Color seems off, why?

[Sanktwo]

Background:
new brewer, 6 beers brewed, extract brewing

Brewed a triple and the color was way off, based on the recipe builder I should of had something golden with a SRM 4.86

recipe:

color was more like a dubbel (amberish)

what can cause the color to be so wrong?
I just started a hazy ipa which is in the fermenter right now and the color looks like that's going to be off as well (darker than it should be).

 

[White Haus Brews]

My first suspect would be the extract, particularly LME. Even the lightest ones seem to come out darker than they "should." Also the haziness of them can make them appear darker too. You can make some great beer from extracts, it's just hard to make a light one. Cheers!

 

[Sanktwo]

My first suspect would be the extract, particularly LME. Even the lightest ones seem to come out darker than they "should." Also the haziness of them can make them appear darker too. You can make some great beer from extracts, it's just hard to make a light one. Cheers!

that was my original thought as well, the LME appears dark in the bottle, darker then the DME in the package even though it both pilsen, I just figured that would fade out, but I guess not.

being fairly new to brewing thought I'd ask the more experienced, thanks

 

[J A]

Yes, that^^^. Extract is almost always several points darker. Holding LME until late in the boil can help. Also, if you plugged in a generic Munich, the Lovibond number in the drop-down selection may be lighter than the stuff you actually used. Check with the supplier and get the actual stats on the malt you used. You may find that the maltster lists a rage that goes higher so that you could have used something closer to 15 or even darker.
It's not a bad looking beer though.

 

[Nosybear]

Also, if the extract were old, it browns over time. Still, doesn't look bad.

 

[Sanktwo]

Yes, that^^^. Extract is almost always several points darker. Holding LME until late in the boil can help. Also, if you plugged in a generic Munich, the Lovibond number in the drop-down selection may be lighter than the stuff you actually used. Check with the supplier and get the actual stats on the malt you used. You may find that the maltster lists a rage that goes higher so that you could have used something closer to 15 or even darker.
It's not a bad looking beer though.

good point, i will learn to check that stuff from now on

 

[Sanktwo]

Also, if the extract were old, it browns over time. Still, doesn't look bad.

it's not bad, the Azacca really throws it for a fruity nose and flavor. i was hoping for a little more yeasty flavor. But i was eager to try the Azacca to experiment and add my own touch to it. I think that's the best part of home brewing, experimenting with different ingredients and still getting something drinkable.

 

[Nosybear]

It seems the consensus is that your LME provided that extra bit of color. The biggest problem with LME is that even at room temperature, it browns over time, just like bread crust or cookies. If color is a big concern for you, try using DME next batch.