In crystal malts, the key ingredients are barleys, and on the other hand, caramel malt is created from other grains such as rye and wheat. Crystal malts are hard, while caramel malts are soft, and crystal malts are sweeter than caramel malts. Crystal malts are made from pale malts.
They are first wet, and then they are roasted in a spinning drum before they are kilned. Crystal malts possess a toffee-like flavor. The grains are converted so that there is no need to mash for extracting the flavor.
They are available in a variety of dark colors, and during kilning, some sugars could caramelize and become unfermentable. Caramel malts tend to use more temperature, which enhances the color and flavor. Unlike crystal malts, caramel malts tend to come in a plethora of colors.