Very, very dark "pale" ale. . . recipe critique?

[sddanc]

Hey all,

I brewed (attempted) a pale ale today and came out with incredibly dark wort. It looks much like a barleywine to be honest.

Here is my recipe

OG: 1.077
Mash temp: 157 @ 60min


11.13# 2-row
.5# Belgian aromatic
.5# Cara-pils
.5# Crystal-60L
.75oz Columbus - 20min
1.25oz Centennial - 15min
1.25oz Centennial - 10min
1.25oz Centennial - 5min
1.25oz Willamette - 1min
California V Ale Yeast - White Labs


BeerSmith Estimated SRM - 8

actual. . . closer to 20


Ideas?

 

[djfriesen]

How are you rating this a 20? If you're looking at it in the carboy/bucket, it will be significantly darker than in a glass. Then again, if you're looking at it in the hydrometer tube, it's lighter than it will be in an average glass. AG brews are much less susceptible to darkening, as opposed to extract brews where the extract can be very easily scorched.

Either way, in the end, unless this beer is finished, it will change in its appearance. The yeast dropping out and the beer clearing will lighten it some.

Also, 157° seems like a high mash temp for a PA. Is there any specific reason for it?

 

[sddanc]

i guess i will have to wait and see when it finally meets the glass. but in the carboy it is DARK. wicked dark. Even in the graduated cylinder it was darker than I would expected a pale to be.

 

[djfriesen]

Do the SRM ratings on your actual ingredients match the values in BeerSmith? Different maltsters will not necessarily have the same characteristics in their respective products. That seems like the most plausible answer if it's too dark. It seems unlikely that you scorched your wort, unless you boiled really really hard.