Color of wort = color of finished beer?

[Calypso]

I'm new to this and just put my first IPA into primary (extract with some steeped specialty grains). The target color is 9.1 SRM, but the wort is this deep reddish-brown. Will the beer ultimately be lighter in color, or is the color of the wort a good indication of the color of the finished beer?

I read about late extract addition and will try it next time, but it's too late for this one. Did the malt get way too caramelized?

 

[unionrdr]

First off,the volume of wort in the fermenter is greater than in the glass,so it'll look darker. It'll get darker as the trub & yeast settle out as fermentation finishes up. Late extract additions help prevent darkening,particularly with LME. Not to mention better flavor with little or no "twang".

 

[Zepth]

In my experiences the finished beer does turn out lighter than the wort. Being hazy in the beginning also gives the illusion of darkness. It isn't magic, if your wort is black as wearing dual eyepatches at midnight in a cave, it isn't going to be amber when it's done fermenting. If you're looking at reddish brown, you'll likely end up with an amberish red in my experience. Judge not a beer by the colour.

 

[unionrdr]

You basically have to realize how wide the fermenter is when you look through the fermenting wort. Being a foot wide or so gives the illusion of darker color,besides the other aspects of it. By the time you get it into a glass,you'll see what we mean.

 

[Queequeg]

The perceived colour of the finished beer is effected its clarity, the amount of trub in the fermenter and the action of yeast. Different yeast strains will scrub different levels of colour forming compounds, trub can leach colour forming compounds, oxidation can darken compounds in the beer.

There are so many variables regarding colour, but usually it appears palely because the turbidity has dropped and as unionrdr points out the sample size is different.

 

[Calypso]

So, if I'm understanding everyone correctly, the answer is "wait and see".

 

[tkerugger]

Wait and see is always a safe answer around here, and rarely a bad one.

 

[unionrdr]

After brewing a couple batches of various styles,you learn what wort color will generally look like in the glass. Comes with practice.

 

[IronLion409]

Dead Ringer IPA is hands down one of my favorites so far. I've done several extract kits and its always darker than the picture and darker than I would expect it to be but I think its beautiful. Think amber sparks from a camp fire with what I think is an almost florescent light yellow head. I have done late additions but its been pretty consistent. It looks very dark in the carboy but as others have said it looks quite different in glass.

 

[richl025]

Wait and see is always a safe answer around here, and rarely a bad one.

And it is usually accompanied by advice to enjoy a tall cool one, whilst one is waiting