Brews Darker than Plan

[JonnyJumpUp]

Everything I brew consistantly comes out darker than I expected and planned. What would cause this? Maybe I am getting better effeciency than plan? I don't take a lot of hydrometer readings, guess I should start. I always just assumed 70% effeciency doing batch sparges.

 

[thisone]

What's your boil off rate? I noticed a difference in color between using one kettle with a 23% boil off rate and another with 17%. I was really cooking my wort with the former

Regardless, the estimated color that brewing software will give you is only that... an estimation. You'll have to make some adjustments for your system (so if it always turns out 3 SRM darker, just assume it will)

 

[JonnyJumpUp]

I have been using my 7 gal pot for the boil, it is short and squat. I boil off 25%. I also have a taller narrower 8 gal pot but it is thinner steel.

It is probably a combo of high boil off rates, not hitting 5 gals and higher than expected efficiency. Not a big deal and stuff I can compensate for but my last pale ale came out amber!

 

[BOBrob]

Darker malts vs. lighter malts? The hydrometer has nothing to do with color that I can think of. The more you boil will though. Cheers....just had to joke

 

[JonnyJumpUp]

Darker malts vs. lighter malts? The hydrometer has nothing to do with color that I can think of. The more you boil will though. Cheers....just had to joke

Your saying this to a guy who hasn't used his hydrometer in a year. Can't stand to waste the beer.

 

[BobC]

Your saying this to a guy who hasn't used his hydrometer in a year. Can't stand to waste the beer.

I felt the same way so I ponyed up the money and bought a Brix. I bought promash to do the calculations for me. Now I just waste a couple of drops.

 

[JonnyJumpUp]

I felt the same way so I ponyed up the money and bought a Brix. I bought promash to do the calculations for me. Now I just waste a couple of drops.

How much and how accurate compared to hydrometer?

 

[C-Rider]

How much and how accurate compared to hydrometer?

About $55. Probably about the same, but you only need a few drops.

 

[KuntzBrewing]

Waste beer? I've never wasted a single drop (except for what sticks to it) using a hydrometer, ur not gonna ruin a 5 gallon batch by pouring the little hydro tube full of beer in, just sanitize it first and its fine, plus it'll save u money to adjust ur grains to the correct efficiency since ur getting higher than expected. As for color are you talking about how the beer looks in a fermentor or individually? Cuz in the fermentor the beer always looks darker, my IIPA is dark brown in the fermentor but in a normal pint glass its orange.

 

[JonnyJumpUp]

Eh, 2oz of beer isn't really worth risking infection, even if the risk is small. When I was using a hydro I was only testing post boil and pre bottling/kegging. In the end I decided none of that information really mattered as long as it tasted good.

 

[usfmikeb]

To go back to the OP's original post on SRM, it might be helpful if you posted a recipe, and explain why you think it came out darker than intended.

 

[JonnyJumpUp]

To go back to the OP's original post on SRM, it might be helpful if you posted a recipe, and explain why you think it came out darker than intended.

10lb 2 row (2 SRM)
1.25lb muntons caramalt (12 SRM)
1.00lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)

Forget the hop bill but it was a combo of Chinook and Cascade. Estimated effeciency 70%, batch size 5 gal. I think I came out to more like 4-4.5 gal. According to BS this should have been a pale ale but its basically an amber.

 

[erikhild59]

A thin bottomed pot can cause a lot of caramelization and if your boiling off too much water , that would make it even more concentrated in there. I believe ph will darken a brew too , but not sure why.

 

[usfmikeb]

10lb 2 row (2 SRM)
1.25lb muntons caramalt (12 SRM)
1.00lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)

Forget the hop bill but it was a combo of Chinook and Cascade. Estimated effeciency 70%, batch size 5 gal. I think I came out to more like 4-4.5 gal. According to BS this should have been a pale ale but its basically an amber.

If I had to guess, that caramalt has a higher SRM than 12. Caramelization can occur, but based on your recipe, you'd be looking at an SRM of 6, and ambers are in the 11-18 range. If that caramalt was replaced with caramunich, it would suddenly be an SRM of 11.

 

[usfmikeb]

Just caught your note on getting final batch size smaller than 5 gallons, which will impact the SRM as well. Based on recipe, an SRM of 6 would become an SRM of 7.5 in a 4 gallon batch. Might not be the sole reason, but definitely a contributing factor.