Amber not so amber

My alter ego, the non AG guy with 3 kids and no time, who has recently started using extract again is baffled.

(5 gallons)
3 lbs amber DME
2 lbs 2 row pale
1 lb crystal 60L
1 lb crystal 40L
1 lb brown sugar

hops
yeast

Kegged.

This brew is a paaaaaale amber.

I can't stress pale enough.

I remember brewing this years ago before I started brewing AG, and having DISTINCT caramel notes and a rich brown color.

Am I smoking crack?

Very little caramel flavor.

Not what I would describe as amber.

You sure you got amber DME? You should have a SRM of 13... sounds like you either did not get 40 and 60 or that the DME was light.

I KNOW!!!!!!!

WTF????

It is about the color of the upland double dragonfly iipa I just had. An admittedly malty IIPA, but hardly amber.

Wierd......maybe my crush was off. But forget the grain, shouldn't the DME make it brown?

Oh well, SWMBO likes it, and it was cheap and easy.

3# Amber DME in 5gal I believe is about a 3-4. The 40L and 60L are what would give the most colour change. Were the grains already crushed by your LHBS or did you crush them?

cheezydemon3 said:

I KNOW!!!!!!!

WTF????

It is about the color of the upland double dragonfly iipa I just had. An admittedly malty IIPA, but hardly amber.

Wierd......maybe my crush was off. But forget the grain, shouldn't the DME make it brown?

Oh well, SWMBO likes it, and it was cheap and easy.

Click to expand...

3lbs of amber DME would produce roughly 6 SRM. So either your grains were not properly crushed (more likely), or you used extra light DME.

I crushed the grains.
Maybe there is something off there, although nothing has changed to my knowledge.