I just brewed a Motueka single hop pale with the following grist. 84% Marris Otter 5% Flaked Oat 5% Flaked Barley 3% Carapils 3% White Wheat And I got great mouthfeel and flavor, but the color seems to be this muddled grey. DId I overdo it on the flakes? Not sure why it looks this way. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Should've added some crystal, C-10, C-15 or C-20, for some color. Around 8-16 oz. SRM is going to be super low with that grist. But if it tastes good, you must have a nice base to start with and you can make little tweaks to get what you actually want.
I personally wouldn't add any crystal to an IPA especially if the base malt is Marris otter. You failed to mentioned the yeast, hop amounts and schedule. As well as your process, such as fermentation temp, length, conditioning, bottled or conditioned? Adding the flakes would add some haze but wouldn't expect it to be that great or muddled. Maybe the wheat added to a Marris otter base with a lot of yeast in suspension would give you that gray muddled color.
Yeah, I've pushed flaked adjuncts considerably higher than the OP and confoundingly ended up with a pretty clear beer before(looked and tasted like a tasty west coast ipa!)... Like@Brew Betty said, '(I) must know how to brew'! So adjuncts are not the sole issue with haze... I agree, many other things might have contributed to the OP's muddled grey beer....
I used 2 packs of 6 month old Omega Yeast Labs equivalent to Wyeast 1098. Hops were added at 60, 15, 0 and steep. Total of 8 oz in all. Fermented at about ~70-72. Conditioned in keg. Ive gotten this greyness before in my hoppy ales. I'm thinking if I use 2-row and pull back on the wheat and maybe add a low lovibond crystal, I should be in better shape.
I'm experiencing this with my latest NEIPA - simple 77/23 pale/flaked oats grist w/ London III. I dry hopped directly into the fermenter without a bag using a conical fermenter. My theory was it is the hop residue still settling out of suspension or lack of colorful adjuncts
The times I've had a grey or almost purple beer have been from oxidation. May not be relevant but it could help to post your process.
This has happened to me but only post-bottling. My Galaxy/Nelson IPA went from a beautiful straw color to a purplish muddy mess when I opened a bottle after 2 weeks of bottle conditioning/carb. Like @BeboThoughts , I chalk this up to oxidization during bottling even though I'm always careful to avoid splashing etc. I can't explain it any other way. Was your beer one color at the beginning and then something else later?
