First Stout - Lower SRM than it should be?

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emfc

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So I just brewed my first stout; a clone of Rasputin's Imperial Stout. I followed the instructions in BYO to a "T" and the SRM seems way off. Will it get darker? From what I've seen of my other beers they tend to get a little lighter as the haze clears. Did I screw something up?

Thanks!
 
Nope, the reason the lighter beers seem to lighten up as the haze clears is the same reason that darker beers tend to darken up as the haze clears.

You're seeing light bouncing off of the suspended particles more so than the light being filtered by the beer. Both the barley flower and the yeast particles tend to be a light brown color similar to peanut butter, so they make beer appear several shades closer to that then it will after the particles fall.

Once your yeast fall out of suspension (probably after a week or two) you'll have a much better idea of what color the finished brew will be.
 
Whew. That actually makes perfect sense. Thanks! I was getting a little worried because my OG is off more than I have ever been; 1.081 where it should be 1.091. Patience, patience :eek:
 
Color is usually a lot easier to nail than OG.

8oz of Chocolate Malt is going to contribute the same amount of color in a 60% efficient brew as it will in an 80% efficient brew.
 
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