Why are my beers coming out so dark

[Grundysidemount]

This is my 2nd batch and all my beers come out so much darker then they should.

SRM should be around 5.

Monday is kegging day.

Please help

 

[FunkedOut]

First the good news!
It’ll look way lighter in your glass.
Report back after you’ve had a pint.
Then we can discuss the other factors.

In the meantime, post your recipe with the exact ingredients you used.

 

[Rackrunner]

Totally agree with FunkedOut - Lighting and the volume of beer make it tricky to judge color sitting in the fermenter, and trub settling out / any finings will lighten a bit as well.

Recipe and volumes will definitely help. Did it look dark from the beginning? Going into the fermenter? etc.

 

[Jag75]

Is this an extract kit or all grain?
If its extract that's why

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

This is my 2nd batch and all my beers come out so much darker then they should.

SRM should be around 5.

Monday is kegging day.

Please help

I agree with @FunkedOut.

Give us a recipe and an understanding of why "SRM should be around 5" and you should get good feedback on what happened.

Even with my BAIB batches, I don't judge color in the FV, just in the glass. And when I brew with reasonably fresh DME, I get appropriate color for the style.

 

[Grundysidemount]

Thanks for the response.

I have attached the extract sheet that came with it from more beer.

Srm is 5 to 6 on one and 9 on the other. They both look the same color.

Yeast was pitched at 74 degrees

3 week fermentation and 1 week of dryhop.

Held at 68 to 70 degrees through the last 4 weeks

The simcoe was very light when I pitched the test but about 10 days ago it went dark.

I got the More Beer premium brew and kegging kit link is below. What else will I need to go all grain.
https://www.morebeer.com/products/premium-beer-brewing-kit-kegging-system.html


What are the main factors that control the color.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Oxidation can cause beers with lots of late hops to turn darker, but I would not jump to that conclusion just yet.

Beers in the fermenter will look lighter when they have lots of yeast...I think it is just the yeast reflecting back light. Once they start to clear, they will look darker. You are looking through 2 ft of beer, vs 3 inches in your glass, so they look darker in the fermenter than they really are.

I don't brew extract, but I know a lot of people recommend adding the extract during the last 10 minutes of the boil. I think you add half or so of the extract at the start. This will help to reduce the darkening that is common with extract brewing.

 

[Jag75]

I've found that extract kits come out a little darker . You can add the LME at tail end to lighten it up .

 

[Grundysidemount]

I've found that extract kits come out a little darker . You can add the LME at tail end to lighten it up .

Tail end?

Of the boil?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I have attached the extract sheet that came with it from more beer.

Not a lot of additional information.

The recipe didn't state if dry or liquid malt extract was used (it's one of the main factors in color when brewing with 'extract').

I also didn't see where SRM was listed. I'm of the opinion that some models to calculate SRM with extract are simply wrong - they calculate a value that's too light.

@CascadesBrewer offers some good observations.

Boil time is another factor for managing color with 'extract'. These kits had 60 and 90 minute boils. I limit boils with DME to 30 minutes and get beer colors appropriate for the style.

Many brewers will modify kits to do what's called "late additions of extract". Put 25% to 50% of the extract at the start of the boil and the rest at "the end" of the boil (sometimes with 15 minutes left in the boil, sometimes at "flame-out"). The book, How To Brew, 4e is an excellent source of information on this technique.

Changes in boil time or in the timing of extracts will impact estimated IBUs, so it may be desirable to adjust the timing and amount of hop additions.

What else will I need to go all grain.

Going all grain is a great way to get control of color in your beer. Given that you are already kegging, and you are interested in color control, it seems like a logical step.

 

[Iseneye]

Show us a picture of the beer in a glass, not the fermenter.

 

[doug293cz]

... What else will I need to go all grain.
....

The only thing you absolutely need (in addition to what you already have) in order to brew all gain with the BIAB (brew in a bag) method is a fine mesh polyester or nylon bag that is just large enough to put your kettle in. A smaller bag will constrain the grains too much during the mash, and a larger bag just kind of gets in the way. You can buy an excellent, custom made bag from http://biabbags.webs.com/. Prices are quite reasonable, and the pulley option will help tremendously with bag handling.

With your 8.5 gal kettle, you will be limited in the OG you can achieve using a full volume mash, no-sparge process, but higher OG recipes can be brewed by pouring some sparge water over the bag above the kettle (hot or cold water will work equally well), or doing a dunk sparge in plastic bucket (again, hot or cold water.)

Many BIAB brewers observe lower mash efficiencies when using a store crush. BIAB allows you to use a very fine crush without having to worry about a stuck lauter, so getting your own grain mill can be helpful for improving your efficiency. An inexpensive roll mill, like the Cereal Killer, or a Corona style mill both work.

Brew on

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

IMO, if dark, then strange as ultralight extract was used unless we're dealing with some Maillard darkening.

However, as others have noted, wort always appears darker in the fermenter than the glass.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Also, to add to other comments, I find that Extra Light DME can vary considerably in colour. I brew AG (not extract) but often make starters with DME. It's always package by my LHBS. The same 1.040 wort ranges in colour from pale golden to mid-amber, even though it's always supposedly the same product. It could just be my LHBS though - the staff don't know much about brewing, they're more interested in pickling their brains with poorly made moonshine with flavouring syrups added.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Hmm... 1.040 should be the same SRM, but I guess I could play withing things in BeerSmith and achieve the same estimated OG.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Hmm... 1.040 should be the same SRM

It should. Either the product isn't consistent or my LHBS is packaging incorrectly. I suspect it's an inconsistent product.

but I guess I could play withing things in BeerSmith and achieve the same estimated OG.

1.040 for a starter is just 100g in a litre (or 10% w/v for metrically challenged). It's actually a bit under 1.040, but close enough for starter wort. No need for beersmith.

 

[camonick]

The recipe didn't state if dry or liquid malt extract was used (it's one of the main factors in color when brewing with 'extract').

MoreBeer kits use LME

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Looks like OP is persuing 'upgrading' to all-grain (makes sense as they stated in the initial post they were kegging).

MoreBeer kits use LME

Lazy Chart For Converting – DME – LME -GRAIN was a quick way to suspect that the extract was liquid.

And maybe I missed it, but I don't see where the anticipated SRM values came from.

A simple explanation may be that some recipe conversion processes (converting from 'all-grain' to extract) don't account for color properly. Of all the basic estimates (OG, FG, IBU, SRM), color is the hardest - even with all grain.

People who report good color with DME / LME seem to use shorter boils, late additions, and DME to get the "in style" color for the beers they report that they enjoy.

 

[Jag75]

Tail end?

Of the boil?

Yes

 

[cactusgarrett]

If using extract, one thing you can do is add about 10% of the recipe's extract right away for the full boil, to help with hop utilization. Then go through the boil as normal, and add the remainder of the extract with 10 minutes left in the boil. This will help minimize the darkening of the extract while still sterilizing for a sufficient amount of time.

 

[camonick]

And maybe I missed it, but I don't see where the anticipated SRM values came from.

You didn’t miss it... that part of the recipe instructions were cut off the OPs screen shots.



I have brewed quite a few LME kits and they are usually much darker than predicted (especially when looking at the full volume in a carboy). Full length boils with early addition or partial volume boils can increase color significantly.
Moving to some method of all grain brewing will have a noticeable impact on the color of your beer. I moved to BIAB 6 months ago and can’t believe the difference it made. I saved a few bottles from an extract brew then compared them to bottles from an identical recipe using the AG version and it was striking to see the difference.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I have brewed quite a few LME kits and they are usually much darker than predicted

A frequently reported experience. Does that suggest that 1) reality is wrong or 2) the model to predict reality is wrong?

 

[doug293cz]

A frequently reported experience. Does that suggest that 1) reality is wrong or 2) the model to predict reality is wrong?

When the model doesn't match reality, then the model is wrong/inadequate by definition. Of course you need to be sure you actually know what reality is.

Brew on

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

If kits get us started and discussions move us forward, then bot the kits and the discussion could be declared successful: OP is looking into ideas for BIAB.

 

[Bubbles2]

Mine gets dark after I Hop... A Blonde comes out looking like a Blonde The DME I use is Light, they make DME in grades that are darker, LoviBond, like a Caramel Malt is 30l thru 60l the higher the number the darker the grain is, and flavor of course. After I HOP even a Blonde which usually is a 1 oz at Boil or pre Boil and .5 - 1 oz at the last 20, it gets darker...

 

[Grundysidemount]

Okay you were all right. No need to worry on the color I saw in the Fermenters. Attached are photo of both beers.

Topped with Hops - 8.6% DIPA (full glass)
Simcoe Smash - 6.5% WCIPA ( half glass)