scottaustingreen

Recipes 

Hello, Long time reader, first time poster.

Ive got 5 brews under my belt and I have a pretty serious question before i continue brewing again, i am very discouraged.

I have been taking advice from a local shop and letting them guide me in pretty much everything i have been brewing. This is my problem my first two beers tasted and looked exactly the same.

1 - Lawnmower Ale
2 - Boddingtons Clone Ale

Both of this have a light grain bill and should be pretty golden in color, but they came out the color of a brown leather chair, and were very hoppy and bitter. This bitterness i feel like i may have controlled with longer ageing and, hop straining into the primary, and making sure i am the best i can be about sanitation.

I decided to part ways with the local shop advice, and brewed my 5th last night and it was an original / experimental recipe.
3 lbs Pale DME
1 lbs Wheat Dme
1 lbs 2 row
1lbs Corn
1/2lbs Oats
2 cups Rice
1oz tetthaner
1oz cascade

The wort color is different than other light attempts, but I was expecting something golden blonde, and in the end, i got a an amberish with an espresso type foam on top.

Why are all of my lighter in color and body beers turning out so heavy ?

Thanks ! looking forward to homebrewtalk.

-SG

nibiyabi

Recipes 

Are you actually waiting until they finish and then pouring them into a glass? A large volume in a glass carboy will always look darker than the beer appears in a drinking glass.

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Primary #2: Old Greg's Honey Stout (brewed 2009.03.20)
Secondary #1: Old Greg's Apfelwein (modified) (made 2009.03.20)
Secondary #2: Old Greg's Apfelwein (made 2009.03.05)
Keg #1: Old Greg's American IPA (brewed 2009.02.20 // secondaried 2009.02.28 // kegged 2009.03.07 // tapped 2009.03.30)
Keg #2: Old Greg's Chocolate Hazelnut Porter (brewed 2009.03.06 // kegged 2009.03.30)

RIP: Old Greg's Classic Beer Pong Ale (2009.02.27 - 2009.03.06)

BrewBrain

Recipes 

Are you leaving the yeast in the bottle when you pour your beer? I get a very harsh flavor in my lighter pale ales if I get yeast from the bottom of the bottle in my glass.


this doesn't explain the color though, other than possibly a yeast cloud.

Grinder12000

Recipes 

So true - a Pale Ale can look like a heavy brown in the carboy.

I think what you need to do is to tell us your technique - what temp are you fermenting and pitching the yeast and mashing/mini mashing and so forth.

Making alcohol is easy - making beer is easy, making REAL GOOD beer takes patience and and good technique.

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Secondary Kentucky Common(83)
Primary #1 Scottish Ale 70(84)
Primary #2 The Black Pearl Porter(85)

Cousinz

Recipes 

when extract brewing i found that a late extract addition would help lighten the color
but this will also increase ibu for the same recipe.

scottaustingreen

Recipes 

Thanks for the quick response, I think that i might have popped my first batch early... shocker. I have been a lot better about waiting, and now following 1-2-3, or longer. The extra time has helped with smoothness.

I nearly always drink out of a glass. Ive seen pictures of nearly identical lawnmower homebrews and my color was way off.. and my boddingtons did not look or tast like it.

Is it possible that my boiling temperature is too high ? My shop advised a "good strong rolling boil"... that could mean a 10 degree swing or more.

I am guessing high temperatures could cause caramelization and a darker color. Is it possible to make a good blonde beer with extract ? Recipe ?

bradsul

Recipes 

Are you doing a full wort boil? If not I would suggest doing a search for 'late extract addition'. That should help with the darkening of the wort problem.

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Canadian Brewers Unite!

Projects: Sylvania Kegerator Conversion, Tower Cooling, Grain Milling Station

Corey_James

Recipes 

The other thing that you may want to check is when you add your LME/DME is it fully dissolved with the heat removed from the bottom of your pot. This may add to your color and give an off flavor if you are burning it to the bottom of your pot.

__________________
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-Winston Churchill

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Secondary - MT
Conditioning - None.
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scottaustingreen

Recipes 

BrewBrain, beer is quite clear, and i am careful not to dump any sediment/yeast that may have made it into the bottle.

Grinder12000 - I understand about the large volume, but i have seen pictures on this forum of similar brews that are yellow like a post-it-note in the carboy, Leading me to beleive it is procedural.
- Heat Grains in bag up to 155-160 w/ ~3 gal of water
- Steep grains for 45 min, sparge with 1/4-1/2 gallon
- Discard grains
- Turn on high heat, and add all Malt Extract, bring to rolling boil.
- Add hops at intervals with a Whorlfloc tab at 30 min.
- After 60-70 min boil, turn on heat and plunge kettle into ice bath for 45 min.
- Proof yeast in 1 cup warm water
- Add 1 gall fresh water to primary, add 1/2 of the wort
- Add yeast
- Add Rest of wort.

Cousinz

Recipes 

are you making a full 5 gal. boil or just boiling a portion of that then topping off with more water to get your 5 gal. i've found this to make a big difference in lightening the color when i went from a 3 gal. boil to 4 gal. boil.