#1: picture with the lighter color
71.5% 2-row
12.8% white wheat malt
2.6% flaked barley
3.2% C15
3.0% carapils
6.4% table sugar
#2: picture with the darker color
69.2% 2-row
10.6% white wheat malt
7.2% flaked oats
2.2% C15
1.3% carapils
8.9% table sugar
Water profile and mash PH: same
Roughly the same hopping schedule
Boils were same and same length
What could possibly be causing this HUGE color difference? Any guesses? The only thing noticeable is the flaked oats. Could that really drive that much of a difference in color?
But based on your amounts I wouldn’t expect much difference there, if at all. Maybe the Crystal bumped it up more. Did you run these through brewing software? If so, what was estimated SRM for both?
To answer some of the questions:
1. The clarity is roughly the same.
2. According to beersmith, the recipe that turned out lighter showed a 5.5 SRM target and the recipe that turned out darker showed a 5.2 SRM target. Exactly the opposite of what you would expect.
Yeah, my LHBS overall is very good, but a couple times over the years I’ve been given the wrong crystal (before I started buying in bulk). Would make a pretty obvious difference.
Were those pictures taken pre-boil, post-boil or after the fermentation?
By looking at the hydrometer level it appears to be pre or post boil.
There are many combinations of possibilities (some of which may or may not apply):
1.) As color is mostly malt driven there’s a great probability that your malt measurements (weight or type of malt) did not perfectly matching the malt bill. Accidently a tiny bit of some roast malt made it’s way in the mix? From a previously batch some stuck in the mill?
2.) Higher pH, perhaps an inaccurate pH measurement or water salt measurement? Too high a level of some water salt mineral?
3.) Oxygenated too much or too much aeration
4.) Filtering/fining - were both grain beds well established and vorlaufed equally clear? Whirlfloc/Irish moss in both?
5.) More beta-glucans in the wort contributing to an “oily or sticky” denser wort (did you do a protein-rest for the oats?)
6.) Boiling - was the flame hotter on one than the other (more vigorous boil) - caramelization of sugars, did they sink to the bottom, when were they added?
What is the FG of both worts and their color after fermentation?
At any rate, my questions are only hypothetical and the problem domain is too large to narrow down unless you took detailed notes.
These were both taken post-boil and post-chilling.
1. Malts - no problem here and measurements are spot on. I don’t own any roasted malts at the moment. Mill completely clean.
2. PH - PH measurements are accurate.
3. Aeration - No difference in process
4. Filtering/fining - yes grain beds well settled. I do a constant recirc mash with HERMS. Irish moss in both.
5. No protein rest. Only sacc rest at 150F
6. I don’t think this occurred but it’s the only thing that I can think may have affected this unless my LHBS gave me golden oats.
I think I am going to chalk this up to “hmmm, weird”. If it tastes good I’m not going to worry any more about it.
I would assume the carapils/c15 % differences show a bigger color difference than the flaked oats vs barley. FWIW you have beer… so its a good day right?