? on why my wheat turns out so dark!!!

[Wheatmeister]

Got a question that's really frustrating me. Why the heck is my wheat turning out so dark??? WAAAYYY darker than i was hoping for.

I used 6lbs of liquid wheat extract, steeped 8oz of carapils pre boil....but the grains were very light. It's gotta be the wheat LME.

Will Wheat DME turn out lighter? how about adding the LME/DME at 25%, boiling for 45 mins then adding the rest for the final 15mins?

Suggestions? please help!!!

 

[motobrewer]

research late-extract boiling.

or, just add your extract at 15 min left in the boil.

 

[Wheatmeister]

thanks man. My Valencia wheat looks like a Brown Ale.

Will DME or LME make a difference?

 

[lostboysbrew]

LME usually always will create a darker beer. Even with a light extract, dry or liquid, itll be darker. Its all part of being an extract brew. If it tastes great, who cares how dark it is

 

[motobrewer]

donno, never used LME.

also - you are removing the pot from the burner when you add, right? cause that stuff will burn in an instant. make sure you remove it from the burner and stir really really well before putting the pot back on.

according to briess a 1.050 beer should be at 5* lovibond if using pure bavarian wheat extract, which should be fairly light.

valencia...did you follow the "blood orange hefe" recipe? cause my buddy did that recently and it ended up pretty light. really make sure you aren't scorching the extract.

 

[Wheatmeister]

donno, never used LME.

also - you are removing the pot from the burner when you add, right? cause that stuff will burn in an instant. make sure you remove it from the burner and stir really really well before putting the pot back on.

according to briess a 1.050 beer should be at 5* lovibond if using pure bavarian wheat extract, which should be fairly light.

valencia...did you follow the "blood orange hefe" recipe? cause my buddy did that recently and it ended up pretty light. really make sure you aren't scorching the extract.

I remove the flame when i mix in the LME, then boiled for 60. Pretty sure there was no scorching as i stirred it well with no scorching on the bottom of the pot.

And yes, it was the blood orange hefe recipe...had to substitute as blood oranges won't be around for awhile in Ohio. Smells absolutely great honestly, just bottled last night - looking forward to drinking one in a few days.

Just kinda disappointed with how dark it is...was going for that typical light wheat hazy color. As long as it tastes great no problem, but something i want to work on correcting in the future..

 

[motobrewer]

well then i'd definitely try late-extract brewing. basically just add all extract at 15min.

but you'll have to adjust your hopping rates.

yeah my buddy brewed that earlier in the year, it was great. i had one about a week ago and was better

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Silly question. Is your color judgement based on what you see ina hydrometer or in the fermenter? And, is this your first few batches?

I ask because the color of a beer in the fermenter can be very misleadingly dark. Once that same beer clears a bit and is in a glass the color brightens up signifigantly.

 

[Wheatmeister]

2 other ?'s if you guys don't mind.

Im about to get set up to brew All grain, based on what i've read this will give me much more control over the grains and other variables. Will I be able to achieve my desired color with All grain easier than exctract brewing? Also, do you believe the final product is noticably better Allgrain v extract brewing?

My brews so far have all had a similar "hombrewy" flavor that's hard to describe, wierd thing is it's similar in all my batches whicha have been drastically different. I've done a Honey wheat, a Pumking clone, a Xmas ale, and now Valencia wheat.....and somehow they all have a common characteristic i can only describe as a homebrewy flavor...it's really not a great flavor either honestly, one i'd like to eliminate. It's almost a caramilzed flavor that leads me to beleive the extract has been carmalizing with my extract brewing..

Anyone else notice this early in their brewing career?

Thanks for any suggestions/help...

 

[Wheatmeister]

Silly question. Is your color judgement based on what you see ina hydrometer or in the fermenter? And, is this your first few batches?

I ask because the color of a beer in the fermenter can be very misleadingly dark. Once that same beer clears a bit and is in a glass the color brightens up signifigantly.

I bottled last night, hydrometer. I hope you're right and it'll lighten up a bit, and yes this is my 4th batch of brew..

 

[motobrewer]

i made about 3 extract batches before going all-grain.

noticeably better? not really. i've made some good beers and some bad beers. it seems like a simple process, but it's difficult to master the nuances. also, adding 3 hours to the brewday is a lot of work.

if you decide to make the jump, don't skimp on equipment. 10 gal mash tun and 15 gal boil kettle. anything less and its just not worth it. if you want my opinion, i'd screw around with extract a bit more.

efficiency, water, mash schedule, sparging, grain bill....

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

The "homebrew" character is usually a result of the extract and age. Which will go away if you choose the al-grain route. As to the quality of your AG beers will depend only on you and your mastery of techniques. Color is easier to control with AG because you are not limited by the quality and age of the syrup in the can.