why are all my white IPA's darker than should be?

[mboardman]

Have brewed several BIAB and extract white IPA kits now and they always turn out a lot darker than any commercial examples of white IPAs....anyone else have that happen? Is it normal? Am I steeping the grains too long or something?

 

[Smellyglove]

Sounds like you're allowing to much oxygen find its way into the finished beer after fermentation. Most often during racking/bottling. Or it might be oxidized extract. Unless, the recipe is supposed to be that way.

 

[xpops]

i'd also vote oxidization causing the darkening. i've never brewed extract, but i was under the impression that they typically end up darker than their "commercial" equivalents?

 

[mirthfuldragon]

The kits should tell you what the expected SRM should be. It may be that your kits are simply darker than commercial examples by design. Or oxidation.

How much darker?

 

[mboardman]

They look like a cloudy dark orange IPA. I was expecting wheat-colored or Wit colors.

I dont think Im allowing too much oxidation, but the dark color sets in during its time in the primary fermentor. Not after.

 

[ZmannR2]

Are you doing a vigorous boil for a full 60? Maybe dial back the heat to a slow rolling boil

When you say BIAB you mean all grain? Give us your grain bill. Should have a lot of flaked wheat

 

[mboardman]

Love2Brew kit:

3lb pilsner malt extract
1lb wheat malt extract
2 lb pilsner malt
2lb white wheat malt
1lb flaked oats

 

[azmark]

With the extract kits, make sure you only boil about 1/3 of the extract for the full boil time. Save the final 2/3s for the final 5 min of the boil.

With the recipe above you might want to mash your grains for a 60min mash, bring to a boil, add 1lb of the pilsner extract, boil for 55 min with the normal hop additions, then add the rest of your extracts. Finish up the boil. After that try to take the oxygen prevention steps mentioned earlier.

 

[aeviaanah]

Google "Maillard reaction"

 

[mboardman]

Ive never thought of holding off until the boil is almost over to add my malt extracts. Can a guy do that? Without screwing up the recipe?

 

[GrogNerd]

Ive never thought of holding off until the boil is almost over to add my malt extracts. Can a guy do that? Without screwing up the recipe?

I do it that way all the time

 

[jpakstis]

How does it look in the glass? I’ve had plenty of batches of light colored beers that look dark in the fermenter because of the volume but when I pour it into a glass it looks the way I wanted it to be.

Also extracts are generally darker than their all grain counterparts. I believe that the cooking down/reduction process darkens it considerably (like the above Maillard reaction comment).

 

[mboardman]

How does it look in the glass? I’ve had plenty of batches of light colored beers that look dark in the fermenter because of the volume but when I pour it into a glass it looks the way I wanted it to be.

Also extracts are generally darker than their all grain counterparts. I believe that the cooking down/reduction process darkens it considerably (like the above Maillard reaction comment).

OK, gotcha on both counts, that makes total sense. I just took a gravity reading sample and it seems normal colored in the glass but we'll see come bottling time. Thanks fellas.

 

[mboardman]

I do it that way all the time

Ive never heard of it before now, yet youve always done it. Can I ask why you began brewing that way? Adding extracts towards the end of the boil?

 

[kh54s10]

Most kit instructions say to add the extract early. That is to make the procedure less complex for beginners. It is a relatively common practice to use 1/4 to 1/2 of the extract at the beginning of the boil to help with hop isomerization, then add the rest at the end to keep the color lighter. I learned about that here on HBT about 6 years 3 months ago. Before my third extract brew.

All extract batches will be a bit darker than their all grain counterparts, due to the process of making the malt extract.

 

[mboardman]

I guess I need to widen my homebrewing circle of friends locally, and on here, so I learn things like this. I just really had no idea. Even the "how to brew" book and companion website didnt elucidate me on that little tip.

On that note, with partial grain biab kits, would it be ok to count on the steeped grains to help with the hop isomerization during the major part of the boil, waiting to add the extract later in the process?

 

[QuadConPana]

Ive never thought of holding off until the boil is almost over to add my malt extracts. Can a guy do that? Without screwing up the recipe?

I also thought that holding off on adding the bulk of the extract to the end, would improve hop utilization.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

+1 for witholding at least half of the extract until the last 5 min of the boil (just to sterilize it) and using a less vigorous boil.

That, and you'll never get as pale a beer with extracts as you can with all-grain. That's not to knock extracts, but just lok at the color of the syrup - it's already dark, even the pale stuff. It's simply not possible to make super pale extract beers that will look like commercial all-grain examples.

 

[GrogNerd]

Ive never heard of it before now, yet youve always done it. Can I ask why you began brewing that way? Adding extracts towards the end of the boil?

On that note, with partial grain biab kits, would it be ok to count on the steeped grains to help with the hop isomerization during the major part of the boil, waiting to add the extract later in the process?

94.7% sure I read it here on HBT

this is how I actually do it. with all extract plus specialty grains, I'll put the specialty grains in a bag, drop it in the pot with the cold strike water, heat it to 150-160°, take out the bag & let it drain, continue heating the water until it boils and then start adding hops according to schedule

at flameout, I'll add ALL my DME (I don't use LME) & stir to dissolve

 

[frozyn]

If you haven't already tried this, pour the beer in different glasses. I have a SMaSH right now that always seems darker than it should be....until I pour it in a thinner glass (usually put it in a teku or something similar). When it goes into any taster glass or a stange, it is a nice light orange.

My next focus on process improvement is less oxygen ingress during bottling which, as others have pointed out, will impact a beer's color.

 

[Smellyglove]

But pouring the beer into thinner bottles is sort of just a band-aid. If the beer is to dark, it's to dark. There shouldn't be any problems brewing a beer which is almost as pale as helles, if the ingredients and process is right, even if it's in a teku.