NEIPA Color and Extract Recipe

[Architect-Dave]

So, I had scored an IPA bundle from Northern Brewer. It was 3 extract recipes. Unfortunately, the recipe kits were made with LME (i am thinking darker / gray colored NEIPA). I had DME on hand that I substituted. Here is the recipe (5 gallons of beer - kegged)

1 pound Flaked Oats (steeped at 155 degrees for 30 minutes)
6 pounds Pilsen Light DME (boiled for 20 minutes)
1 pound Bavarian Wheat DME (boiled for 20 minutes)
2 oz. Mosaic (last 5 minutes)
1 oz. Citra (last 5 minutes)
2 oz. Mosaic (dry hop for 5 days)
2 oz. Citra (dry hop for 5 days)
1 pack Lallemand New England dry yeast
2 vials of Brewzyme-D (one at yeast pitching and one at dry hopping)

Fermented at 70 (plus/minus) for 14 days, dry hop for 5 (in primary) and transferred to purged Corny keg and pressurized w/ 12 psi for one week)

The beer came out great! But, I wanted to know if there was a steeping grain that I could add that would improve the color to be more of that ‘orange’ color associated with most NEIPA. I do think the color is good, but could it be better?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Adding food coloring to beer [...]? (topic here at HomeBrewTalk)?

 

[Architect-Dave]

Adding food coloring to beer [...]? (topic here at HomeBrewTalk)?

Nope…looking for the adjunct grain option.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Nope…looking for the adjunct grain option.

My thought is to use food coloring to see if it's possible to get to the orange color you are looking for. Food coloring is tasteless - no need to taste the beer - just observe the color.

Assuming it's possible, the next step would be to find a set of grains that, when steeped/mashed/whatevered and then blended into the keg, could produce that color in the final beer. Concentrating the color, without adding flavor, may be the problem.

FWIW, Sinamar is a product that is used to adjust beer color late in the brewing process. I have no experience with the product, so I won't opine on its usefulness in this situation.