Tcb Wetpak - American Pale Ale... Very Dark Colour?

[brendanox]

Hi Guys, :lol:
new to homebrew. Just put my 2nd brew in the fermenter and it was a TCB Wetpak - American Pale Ale.

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Just two questions.

I used exactly what was in the pack. But the whole brew seems to be quite dark. The same as an amber ale. Very rich burgundy/brown.
Is this normal? I would have though it would have been lighter in colour
When i was boiling the malt etc. it was running at a medium boil and not a simmer. Do you think this has something to do with it? It seemed like a little of the malt burnt to the bottom of the pan. Is this normal??

Also, I have longknecks that are 700ml instead of 750. Will it matter if I put two sugar drops in these? I assume sucha small ammount wont make a difference?

hit me back if you have any help. thanks!!!
Brendan

 

[Supra-Jim]

Hi Brendan,

I can't comment much on the colour, as I'm not familiar with the wetpacks, but Pale ale can vary in colour and can be reasonably darkish.

With regards to your carbonation question, have a search on here for bulk priming. This will sort out any issues about differing bottle sizes.

Cheers SJ

 

[Greg Lawrence]

Hi Guys, :lol:
new to homebrew. Just put my 2nd brew in the fermenter and it was a TCB Wetpak - American Pale Ale.

Just two questions.

I used exactly what was in the pack. But the whole brew seems to be quite dark. The same as an amber ale. Very rich burgundy/brown.
Is this normal? I would have though it would have been lighter in colour
When i was boiling the malt etc. it was running at a medium boil and not a simmer. Do you think this has something to do with it? It seemed like a little of the malt burnt to the bottom of the pan. Is this normal??

Also, I have longknecks that are 700ml instead of 750. Will it matter if I put two sugar drops in these? I assume sucha small ammount wont make a difference?

hit me back if you have any help. thanks!!!
Brendan

I used to do a lot of these myself before moving to AG. Yes they are fairly dark for a pale ale, I wouldnt worry too much about the colour. The taste is the most important thing and these kits produce a very nice beer. Keep your fermentation temp as constant as you can (about 18) and you'll be right.

An bit of dry hopping with cascade (15-20g) is also good in these kits, but thats a personal taste thing I guess.

Dont worry about the 700 ml bottles. treat them the same as the 750s.



Greg

 

[brendanox]

Thanks for your help guys!

I am more relaxed about the brew now.

SJ, I will look into bulk priming a bit further down the track once I feel more confident with all the other processes. But it does seem to be better. Do you think it makes a big difference to the carbonation as well? Is it noticably better?

Thanks Gregor. I have heard good things about this kit.
I have a heating belt to keep the temp up. (it's in a pretty cool laundry) But when the belts on and nothing else it seems to run a little too hot (round 24 degrees) I have put a towel in between belt and fermentor and this seems to help.
How do you keep your temp constant?

Brendan

 

[pcmfisher]

The Wetpak APA probably a little darker than you would expect.

Next time you can try boiling using lots more water or boil with less of the malt.

By this I mean scoop all the hops off the top of the malt and put them into a pot. With the hops add only about a quarter of the container of malt and about 5 litres of water.
Stir continuously until boiling starts to avoid the malt catching on the bottom of the pot. Gently simmer for 60min. This is giving you your hop bitterness.
After 60mins add the rest of the malt to dissolve (along with finishing hops and grain runnings).
Chill in the sink and ferment as usual.

Because you are not doing such a huge gravity boil you will avoid the problems you have had.

However, your beer will still be better than any bittered kit brew you have done

 

[ben_sa]

Ive personally had lagers turn out darker than expected. But still taste great. Thats the main thing.

 

[brendanox]

Thanks again guys.
Yes, taste is all I'm worried about. And I think it will be good...
I enjoy darker ales as well. I was just worried I had spoiled the brew.
Once fermenting has stopped I'll have a taste to make sure it's all good!

 

[Supra-Jim]

Bulk priming simply makes the job of determining how much sugar is required for carbonation easier if you are using non-standard sized bottles (not 375 or 750ml). It will also save you money as it will allow you to use straight dextrose or just normal cane sugar, rather than paying for carb drops.

Carb drops are convenient if you are using 375 & 750ml bottles. Bear in mind also, that as you experience with different styles, bulk priming will allow you varying your carbonation level easily to match a particular style.

Cheers SJ