Is my wort ruined? First ag.

I am currently lautering through my cooler tun and the wort is deep brown. I thought it was meant to be clearer. Maybe my manifold didn't sieve enough. What do you think?

Yup dump it out... No seriously man your making beer it hopefully is the color you intended. Now if you are brewing a pale ale an it's dark as he'll then yeh you got issues but if it is just hazy relax dont worry have a homebrew

Unfortunately i am making a pale ale. Cheers though I'll see how it goes and start drinking heavily now.

did the shop you buy your grains from screw up your grainbill?

That Sucks. It may settle out in the fermenter, never know. If not, claim it was an Amber Ale. If it taste horrible after carbonating, either then dump it out or bottle it and wait a year.

If you are just running it for the first time you need to draw off a quart or two and slowly pour it back into the mash tun. As you remove liquid the grain bed settles and filters the wort. You'll see the difference. Also, as you sparge you'll be adding lighter and lighter colored wort which will lighten your wort. If it's still dark you most likely get some incorrect grains. Roll with it. You might like it better this way.

Definitely stick with it. Could be great tasting!

how that is possible? did you have black or brown grains in there?

Might be on your way to your signature brew! (Mr. Brightside)

Thanks guys, we shall see what the mysterious brown/ pale ale tastes like.

If this wort is short on volume wouldn't adding more water lighten the color? So it could depend on how much wort wa obtained from the grain bill.

wetzie said:

If this wort is short on volume wouldn't adding more water lighten the color? So it could depend on how much wort wa obtained from the grain bill.

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But you don't wanna water down an average gravity good beer just because the color is off

Volume was low, gravity 1.042. Added a little water but not much as a compromise.

How does it look in the fermenter? Or in the hydrometer tube? I know my light-SRM beers are dark as heck in the kettle and fermenter, but are nice and pale in the tube.

You need to post your recipe.

Other factors, first runnings will always be darker. And - beers get lighter during fermentation. And - beer always looks darker when you're looking at 5 gallons than it does in a glass.

keeping making the beer it will turn out ok.... in my opinion the wort is allways darker till you put it in a pint glass,, even in a fermentor it is darker... good luck i am sure it will be fine... post of the recipe... and as doc said the first runnings will be daker.

Apa,
4.55kg jwm traditional ale malt colour 8
0.15kg jwm crystal 140 colour 194
0.15 kg jwm caramalt colour 74


31grams northern brewer
40grams amarillo gold

So, the metric conversions on your grain bill:
10lbs I assume 2-row
.3lbs. xtal 140
.3lbs cara

The crystal is definitely the culprit, though settling and fermenting (and then pouring into a glass) will lighten it some.
As an example of my pale ale bill:
8lbs 2-row
2lbs toasted 2-row (toasted in my oven)
.5lb xtal 60
.5lbs flaked wheat.

Turned out around SNPA color, and a BeerSmith estimate of 7.3. The point I'm digging at is, crystal malt and dark malts like black barley will change your final color with very, very little percent of the total bill. It's quite cool, actually. In the long run, drink it and pretend it's supposed to be a little darker than a pale ale. I don't think, though, that it'll be all that dark. Kyle

It's a Not So Pale Ale.

Crystal 140??

UHmmmm... Thats pretty dark..

If you are batch sparging your first runnings are going to be darker than your expected srm. It will even out by the time its all in the kettle.

sudsey said:

I am currently lautering through my cooler tun and the wort is deep brown. I thought it was meant to be clearer. Maybe my manifold didn't sieve enough. What do you think?

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Clarity and color are two entirely different things. I think you mean mash tun, and maybe you mean you manifold didn't filter out as much particulate matter as you intended, but I recommend picking up a basic book such as John Palmer's and read it so people can help you. A problem with your manifold would only result in too much husk in your wort. It would have nothing to do with the SRM.