DME + Roast Barley - separate steep?

[AsharaDayne]

I’m planning on doing a light/extra-light DME brew with steeped 1150 EBC Roast Barley. For the recipe I have in mind, the RB would amount to 1.8% of fermentables, but ofc have a noticeable impact on color. I don’t know if this experiment makes any sense, but you know, I have this RB lying around and it’ll be a small batch. I *could* add it to some grain mixes, I have, though - but I kind of don't want to darken those.
Anyway, I have read about separate steeps, added towards end of boil, which some say are good for avoiding acidic/acrid tastes from roast grains. However that applies to all-grain methods, and I will only do steep + 45 minute boil.

In that case, do you think a separate hot steep makes sense? It’s really not much extra work, but I could imagine that a full steep might actually be better for taste. Or worse, if it turns acrid. Then again it’s a tiny amount of grain… I welcome your inputs.

 

[chub1]

Hi
Roast Barley is usually added to darker beers-stouts and some darker bitters etc.It can be overpowering in large amounts.
What is your planned recipie?.
If i were doing an extract batch i would steep ALL my grains for 30 minutes at around 150f or 66 c,strain them off and then add the liquid to the pot.Then do a boil of 30/40 minutes with any hop additions and spray malt,either part to start and rest at 15 minutes or just add remaining spray malt to the FV and top up.

 

[J A]

Separate steep for dark grains is usually more associated with mashing. Throwing the roasted barley in just before sparge, for instance, acts the same as steeping the grain and gives color without extracting a lot of astringent roasted flavor. For extract, you're already doing that.
The boil shouldn't have anything to do with it. Anything that's coming from the malt will have done so during the steep or mash. When you add it to the boil shouldn't matter.

 

[AsharaDayne]

The recipe would be a 10L batch, 8L boil, 1.6 kg (extra)light DME (half late addition), that's 1.056 OG I believe, some hops to taste, S-04. Basically a pale hoppy ale with a leeettle addition of Roast Barley.

So it seems like a basic steep would do the trick...

 

[Nosybear]

I’m planning on doing a light/extra-light DME brew with steeped 1150 EBC Roast Barley. For the recipe I have in mind, the RB would amount to 1.8% of fermentables, but ofc have a noticeable impact on color. I don’t know if this experiment makes any sense, but you know, I have this RB lying around and it’ll be a small batch. I *could* add it to some grain mixes, I have, though - but I kind of don't want to darken those.
Anyway, I have read about separate steeps, added towards end of boil, which some say are good for avoiding acidic/acrid tastes from roast grains. However that applies to all-grain methods, and I will only do steep + 45 minute boil.

In that case, do you think a separate hot steep makes sense? It’s really not much extra work, but I could imagine that a full steep might actually be better for taste. Or worse, if it turns acrid. Then again it’s a tiny amount of grain… I welcome your inputs.

I handle that by adding the dark grains and most of my character malts at sparge. I batch sparge, the ten minutes is long enough to extract the color I want without adding the acrid flavors. If you're not doing all-grain or are doing no-sparge, a "tea" made of wort (don't use water - result is a low pH and extraction of those harsh flavors you don't want) can serve the same purpose.

 

[GFHomebrew]

I see one of the brulosophy dudes add a smidgin of dark roasted malt to a lot of their light largers I think it's marshal but don't quote me on it. Check out some of their latest grists.

 

[AsharaDayne]

Whelp, it's in the can now. I ground the RB with mortar and pestle and then just steeped as I normally would. Will try to remember to report back once I've given it a few tastes.

 

[AsharaDayne]

I have sampled this brew and it is very tasty. Bittered with Magnum for 0,87 BUGU, Saazer and Perle late additions, dry hopped with Perle, and it's actually one of my favorite brews until now. It's quite dark, relatively transparent. The taste is quite cool, the Roast Barley just comes through a bit and nicely complements the hops...
I could imagine using this technique for dark IPAs or dark hoppy beers in general. The RB will tone the color right down and, in such low amounts, add to the taste without dominating it.