To my eye, anything over 30 SRM is just black. 40, 50, 60 SRM... all still black. I notice different categories of Porters and Stouts have an SRM cap.. somewhere between 40 and 60 SRM.... can anyone explain the difference between 40 and 60 SRM? one is black, and the other is, well, black. What else? How can one judge "too black", in terms of meeting style requirements? Is it that color implies a flavor component (stoutness)? How much is too much to YOUR taste?
How black is too black?
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I can't answer in terms of style requirements, but I think in terms of differentiating "black" from "blacker", try holding it up to a really bright light. If that doesn't work, try a thinner glass.
I have compared commercial brews where both appeared black under normal conditions, but if you held one of them up to a light bulb you could see a bit of amber showing through, while the other stayed black as night.
I have compared commercial brews where both appeared black under normal conditions, but if you held one of them up to a light bulb you could see a bit of amber showing through, while the other stayed black as night.
phidelt1499
Well-Known Member
I made a coffee stout once and had my grains crushed in-store at the lhbs. I didn't realize at first, but they added everything together so I had a full pound of black patent instead of 8 oz for a 5 gal batch.
This stuff is so dark, I can't even see a flashlight through a full pint glass of it. Tastes great though, I don't know if that extra 8 oz of patent adds too much in the way of flavor, just color. I might have to brew it again with the correct amount and compare, but I digress...
This stuff is so dark, I can't even see a flashlight through a full pint glass of it. Tastes great though, I don't know if that extra 8 oz of patent adds too much in the way of flavor, just color. I might have to brew it again with the correct amount and compare, but I digress...
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
Too Black:
amb1935
Active Member
JonM said:
The Office?
Epic. Fail.
tonyolympia
Well-Known Member
JonM said:
Spinal Tap.
strat_thru_marshall
Well-Known Member
its a pastel black...
http://www.bjcp.org/colorguide.php
From the BJCP color guide:
"Instructions for Use
Measure a sample of beer in a clear glass or hard plastic cup with a path of 5cm (use the bottom edge of the guide as a measure). If the glass is not 5cm wide, pour a depth of 5cm and look down through the beer.
Use a pure white sheet of paper or white tablecloth as a background.
Use a natural light source or artificial light approximating sunlight. Do not use a flashlight to provide extra light. The guide and the beer must be viewed using the same light source. Avoid casting shadows with your body or the beer glass.
Look through the beer at the white background.
Place the BJCP Color Guide next to the beer so that the beer (as viewed with the white background) and the guide can be seen together. Compare the colors and find the closest match. An exact match is unlikely, so look for the closest lightness/darkness match rather than attempting to match hue. If the sample is in between two color patches, interpolate."
From the BJCP color guide:
"Instructions for Use
Measure a sample of beer in a clear glass or hard plastic cup with a path of 5cm (use the bottom edge of the guide as a measure). If the glass is not 5cm wide, pour a depth of 5cm and look down through the beer.
Use a pure white sheet of paper or white tablecloth as a background.
Use a natural light source or artificial light approximating sunlight. Do not use a flashlight to provide extra light. The guide and the beer must be viewed using the same light source. Avoid casting shadows with your body or the beer glass.
Look through the beer at the white background.
Place the BJCP Color Guide next to the beer so that the beer (as viewed with the white background) and the guide can be seen together. Compare the colors and find the closest match. An exact match is unlikely, so look for the closest lightness/darkness match rather than attempting to match hue. If the sample is in between two color patches, interpolate."
Dude, I was so thinking this, just 5.5 hours too late. An all time favorite movie of mine. I'm thinking of creating a "St. Hubbins Black IPA" now.
remilard
Well-Known Member
Not all 40 SRM beers look the same and not all 60 SRM beers look the same. All 60 SRM beers absorb 50% more 430 nanometer light than all 40 SRM beers though. So that's the one difference we can identify in general.
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