Why Do Dark

[Mantis]

This was made a couple of weeks ago as an attempt at a pale ale.

4kg of pale LME
300g of Bairds Crystal

American ale yeast

The hopping is good and the beer tastes great but why is it so dark



Here it is next to an SG tube sample of a toucan of Coopers Larger with 500g crystal and 50g chocolate added

What the

Hey, I am not gonna stop drinking it cause its soo goood, but I obviously know little about what gives a brew its colour when using steeped grains

Topic is meant to say Why So Dark

 

[Tyred]

Did you boil ? If so was all the malt added at the start of the boil ? I've heard that malt when boiled for 60 minutes can make the brew darker.

Also, was it dark crystal that was used ?

Looks nice tho. What hopping did you do ?

 

[mika]

At a guess I'd say your crystal grains were a lot different in EBC/Lovibond between the two batches, or your LME wasn't so L.

 

[peas_and_corn]

Certainly. If your crystal was around 90-100L, then it would get to those colours easily. However your method will have an impact.

 

[kook]

No offense - but you've got two vastly different sized vessels there too. Its hard to tell the colour difference unless you're comparing them in the same diameter vessel. A glass fermenter full of pale beer actually looks quite dark - but when its in a glass its different.

 

[QldKev]

It is aliens!!!

QldKev

 

[Tanga]

It is aliens!!!

QldKev

That's what I though.

 

[Mantis]

No offense taken.
I steeped the grain overnight after putting it in 70 deg water and covering.
Put the steepings and a kilo of the liquid malt in the pot and made up to about 7 litres and boiled.
40g Nothern Brewer 6.6% for 30 min
Added rest of extract and bought back to boil
20g Hallertau 7% 15 min
15g Hallertau 7% 1 min
made up to 23lt

With the toucan I only boiled the steepings for 45 min with the bittering hops then added the cans of malt. So maybe the boiling of the malt has darkened it.

 

[peas_and_corn]

that's most likely. It is better to steep the grain than to boil it, you risk extracting bad flavours form it

 

[Darren]

Corrcect me if i am wrong but they are two completely different beers?? One with chocolate malt the other without?

The chocolate would darken your beer significantly as it is quite a dark grain compared to crystal.

Also as previously suggested the suspended particles in the hydrometer sample would falsely appear to lighter the beer.

cheers

Darren

 

[Mantis]

By steepings I meant the wort after I removed the grain, sorry if I confused here
The chocolate grain was in the toucan that is in the SG tube.
I will have to get my speciality grain speak on track me thinks. And also learn more about the different grains.

 

[Cocko]

Hey, I am not gonna stop drinking it cause its soo goood

Nuff said!

 

[Bribie G]

Liquid malt extract is often quite dark, especially if it has been stored for a while. Here's a Morgans Queensland Pilsener plus 1.5 kg Coopers LIGHT LME.
Nuff said.



Also even when using dried light malt extract I usually find 200g crystal to be heaps.

 

[gibbocore]

i boil up LDME for starters and its always real dark.

 

[warra48]

I vote for the darker colour. Love to have it in all my beers, but then I don't normally brew lagers.

 

[Swinging Beef]

For lighter beers with extract, I find you only boil 1/2 or 1/4 or your extract for 60 minutes with your hops.
Throw the rest in at 15 minutes, so it has less time to caramelise.
15 minutes will still give it time to be sterilised by the boil, even though that may be unneccessary as well, as the malt is sanitised as part of its packaging.