Dark Wort

[Brewer #447148]

I just signed up, I know this may be a common topic but I just started my second brewing session, first time I got an IPA kit as a gift with LME. Followed instructions ,surprisingly beer turned out good which motivated me to keep going, however was nowhere close to an IPA more like a balanced stout.
Now after boiling my second batch and reading up a bit more, I now used both Pilsner LME and DME, but wort still turned darker than it should.’
Should I get rid of LME completely, does it make a huge difference if I add LME at the end only? It’s suprising I had to dig this out on my own since I bought supplies from local store, no one bothered to emphasize that boiling LME for 45 min with hops leads to caramelization.
Did you guys brew with DME only and got great results?
I just want to brew a normal IPA with light amber or pale straw color then go from there experimenting.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

I started out as an extract brewer, but now I'm "all grain, all the time". That makes me an all grain snob I guess!

So I will give you my two cents. LME needs to be fresh, as it get old it can oxidize and turns to a darker color. Boiling does add some color, but it really doesn't impact the flavor too much.

If I were still an extract brewer, I would focus on DME. The other thing I would do is to dump the kits and build my own beers. Recipe formulation is not that hard and is often the best part of brewing. You can use the calculator on this website to get your numbers right.

I built up a pale ale recipe, it took less than 5 minutes and I listed it below. It's a really simple recipe, no dry hop, no steeping grains and no whirlpool, dry yeast (just drop the yeast into the beer, way easier than liquid with great results). The beauty of home brewing is that you have the beer super fresh, especially pale ales and IPA's.

Feel free to copy/download the recipe, play with it, change it or whatever. If you brew the recipe as is, the beer will be clean, dry and very hoppy. Likely better and fresher than any beer you could buy.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1533599/test-pale-ale

 

[Megary]

I agree with @HighVoltageMan! , but I'm also a little confused by your post. Are you saying your first beer was supposed to be around 10 SRM and came out looking like a Stout?? If so, there is no way that can happen with LME or DME unless you didn't mix the extract well enough and some of the extract burnt on the bottom of the kettle, which might also lead to "roasty" flavors reminiscent of a Stout.

Very old LME may be darker than what is listed on the can, but maybe only a couple of color points.

 

[west1m]

I agree with @HighVoltageMan! , but I'm also a little confused by your post. Are you saying your first beer was supposed to be around 10 SRM and came out looking like a Stout?? If so, there is no way that can happen with LME or DME unless you didn't mix the extract well enough and some of the extract burnt on the bottom of the kettle, which might also lead to "roasty" flavors reminiscent of a Stout.

Very old LME may be darker than what is listed on the can, but maybe only a couple of color points.

View attachment 31146

Do you spinn that to see what kind of beer to make next?

 

[Steve Ruch]

Dme is the better choice for extract brewing.

 

[Herm brews]

I agree with @HighVoltageMan! , but I'm also a little confused by your post. Are you saying your first beer was supposed to be around 10 SRM and came out looking like a Stout?? If so, there is no way that can happen with LME or DME unless you didn't mix the extract well enough and some of the extract burnt on the bottom of the kettle, which might also lead to "roasty" flavors reminiscent of a Stout.

Very old LME may be darker than what is listed on the can, but maybe only a couple of color points.

View attachment 31146

I showed your picture to my wife, now she wants to paint our bricks like those in your picture. Is that an exterior wall? We have bricks both in and out at our house.
Great display of the brewing color wheel, just like the one on our fridge.

 

[Brewer #447148]

I started out as an extract brewer, but now I'm "all grain, all the time". That makes me an all grain snob I guess!

So I will give you my two cents. LME needs to be fresh, as it get old it can oxidize and turns to a darker color. Boiling does add some color, but it really doesn't impact the flavor too much.

If I were still an extract brewer, I would focus on DME. The other thing I would do is to dump the kits and build my own beers. Recipe formulation is not that hard and is often the best part of brewing. You can use the calculator on this website to get your numbers right.

I built up a pale ale recipe, it took less than 5 minutes and I listed it below. It's a really simple recipe, no dry hop, no steeping grains and no whirlpool, dry yeast (just drop the yeast into the beer, way easier than liquid with great results). The beauty of home brewing is that you have the beer super fresh, especially pale ales and IPA's.

Feel free to copy/download the recipe, play with it, change it or whatever. If you brew the recipe as is, the beer will be clean, dry and very hoppy. Likely better and fresher than any beer you could buy.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1533599/test-pale-ale

Ok, thank you for the input, I’ll give it a shot and try this recipe, much appreciated.

 

[Megary]

I showed your picture to my wife, now she wants to paint our bricks like those in your picture. Is that an exterior wall? We have bricks both in and out at our house.
Great display of the brewing color wheel, just like the one on our fridge.

No idea. I stole that picture off the web someplace.

 

[NorthCoastBrewer]

There's some additional information over in AHA forums (link).

Dme is the better choice for extract brewing.

Not always.

 

[Donoroto]

I showed your picture to my wife, now she wants to paint our bricks like those in your picture. Is that an exterior wall? We have bricks both in and out at our house.
Great display of the brewing color wheel, just like the one on our fridge.

Pro Tip: paint the bricks with clear matte polyurethane first. Makes it easier to get any paint off in the future. Never know if you want the brick color back. Cheap and effective.

 

[Sandy Feet]

Home improvement, cooking, music,. and brewing... great forum lol