All my beers are the same color.

[Tiako]

Pretty much no matter what I make they end up being the same color. I use extract kits..

 

[weirdboy]

So, you've made a witbier, and a stout, and they look the same next to each other?

 

[TipsyDragon]

yea I'm with weirdboy. give us some clue what beers you have made. if they are all within the same SMR range of course they are going to look the same. not like the yeast paint little signs on the inside of the bottles telling what kind of beer they made.

 

[Zen_Brew]

I would guess you are making somewhat similiar beer styles. If you made say a basic American Pale Ale and then an American Amber or even a stout you would probably notice more color variation. With similiar recipes all using mainly light DME or LME you will probably end up with a similiar color to them.

Extracts will never yield a very light color. It is just the nature of how they are processed. The only real effect for this is that you can not get a very light colored pale ale or pilsner. It will always be a bit darker than someone who is making the same recipe all grain. This shouldn't have an effect on the flavor though.

 

[Yooper]

Are you using prehopped kits, or liquid extract? What color is the extract to start? Dry extract comes in extra light, light, amber, dark, etc. I always bought extra light, and then used specialty grains for color and flavor. Even then, the extract beers were a bit darker than all grain beer.

If you're buying canned liquid extract, it could be a bit older and that will cause it to darken.

What beers have you made, and what were the ingredients?

 

[Poolplayer]

I use extract kits and I can tell the difference from the Cream Ale, to a nut brown, to the multigrain red, to the Single hop best bitter. They all have discernible characteristics. Waiting for my Bavarian Hefe to get to bottling stage so I can enjoy it's wonderful color in my glass

 

[Brew-Happy]

Just throwing out a guess here, but are you using only Amber LME?

Or maybe Dark LME? or maybe Dark + Amber?

If so, you probably won't see much of a difference in beer color.

 

[Tiako]

I am using kits from the LHBs. I have done all ales and they all come out about the same color..

The one I have in my keg right now is SNPA and it is suppose to be a 4. Looks more like a 5.. I dunno I don't like the look of this beer. Odd color to me.

 

[Yooper]

A 4 or 5 SRM beer would be very light! Are all of your beers that light, then? Or are you talking about a 4 or 5 EBC?

 

[DavidSteel]

If you do grain steeping/use a little specialty grains with the extract, maybe you didn't mash the grains enough?

 

[Austinhomebrew]

What kits are you using? Brewers Best? Coopers? Canned Muntons extract? The extract is the problem so what are you using?

Forrest

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Extracts will never yield a very light color. It is just the nature of how they are processed.

Fortunately this is no longer true. The Pale extract we sell has a lovibond rating of 1. Yes 1. 2-row has a lovibond rating of 1.8. There is no reason you can't make a very light colored beer using extract. There are many pale extracts that are very dark that many homebrew store still sell as pale. Muntons or Alexanders for example.

Forrest

 

[ohrinet]

also, try doing some late malt additions. the longer it is boiling the darker it will become. my pale ales were always amber but i just recently made one that is bmc-light with late malt additions.

 

[Trevor57]

Don't believe people telling you that extract beers can't be light colored. It just isn't true.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Muntons Pale extract is as dark as domestic amber extract. Briess Pilsen extract is extremely light with a lovibiond of 1. I looks like light butterscotch.

Forrest

 

[Zen_Brew]

Fortunately this is no longer true. The Pale extract we sell has a lovibond rating of 1. Yes 1. 2-row has a lovibond rating of 1.8. There is no reason you can't make a very light colored beer using extract. There are many pale extracts that are very dark that many homebrew store still sell as pale. Muntons or Alexanders for example.

Forrest

Good information to know Forrest. I didn't stay with extract very long and went pretty much straight to all grain so I was going off previous conventional wisdom.