Lager Color

[stldrum]

This may seem like a stupid question but:

I made a lager from a recipe that called for 3.3 light LME, 1 lb Rice syrup and 1lb honey plus hops and irish moss.

The color is pretty dark - maybe more like a bitters or ale. I already see the irish moss pulling a lot of crud down to the bottom but will the color ever get more golden?

What is a typical golden lager or pilsner ingredients to make it more golden in the primary?

 

[2nd Street Brewery]

While I'm not sure about what color rice syrup adds(never used it) I would say the LME is the cause. LME temds to darken beer more than DME. I Make an American lager using 5.25lbs XL-DME along with 6-8 oz of corn sugar. I use about 4 to 6 oz of steeped crystal(2 deg L) and mine comes out very close to the style color. I 'm at work so I don't have a pix to post.

 

[AHammer16]

Is it in a carboy? I will look very dark in the carboy because of all the liquid you are looking through. I sould be much lighter in the glass.

 

[AHammer16]

While I'm not sure about what color rice syrup adds(never used it) I would say the LME is the cause. LME temds to darken beer more than DME. I Make an American lager using 5.25lbs XL-DME along with 6-8 oz of corn sugar. I use about 4 to 6 oz of steeped crystal(2 deg L) and mine comes out very close to the style color. I 'm at work so I don't have a pix to post.

Hey 2nd stret could you post the recipie for that one? Im looking for a session beer to have in my keggerator at all times and that sounds interesting.

 

[davy]

what size is your batch? What size was your boil? Are you boiling 3-4 gallons and topping off in fermenter or are you boiling larger batches. If you are making 5gallon batches but starting with less than 6 gallons you are going get alot of darkening from a concentrated wort mixture. As you are aware when you boil for an hour you lose a lot of water from your mixture. Thus concentrating the sugary solution in that heat will cause the darkening and carmelizing.

 

[stldrum]

You hit it exactly. 5 gal batch but 2.5 gal boil for one hour.

Thanks!

 

[davy]

Are you using a propane burner or stovetop.

 

[stldrum]

Usind the stovetop

 

[davy]

This is just a suggestion but you should consider changing to a propane burner/turkey fryer. It will let you do a full wort boil 5-6 gallons and get a better boil and thus better hotbreak. Propane is not too expensive either and actually less messy since you will be outside. If you plan to eventually move up to All grain brewing you will need one anyway. Anyway just a suggestion but that will help you make a golden color lager rather and a brown lager. And there are no stupid questions.

 

[stldrum]

Thanks for your help. I do want to step up to all grain and will be looking for a 5-6 gal burner in the spring. I know it will make my wife happy to get the smell out of the house. I don't have to worry so much about boil overs then either!!

 

[davy]

There was an article a year or two ago in BYO about doing a split batch boiling two 3 gallon batches seperately of the same wort then combining in the carboy for a total volume of 5 gallons. Can't remember what the article was called but would be worth looking into in the mean time. Keep posted on how the batch turns out.