Caramel 20L - Briess

Candy-Like Sweetness • Mild Caramel • Golden Color and Better Foam

Briess Caramel Malt 20L is the lightest of the workhorse caramel malts, drum roasted from two-row barley so the sugars caramelize inside the kernel. That process leaves behind non-fermentable dextrins, which is why a small amount does more than add color: it builds body, improves head formation and helps the head last.

At 35 PPG and 20 °Lovibond it contributes golden to light amber color and a candy-like sweetness without the raisin or burnt-sugar notes of the darker caramel malts. Briess describes the flavor as candy-like sweetness with mild caramel.

Flavor & Aroma Profile

• Candy-like sweetness
• Mild caramel and light toffee
• Golden to light amber color
• Fuller body and mouthfeel
• Improved foam formation and retention

Used lightly it rounds off a dry beer and firms up the head with almost no flavor signature. Pushed toward the top of its range the caramel sweetness moves forward and the beer gains noticeable amber depth.

Brewing Applications

Caramel 20L works across nearly every style that wants a touch of malt sweetness, including:

• Pilsner and pale lager, for balance
• California Common
• Vienna Lager and Bock
• Pale Ale and IPA
• Amber Ale
• Porter and Stout

It is also a common fix for a beer that finishes too thin, since the dextrins add body without adding fermentable sugar.

Usage Recommendations

Briess suggests 3 to 7% for balance in pilsners, 5 to 10% in lagers from California Common through dark lager, and 5 to 15% across ales from pale ale and bitter IPA to porter and stout.

Caramel malts carry no enzymes of their own, so they need a base malt alongside them to convert. At normal usage rates that is never a concern, but keep it in mind if you stack several specialty malts in one bill.

Specifications

• PPG (Points Per Pound Per Gallon): 35
• Color: 20 °Lovibond
• Extract (Fine Grind, Dry Basis): 76%
• Diastatic Power: 0 °Lintner
• Flavor Notes: Candy sweetness, mild caramel
• Usage Rate: 3 to 15% of grain bill
• Beer Styles: Pilsner, amber lagers, pale ale, IPA, porter, stout

Whether you're adding a little sweetness to a pale ale, building amber color into a lager, or fixing a beer that finishes too dry, Caramel 20L brings gentle caramel and better body.