IPA Recipe Requires a Caramel Colorant. OK. Sure. Now, I Use What again?

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zuesy

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Q: What should I use as 'caramel colorant'?

Here's the recipe I'll be using:

British IPA

41% US 6-row
26% UK 2-Row
15% Maris Otter
14.4% Flaked Corn
2.9% White Sugar
.6% Caramel Colorant
50 IBU Goldings @ 90
18 IBU Goldings @ 30
Dry Hop w/ 2 oz Goldings

Mash 1qt/# at 149* for 120 min. Boil 90 min.
Notty @ 65*
 
It has British hops and yeast, but what part of the grain bill would anyone consider British? Looks like an American Lager grain bill. Not saying it is wrong or anything, place would be pretty boring if everyone just brewed to BJCP standards ;-) Just curious where you came up with it?
 
Maris Otter is British. But that much 6-row in an IPA seems unusual (as does the colorant). I'll go even stronger than pkeeler in questioning the recipe.
 
I should've been more clear in my post. It appears that your recipe is calling for caramel color - the stuff OldSock linked. I would substitute Sinamar and use as much as required to get the desired color. It's SUPER dark stuff, so use it sparingly.
 
Look for a product called Sinamar. Austin Homebrew used to sell it. I found it in stock at MoreBeer. A little goes a long way.

We don't and never have sold a caramel colorant. Sinamar is 7000L. Not a good caramel colorant. It is black patent on steroids.

We don't sell Sinamar either.
 
Yes, it is pretty much the same as Sinimar. If you use too much of it (1.5 ounces) you turn a Shiner Blonde into a Shiner Bock.

Where or how old was the recipe that it called for caramel colorant. Or is it colourant?

Forrest
 
It has British hops and yeast, but what part of the grain bill would anyone consider British? Looks like an American Lager grain bill. Not saying it is wrong or anything, place would be pretty boring if everyone just brewed to BJCP standards ;-) Just curious where you came up with it?

This is the 1935 Fuller's OBE from Shut up about Barclay Perkins. I love this website, I've made three or four recipes from it.

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/06/lets-brew-wednesday-fullers-obe.html

Not sure it's really an IPA, but that's the closest category the numbers fit in BeerSmith. Actually, I know it's not an IPA; it's a "Burton" - which although described as a style isn't an official one. So for calculations sake - it's an IPA.

I'm making this this afternoon; I'm going to use candi sugar since I don't have any Crystal on hand. I'll update when it's done.
 
Here the info on sinimar and a link to order it, I had it in my Lion's stout clone, thread.

Since you are making it this afternoon, the point it moot.

SSinamar® is the ideal way to color-correct your lighter beers and to adjust your SRM levels post-fermentation. It is also great for "creative" brewing, and turning a pilsner into a Schwartzbeer, a brown porter into a stout, an IPA into a Black IPA, etc. In order to raise the color of 5 gallons by 6 SRM use 1 ounce of Sinamar.

Sinamar®: Made from Carafa® roasted barley malt and is very dark in color. Extract value is 40-45 Plato°. Sinamar® has been de-bittered through a proprietary processes and does not cause turbidity. It is highly pH-stable and is an all natural product made without any additives.

Note: While Sinamar is primarily used for color correction it also has a slight impact on the beer's flavor profile as well. We recommend sampling for both color and flavor contribution when deciding how much to use in your beer.

It can be bought here, http://morebeer.com/view_product/11337//Sinamar_-_All-Natural_Liquid_Malt_Color_1_oz

There's also "brewer's caramel" http://www.goodlifehomebrew.com/brewers-caramel.php

http://www.caramel.com/EditorUpload/File/EU-brew tips-10-08-2010.pdf


At thsi stage of the game I would make up my own caramel, either straight sugar water boiled til you got the color you wanted, boiled kayro syrup (since it appears brewer's caramel may be that) or a combination of both.
 
I use 8% crystal 20 in my IPA. Adds a little color without being sweet. For a british IPA I would use some crystal 80. Just don't use too much, 5% would be good
 
Brewer's caramel, or any form of caramel color, is very often used in bread making to colour the product without colouring the crust. Since I want to brew a very low gravity mild in the next few weeks, I had to research the topic: just subbing caramel malts or sinamar will impart a taste that was not intended to be in the recipe. A lot of English recipes seem to make heavy use of the ingredient instead of caramel malts, probably because malts are expensive and caramel color is dirt cheap.

I found a recipe for "pumpernickel color" on a message board that seems to be a homemade version of what Brupacks sells in the UK: inverted sugar burnt to hell mixed in with some water to drastically darken the color of bread without imparting a lot of flavour.

"Pumpernickel Color"

3 T sugar
1T water
Pinch cream of tartar
1/4 cup boiling water

"In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt the sugar in the tablespoon of water. Increast the heat to medium-high, cover the pan, bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Add the cream of tartar and continue to boil, uncovered, until the sugar is almost black in color. Remove the pan from the heat. The sugar will continue cook and darken. Allow it to begin to cool. Using extreme care, add the boiling water (the sugar will boil up and may splatter). Stir to disolve, then let cool to room temperature.

Whenever you use pumpernickel color, wet the measuring spoon or cup with cold wter for easier cleanup. Soaking the saucepan and the utensils in hot water will dissolve the caramelized sugar remaining on them."
 
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