I'm a new brewer, only having completed a few brews. Each of them though, has ended up too dark in color (IPAs looking like ambers etc). They have been tasting good, but not necessarily true to style. Am I boiling the wort too vigorously or something? Any insight would be appreciated
Beers too dark
- Thread starter leliz
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scoundrel
Well-Known Member
That has to do with the extract caramelization during the boil. It's common in extract brewing. The way around this is to add the majority of the extract late in the boil, but be prepared to adjust your hop timings, if you go this route.
scoundrel
Well-Known Member
Do a search for "late boil extract addition". There are tons of posts with tons of tips.
Adding all the LME at the begining of the boil can cause darkening. And extract twang as well. Try late malt addition for lighter color. In a 2.5-3 gallon partial boil,add 1.5-2lbs of the extract for hop additions. Add remainder at flame out & cover to steep for at least 5 minutes. I do 15 myself. The boiling wort is still hot enough (180F+) at this point to pasteurize,which is about 162F.
I use 1.5lb of plain DME in the partial boil for hop aditions. Or 5lb of mashed grains for a PM batch. Add remaining DME or all LME at flame out. That should do it.
I use 1.5lb of plain DME in the partial boil for hop aditions. Or 5lb of mashed grains for a PM batch. Add remaining DME or all LME at flame out. That should do it.
dstranger99
Well-Known Member
The easiest way for extract is 25% at start, and all the rest at the end. I hate that extract twang !!....
That's about right I guess,since I,for instance,use half a 3lb bag of plain DME in the boil. Then the remaining 1.5lb & about 3.3lb of LME at flame out. But the lighter resulting colors & lack of twang make it all worth it in the end. Such a simple modification to get better beer!
And starting tomorrow is when we want precisely that!
to holiday beers,y'all!
And starting tomorrow is when we want precisely that!
to holiday beers,y'all!
dstranger99
Well-Known Member
When I did that partial mash a few weeks ago, all I had was a tiny milk jug of extract. I'm hoping to get no twang at all from it..........
Yeah,it looks like a lil plastic milk jug,3.3lbs. My partial mash kit I'll be serving tomorrow was the cascade pale ale pm kit from midwest. The lil jug was Briesse gold LME,which I added at flame out. I used the mashed grain wort for the one hour boil for the hop additions. I broke down & tasted a couple bottles last night. Nice small bubbled head,amber/orange color too. Great malt to hops balance,just a very pleasant drinker compareable to a commercial craft pale. A bit moreso than my extact recipes. But the extracts seem to have more complexity. Maybe a bit more mouth feel.
I wouldn't say that the partial mash tastes "fresher"...that's just not quite what I'm feeling. Can't think of a better way to describe it beyond being like a commercial craft ale. The mouth feel & balance,along with quality of flavor,describe it as best I can at first impression.
Anyway,it's gratifying that the late extract addition part of my process carries over so well to partial mash. So make it a part of your growing process now,& it'll serve you well into the future. Seems that's what we're really trying to say here.
I wouldn't say that the partial mash tastes "fresher"...that's just not quite what I'm feeling. Can't think of a better way to describe it beyond being like a commercial craft ale. The mouth feel & balance,along with quality of flavor,describe it as best I can at first impression.
Anyway,it's gratifying that the late extract addition part of my process carries over so well to partial mash. So make it a part of your growing process now,& it'll serve you well into the future. Seems that's what we're really trying to say here.
dstranger99
Well-Known Member
Sounds like it turned out fine, and it's gonna get better as it sits anyway...
But yeah, I did practically the same thing, boiled the wort, but added 1/4 LME at the start, and the rest at flameout.. Cute little milk jug too.........lol
But yeah, I did practically the same thing, boiled the wort, but added 1/4 LME at the start, and the rest at flameout.. Cute little milk jug too.........lol
Yup,just had to grab my jug. 
I never saw a milk jug that small. Kinda cool. But since the mash was some 50% of the fermentables,it was plenty for hop additions. But for my extracts,about 1/4 is about right. It seems the lighter wort makes for good hop utilization in partial boils.
I never saw a milk jug that small. Kinda cool. But since the mash was some 50% of the fermentables,it was plenty for hop additions. But for my extracts,about 1/4 is about right. It seems the lighter wort makes for good hop utilization in partial boils.dadshomebrewing
Well-Known Member
I recently learned the trick of adding only half the dme at the beginning of the boil, and the rest at flameout (in this forum in fact).
Makes a huge difference.
Makes a huge difference.
cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
..........Adding crystal over say 20L, which is perfectly OK for an american IPA (essential if you asked me) will end up with an amber brew.
Tastes OK?
THEN WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Tastes OK?
THEN WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
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