Clear Stout?

[tommybrew123]

My dry stout recipe came out tasting great. But, while it is very dark, you can still see through it when there is a light behind it.

What should I do next time to make it completely opaque? Wheat? Mill the flaked barley?

Thanks.

5.5 lbs Pale Malt Extract
1 lb roast barley 550 L
1 lb 2 row
2 lbs flaked Barley

1.25 Kent Goldings 7.2 AA
4 drops lactic

 

[BigEd]

Stouts are dark, not opaque. If you shine a bright light through a glass of stout there should be a deep, dark red/garnet color not opacity.

 

[benflath]

Don't mill flaked grains, it will clog up the mill something serious.

 

[KeystoneHomebrew]

If you want motor oil, (saying that as a good thing), try a heavy dose of Carafa III. Some of the heavy hitter stouts we rave about use it to get that motor oil color.

 

[wailingguitar]

What BigEd said... your recipe looks good, if anything you actually got a nice sediment and most of your yeast has dropped out. Sounds to me like you have a well made beer. Which yeast did you use?

 

[GuldTuborg]

You can double mill (or grind like coffee) the roast barley if you like, for more color and flavor. Still, unless you're making a really big (read, 10%+ ABV) stout, don't expect it to be anywhere near opaque in a pint glass with a light behind it.

 

[CA_Mouse]

My Sweet Stout has never been so dark that I can't see light through it. It should be nice and coffee/chocolate brown and be slightly reddish with light shined through it. I agree with Keystone, that if you absolutely want to have it the color of used motor oil, Carafa III will get you there. But is sounds like you have a very cleanly attenuated stout.

Mouse

 

[tommybrew123]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess it is all right that some light comes through. I used the American Ale yeast slap pack, and I always rack to a secondary to free up the bigger fermentor. I will have to try some Guiness I guess. I just always remember it as being opaque though I have not looked closely at a glass of it in a while. Taste is pretty similar to memory, but no nitrogen feel. Now that I have had a few, and read all of the replies, I kind of like the dark red/garnet color.

 

[KeystoneHomebrew]

In my opinion, it is harder to get the true stout color of a dark garnet when held to light than the motor oil color.

That said, I wouldn't kick either of them out of bed for eating crackers.