The all grain boil & beer color

Is there any way to exert extra controls over beer color with a rolling boil (all grain), or should the color be mostly accurate in terms of Beersmith calculations. I ask because my beers tend to be darker than what I plug into Beersmith. Should I be adjusting the pre boil pH or using some other method to ensure the target color?

Spade,

A computer program can never emulate colour. I have three screens here and all colours appear different. What the program aims to do is give you a very rough guide as to what the beer will look like but more importantly it is provided so you are able to have an idea of how much a certain grain addition will add or subtract from your colour.

Make sense?
Pat

Spade,
A computer program can never emulate colour. I have three screens here and all colours appear different.

What the program aims to do is give you a very rough guide as to what the beer will look like but more importantly it is provided so you are able to have an idea of how much a certain grain addition will add or subtract from your colour.
Make sense?
Pat

Click to expand...

Sure, I understand the effect of grain on color and that BS is only a guide to color but what I'm really asking (if there is an experience with BS that color is excessive) should I reformulate (adjust) by backing off the the color rating to something less than the BS rating and that more accurately takes into account the rolling boil effect on color, including caramelisation and style.  I realise that doing so would affect other parameters of the brew, so the question maybe somewhat academic.


What do other brewers experience with the effect of the boil on color, particularly style guidelines?

I know this is a "soft" answer but if you wish to remain  within so called style guide lines aim right in the middle. While the colour provide by manufactures for their grains is accurate and when working with accurate figure BS2 will give very good results, the colours of the grains can vary depending on the production run year to year. Also you are often relying on the LHBS to get the colour values correct. Water pH can have an affect as can boil vigour. Unless you know exactly what the colour should be, changing grain colours within the database may cause you to have very inconsistent results beer to beer. If you perceive your beers are consistently too dark by a measurable percent you could perhaps get the recipe to how you want it, use the colour tool and reduce the colour by the percentage you think then adjust the gravity back to where it was if needed.

Steve

I operate on the theory that the beer color is 30% lighter than the predicted wort color derived at by using (Malt Color X lbs / Post Boil Volume gals).