Carapils Malt

Characteristics

Carapils (or Cara-pils, according to who the maltser is) is a type of malt in a family of 'Cara' malts that are manufactured with a modified kilning process to produce, among other products, an unfermentable carbohydrate chain called dextrin. Dextrin is an unfermentable carbohydrate that adds mouthfeel and foam stability to a finished beer when employed in reasonably small amounts. Carapils is so-name becasue the base malt and kilning style is the same as that of a light, pilsner malt.

Cara malts are produced by adding a step to the malt production known as "stewing." In this process, the grain is heated to about 158 degrees while moist and held for a couple of hours - much like a miniature mash. This process converts some of the starches to sugars. While many other Cara style malts are then roasted to produce toffee, roast, bread type flavors - carapils is only kilned lightly to dry it out. The result is a malt that, while adding the good effects of the dextrins to your beer (mouthfeel, head retention), does not add much else in the way of color, flavor, or fermentables.
It should be noted that Carapils malt needs to be mashed, and should be used with other diastatic grains (i.e., 2 Row, Pilsner) in order to complete the starch reactions properly.
Use in the mash is generally up to 5% of the total grain bill. I do not know what more than that would do, personally, but it just seems like a generally bad idea to use more.

Specifications

Typical Use : Adjunct
Lovibond : 1.5 Lovibond
Origination : USA
Flavor/Aroma : none really
Styles : Any style that could use improved head-retention and mouthfeel