet super hoppy super caramelly Pale Ales and IPAs and IIPAs that were cloying and not enjoyable. Plenty of beer styles I don't use crystal or cara malts in.  But plenty I do!

[Cliffs]

I know the OP is talking about brett beers, but in my experience, yeast choice and water chemistry have the biggest impact on mouthfeel of a beer. the other things are a distant third.

[denny]

Cara pils is a tool to use in your toolbox of malts. There's nothing "bad" about it. It can be over used. Perhaps sometimes it is underutilized

Totally agree.  Very much like how it became trendy to diss crystal malt.  Drew and I discuss this with Dave Taylor on the next podcast.

I certainly think crystal malts have been over used by both home and commercial brewers. Especially East Coast commercial breweries. Way too many super sweet super hoppy super caramelly Pale Ales and IPAs and IIPAs that were cloying and not enjoyable. Plenty of beer styles I don't use crystal or cara malts in.  But plenty I do!

Yep.  Use what ever you need in whatever amount to get the result you want.

[Cliffs]

Cara pils is a tool to use in your toolbox of malts. There's nothing "bad" about it. It can be over used. Perhaps sometimes it is underutilized

Totally agree.  Very much like how it became trendy to diss crystal malt.  Drew and I discuss this with Dave Taylor on the next podcast.

I certainly think crystal malts have been over used by both home and commercial brewers. Especially East Coast commercial breweries. Way too many super sweet super hoppy super caramelly Pale Ales and IPAs and IIPAs that were cloying and not enjoyable. Plenty of beer styles I don't use crystal or cara malts in.  But plenty I do!

Yep.  Use what ever you need in whatever amount to get the result you want.

I'll admit that for the last 5 years or so I fell into the "crystal malt=bad for IPA" trend. Lately I'm back to loving 5-10% of crystal 40 in my hoppy beers

[denny]

Cara pils is a tool to use in your toolbox of malts. There's nothing "bad" about it. It can be over used. Perhaps sometimes it is underutilized

Totally agree.  Very much like how it became trendy to diss crystal malt.  Drew and I discuss this with Dave Taylor on the next podcast.

I certainly think crystal malts have been over used by both home and commercial brewers. Especially East Coast commercial breweries. Way too many super sweet super hoppy super caramelly Pale Ales and IPAs and IIPAs that were cloying and not enjoyable. Plenty of beer styles I don't use crystal or cara malts in.  But plenty I do!

Yep.  Use what ever you need in whatever amount to get the result you want.

yep.  5-10% C40 is my standard for WCIPA

I'll admit that for the last 5 years or so I fell into the "crystal malt=bad for IPA" trend. Lately I'm back to loving 5-10% of crystal 40 in my hoppy beers

[Bomar]

Cara pils is a tool to use in your toolbox of malts. There's nothing "bad" about it. It can be over used. Perhaps sometimes it is underutilized

Totally agree.  Very much like how it became trendy to diss crystal malt.  Drew and I discuss this with Dave Taylor on the next podcast.

I certainly think crystal malts have been over used by both home and commercial brewers. Especially East Coast commercial breweries. Way too many super sweet super hoppy super caramelly Pale Ales and IPAs and IIPAs that were cloying and not enjoyable. Plenty of beer styles I don't use crystal or cara malts in.  But plenty I do!

[Bomar]

Crystal Malts are very tricky and their use is very specified. Used wrong they do, in fact, add alot of caramel and syrupy overtones to beer. I use them in 60 minute mash/60 minute boil english real ales and that works well. Concentrated in a 90 minute boil they can heavily change character.....again a specific tool in the malt tool box.....You all are so great to give your excellent feedback on my post!! Thank you.

[Sunfire96]

I realize that this is the all grain brewing section, but one benefit I've found of carapils is that it can be steeped for an extract recipe. Wheat malt/flaked wheat need to be mashed IIRC

[dmtaylor]

I realize that this is the all grain brewing section, but one benefit I've found of carapils is that it can be steeped for an extract recipe. Wheat malt/flaked wheat need to be mashed IIRC

Great point.  I've started to specify it for this purposes in recipes that I write for others.  I am not an extract brewer anymore, but I know how to get an extract beer to taste great.

Welcome to the forum!