Pronounced Caramel • Raisin and Burnt Sugar • Deep Red Color
Briess Caramel Malt 80L sits at the dark end of the caramel range, where the sweetness starts turning toward dried fruit. Drum roasted from two-row barley, it delivers what Briess calls pronounced caramel with slight burnt sugar and raisin, and it contributes red to deep red hues rather than the gold of the lighter caramel malts.
At 35 PPG and 80 °Lovibond it colors a beer quickly, so it earns its place in small additions. Like every caramel malt it also leaves non-fermentable dextrins behind, adding body and helping head retention.
Flavor & Aroma Profile
- Pronounced caramel
- Raisin and dried dark fruit
- A hint of burnt sugar
- Red to deep red color
- Fuller body and lasting head
At the low end it adds red color and a suggestion of dark fruit. Higher up it becomes a defining flavor, which is what a doppelbock or a barley wine wants but an ordinary bitter does not.
Brewing Applications
Caramel 80L suits beers that want dark caramel depth, including:
- Amber and Red Ale
- Doppelbock
- Barley Wine
- Porter and Stout
- Oktoberfest and dark lager
- Scottish Ale
It is also used at 1 to 3% purely to warm the color of a pale beer without making it taste sweet.
Usage Recommendations
Briess suggests 1 to 3% for balance in pilsners, 5 to 10% in lagers from Vienna and Oktoberfest through dark lager, 5 to 10% across pale ales, bitter IPAs, porters and stouts, and 10 to 15% in bigger styles like doppelbock and barley wine.
Because the color contribution is strong, add it last when building a recipe: adjust your base and lighter specialty malts first, then use Caramel 80L to land the final color and depth.
Specifications
- PPG (Points Per Pound Per Gallon): 35
- Color: 80 °Lovibond
- Extract (Fine Grind, Dry Basis): 76%
- Diastatic Power: 0 °Lintner
- Flavor Notes: Pronounced caramel, raisin, burnt sugar
- Usage Rate: 1 to 15% of grain bill
- Beer Styles: Amber and red ale, doppelbock, barley wine, porter, stout
Whether you're building a deep red amber, adding dried-fruit complexity to a barley wine, or warming the color of a porter, Caramel 80L brings dark caramel and raisin depth.