Types of Grain

[DandyMason]

Hey Guys,

Im about to place my order for some grains here in a bit but was wondering this...I see a lot of Crystal 60, Crystal 110, Crystal 120... 150, 240... Caramunich 1, 2, 3... and some others. What exactly is the difference? I was going through a bunch of all grain recipes to see what grain I thought I should order... and sometimes the recipe would just call for Caramunich... so not sure what type of caramunich this might be.  

And if there is a big difference between the types... What type of Crystal and Caramunich do you guys suggest is most common?

[Richard]

As for most common; Crystal 60L (roughly 150EBC) and Caramunich I. You need to remember that the units used are not always the same. Crystal 40L, 60L, and 120L are *roughly* equal to Crystal 110EBC, 150EBC, and 240EBC. They're often referred to as light, medium, and dark Crystal.

[DandyMason]

Oh okay, good to know thanks!

So as these numbers increase, the grain becomes darker?

[Richard]

That's exactly what the numbers are measuring.

Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Reference_Method

and this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mash_ingre ... ystal_malt
and this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mash_ingre ... tal_Europe

[DandyMason]

Thats exactly the info I was looking for... Thanks.