Mike brewed two American Pale Ales to compare Crystal 40 malt directly against CaraMunich I malt. Both beers shared the same base malt, hopping schedule, yeast, water profile, fermentation, and finished gravity.

The only recipe difference was the specialty malt providing eight percent of each beer’s total grain bill. This approach kept the colors nearly identical while giving us a focused comparison between the two malts.

Watch this video to see all of the details of this APA experiment.

A Specialty Malt Experiment

Mike designed the beers around Valley Malting American pale malt, which made up ninety-two percent of both recipes.

He kept the hopping restrained because the purpose was comparing malt flavor rather than creating an aggressively hopped pale ale.

American Pale Ale Malt Comparison Recipe

Batch Format: Two nearly identical American Pale Ales

Base Malt:
92% Valley Malting American pale malt

Beer A Specialty Malt:
8% Briess Crystal 40

Beer B Specialty Malt:
8% CaraMunich I

Original Gravity:
1.048

Final Gravity:
1.012

Estimated Alcohol:
Approximately 4.7% ABV

Mash Schedule:
Mash at 152°F for 60 minutes. Mash out at 168°F for approximately 20 minutes.

Hops:
12 grams Nugget for bittering
20 grams Centennial with five minutes remaining

Yeast:
Rehydrated Cellar Science Cali Ale yeast

Water:
Equal parts spring water and tap water, with gypsum favored and no additional chloride.

Fermentation:
Fermented for approximately ten days, transferred into kegs, then rapidly carbonated before tasting.

Our Thoughts On The Experiment

During the blind tasting, Beer A seemed drier and carried a noticeable biscuity character through the finish. Beer B tasted maltier and fuller, with slightly more body from the CaraMunich I addition. However, the differences remained subtle because the Centennial hops gradually coated our palates during repeated tasting.

Mike then revealed that Beer A contained Crystal 40, while Beer B contained CaraMunich I. I preferred Beer A because its flavor matched my memories of classic American Pale Ales more closely. The Crystal 40 also allowed the Valley Malting base malt to remain clearer throughout the tasting. Meanwhile, CaraMunich I added more malt weight, although it never made the second beer unpleasant or unbalanced. Crystal 40 was our preferred specialty malt for this straightforward American Pale Ale recipe. Its drier, biscuit-like character supported the hops while preserving the flavor of the American pale base malt. CaraMunich I produced a slightly fuller beer with more malt presence and a rounder overall impression.

Still, the differences were small enough that either malt could produce a very good American Pale Ale. Mike would continue using CaraMunich I in German and Czech styles where its malt character fits naturally. However, Crystal 40 remains his likely choice when building a more traditional American Pale Ale. This experiment also showed how ingredient comparisons can improve future recipe design without adding unnecessary specialty malts. Understanding Crystal 40’s biscuit-like contribution could reduce the need for separate biscuit malt in some recipes.

For this style, Beer A delivered the balance and familiar malt profile we wanted most.

BREW ON!