Clone kit issue-Ale too light

[RMFT]

First, I'm definitely a "rookie" having now made only 6 AG batches, one of which is just bottled and another in the fermenter.

Recently brewed a "Strong Ale" with a clone kit from one of the online suppliers. The actual (commercial) beer is almost cola colored. My version is amber and tastes sort of like a wheat beer. Does this make any sense?

 

[maida7]

If you want it darker you should add more dark malts or adjust your process to add color.

What kind of wheat beer does it taste like? What is the beer your trying to clone? Who did you get the kit from? What strain of yeast did you use?

 

[kanzimonson]

While I've never ordered a clone kit, I've always been under the impression that most are not intended to be 100% clones of the original. Sometimes they're laughably incorrect.

 

[RMFT]

Since it was a kit I didn't change the grain ratios. It was supposed to be a Hobgoblin clone. The yeast was White Labs WPL005. I just wondered if I could have somehow screwed something up which would make it lighter in color and sweeter than it was meant to be, or if indeed the recipe was not really correct. I've so far made two clone batches which are ready to drink where I specified the grain bill; they have both turned out well.

 

[kanzimonson]

Has your beer finished fermenting yet?

I made an oatmeal stout a little while back and at pitching time I was worried it was only going to be a brown ale... turns out the trub and yeast was clouding everything up so much that it was almost tan in color. When I kegged it, it was jet black.

 

[RMFT]

It's in the bottle. It's not actually bad, just not my taste. My wife likes it far better than the IPAs I prefer. I guess I'm mostly concerned I may have done something wrong but I gather homebrews are more likely to turn out darker than expected rather than lighter.

 

[kanzimonson]

There are a lot of stupid things homebrewers can do to ruin their beer, but missing the color is probably not your fault. Who knows what the problem could be? Somebody messed up the kit when they were selecting grains? You'll never know.

And that's why I don't make any recipe without selecting the grains myself.

 

[maida7]

Hobgoblin is not a strong ale. It's more of an English bitter or a brown ale. But it's fairly strong for an English beer which could lead to the confusion.

Yeah it should be a reddish dark color. Perhaps adding a touch of roasted barley or black patent will get you the color your looking for.

wlp005 is an appropriate yeast. If it fermented hot you will get some big esters like banana and bubble gum. How exactly does it "taste like a wheat beer"? What does that mean?

 

[RMFT]

Maybe the "wheat beer" reference is inaccurate. It is sweeter than it should be and possible overly carbonated. My wife and I visited the UK last year and I had quite a few pints of Hobgoblin so I am pretty familiar. I also did a side by side comparison with a commercial bottle.

It was fermented in the 70-72 degree range.

I do think in the future I'll always order grains directly to eliminate one variable.

By the way maida7, I see you're from Asheville. We took an anniversary trip there this summer which included a brewery tour; you are definitely in beer heaven.