Where did all this color come from?

[dooman333]

-Big beer
-Double IPA
-Went with a somewhat "hazy" idea
Needed .25lb sugar to hit pre boil grav
60 minute boil
All late additions

Grain bill...
75% 2Row
10% Oat
10% Wheat
5% Rice Hulls

Dry hopped the socks off it.
Pitched a boat load of "Dry Hop" yeast by Imperial
Beer turned out killer. Just wasn't expecting it to be as dark as it was.
Neither was Beer Smith. Estimated SRM at 3.5

 

[jturman35]

Good looking beer! Almost looks like a red or amber. I’m a newbie brewer but have found from my experience BS is off when it comes to color. I’d estimate the beer your holding 10-15srm if you made me guess the color. Curious myself where the color came from? Maybe the HB added something else by mistake?

 

[homebrewer_99]

I would say it came from the boil...carmelization?

 

[Transamguy77]

From what I remember 2 row has a bit of color to it, not sure how many lbs of it you used bit that might be all it is.

 

[day_trippr]

For one example, Briess 2-row ranges around 1.8-2L. I don't think 100% of it would account for that color.
Unless a really long hard boil was involved, I'd look at post-fermentation process...

Cheers!

 

[SanPancho]

Oxidation, high ph, or mix up with grain bill are typical suspects

 

[ESBrewer]

Boil (especially high pH during the boil may increase maillard reactions). Did you check the pH preboil and did you adjust water / mash pH? Is your wheat pale wheat or something darker? Or something else got mixed with the grain. Oxidation could be one thing, too. But if it is tasty it is probably not just oxidation.

Although pictures can be misleading, it looks a lot like my esb with pale ale malt, 6% medium crystal and 0,25% chocolate for color.

 

[50calshooter]

Your 1/4 of sugar caramelized.

 

[thehaze]

That looks more like a 6 towards 7 SRM judging by the colour. Oats + wheat and 2-row will not make it darker than 4 SRM.

 

[dooman333]

I would say it came from the boil...carmelization?

This is where I was leaning. Do a 30 min boil next time?

 

[dooman333]

From what I remember 2 row has a bit of color to it, not sure how many lbs of it you used bit that might be all it is.

11 gal batch
30lbs 2 row
4lbs oats
4lbs wheat
2lbs rice hulls

Maybe just the nature of the beast at this point hey?

 

[dooman333]

For one example, Briess 2-row ranges around 1.8-2L. I don't think 100% of it would account for that color.
Unless a really long hard boil was involved, I'd look at post-fermentation process...

Cheers!

Hard to tell when its in such a large vessel but I think the color came pre ferm. But I am curious... What do you mean by post ferm process?

 

[day_trippr]

The handling of the fermented wort all the way through packaging. Oxygen exposure throughout that period can readily darken a beer, possibly more so with higher hopped recipes...

Cheers!

 

[Coffeeturnal]

I'm going to suggest that it's likely oxidation. I currently have a saison that should be extremely light colored (all pilsen and white wheat) but looks similar to yours. I know that I made some mistakes and it got very oxidized. For me, that happened when I roused the yeast by swirling the fermenter not thinking about that I probably lost most of my CO2 layer when I just opened the bucket to take a hydrometer sample.

I dunno, I'd be thinking about your process to see if there were any times that oxidation could have happened.

 

[dooman333]

Thanks guys.

 

[bucketnative]

Who picked your grains from inventory and milled them? Any chance they goofed and added something that shouldn't have been there?

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

I am +1'ing everything to do with oxidation. You mentioned that you dry hopped the heck out of this beer. At what point of fermentation did you dry hop? Did you purge anything with CO2 while dry hopping? Was it dark like that when you first dry hopped? Did it look dark going into the bottle? or did you keg?

 

[bleme]

Your 1/4 of sugar caramelized.

When you cleaned your kettle, was there a scorch mark on the bottom?

 

[dooman333]

Who picked your grains from inventory and milled them? Any chance they goofed and added something that shouldn't have been there?

2row from a sack (i crushed) and the oats/wheat are pretty distinguishable. I would assume i'm good there.

 

[dooman333]

When you cleaned your kettle, was there a scorch mark on the bottom?

No but this brings up another good reason. My RIMS tube. It's a lower power element compared to the BK but it does have some "caramelization" look to it. I might need to address this

 

[dooman333]

I am +1'ing everything to do with oxidation. You mentioned that you dry hopped the heck out of this beer. At what point of fermentation did you dry hop? Did you purge anything with CO2 while dry hopping? Was it dark like that when you first dry hopped? Did it look dark going into the bottle? or did you keg?

I feel like the color came pre ferm but youre right... Don't have a nice ferm setup yet.. Just carboys, no C02 purging, multiple dry hops. etc etc

 

[kevink]

Did you use pellet or whole leaf hops?

 

[dooman333]

Did you use pellet or whole leaf hops?

pellet. some of that cryo pellet too

 

[ESBrewer]

This is where I was leaning. Do a 30 min boil next time?

When did you add the sugar? I would check the preboil pH (should be <pH6) and add sugar at the end of the boil If necessary. This way 60min boil should be no problem, people are doing it all the time without color problems.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I would say it came from the boil...carmelization?

This was my first thought, as well.

 

[MrPowers]

I feel like the color came pre ferm but youre right... Don't have a nice ferm setup yet.. Just carboys, no C02 purging, multiple dry hops. etc etc

It's almost definitely oxidation. Opening the carboy multiple times to dry hop without purging almost guarantees oxidation, especially in a style that is already hypersensitive to it.

 

[Morrey]

Oxidation is definitely a demon to battle, and pretty soon a wet dog taste will rear its ugly head. Drink up quickly my friend!

 

[kevink]

Oxidation is definitely a demon to battle, and pretty soon a wet dog taste will rear its ugly head. Drink up quickly my friend!

I don't know... the awful oxidized taste usually comes long before a beer looks that disgusting. I'm amazed it's drinkable at all looking like that (no offense OP).

 

[MrPowers]

I don't know... the awful oxidized taste usually comes long before a beer looks that disgusting. I'm amazed it's drinkable at all looking like that (no offense OP).

Generally yes, but in my experience, it seems with the NEIPA style the color darkening occurs before the flavor dropoff. Why that is, I don't know.

In my NEIPA's, the color darkening corresponds to a muting of hop aroma and an increase in candy like sweet flavors.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

This is just my opinion, but I think that Occam's' Razor is taking quite a beating on this thread.

Sugar was added to pre-boil. Marshmallows are made out of sugar. What happens to a marshmallow when it gets a bunch of prolonged heat on it? One effect of the Milliard Reaction is browning; another is an enhanced, good taste. Add in a possible pH-induced booster to the Milliard reaction, and....

The beer looks great and tastes great; it simply isn't want you expected. My suggestion is to enjoy it ~

 

[Brettomomyces]

this is from Tonsmeire's twitter feed, I would have posted one of mine but I think I cleared it off my phone. the glass on the right was left out 24 hours, left is a fresh pour. Oxygen is a beast

 

[dooman333]

When did you add the sugar? I would check the preboil pH (should be <pH6) and add sugar at the end of the boil If necessary. This way 60min boil should be no problem, people are doing it all the time without color problems.

Sugar right at the end of boil. PH was 5.8. I'm starting to think my RIMS tube is to blame. Might have caramelized a bit during recirc?

 

[dooman333]

I don't know... the awful oxidized taste usually comes long before a beer looks that disgusting. I'm amazed it's drinkable at all looking like that (no offense OP).

Damn Gina. Disgusting? LOL No joke this beer was unreal. Like a 10%abv Todd the Axeman. If oxidation is that much of a game changer I'm thinking this wasn't my issue.

 

[dooman333]

this is from Tonsmeire's twitter feed, I would have posted one of mine but I think I cleared it off my phone. the glass on the right was left out 24 hours, left is a fresh pour. Oxygen is a beast

Woah. This is good to know.