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I know there are different versions of each, like Light or Dark, I II III. I'd like to have the general differences between the two, mainly!

Thanks!

Simon Lapointe
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    I'm convinced that the recipes that I've seen around the web calling for "1/2lb Munich" as a specialty grain, were actually mistranslated somewhere along the way and originally referred to CaraMunich. – GHP Mar 11 '14 at 17:21
  • Maybe, but I wouldn't be so sure. There are a lot of homebrewers who think that adding 1/2 lb. of Munich will make more difference than it actually does. – Denny Conn Mar 11 '14 at 18:57

1 Answers1

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The "cara" in CaraMunich indicates that it's a crystal malt. It's essentially "mashed" in the husk, then kilned to produce sugar and a glassy kernel, like other crystal malts. Munich malt does not go through that process. It's a relatively dark kilned malt than can be used as a base malt. Their flavors and uses are very different. Munich can be combined with other base malts or used as 100% of your grist if you like. CaraMunich, on the other hand, has a much sweeter flavor and should always be used as a "character" malt in relatively small quantities (generally less that 10%) of your total grist.

Denny Conn
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  • Thanks a lot. As a side-question, will the different kinds (Light, Dark, I, II, III, etc...) taste differently, or if it is mainly just a question of color? – Simon Lapointe Mar 11 '14 at 20:52
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    No, they do taste differently. The darker the color, the more toasty the flavor for the Munich. The caraMunich also does that, but the taste gets more toffee/caramel like as it gets darker. – Denny Conn Mar 11 '14 at 21:44