| Beer colours range from really light to almost black. Malt and specilaity grains directly affect beer colour.
There are two scales in common use: | ||
| 1. | Standard Research Method (SRM). This is based on the Lovibond (L) scale. For home brewers SRM = L. | |
| 2. | European Brewing Convention (EBC). Sometimes referred to as COL. | |
| Malts are usually described using degrees Lovibond (°L) while the finished beer uses the SRM scale. | ||
| Now it gets tricky. Us home brewers wishing to emulate a particular beer style, should blend different malts with the aim of reaching the SRM rating for that beer. Obviously the beer's characteristics (flavour) should also be kept in mind. | ||
| To do this you have to know the colour rating of the malts and specialty grains available to you and the characteristics they will impart to your beer. The resultant SRM can be calculated to predict the colour of your beer. Also refer to Beer Styles. | ||
| Colour calculations and conversions are found here. | ||
| GUIDE TO SRM RATINGS | |
|---|---|
| Colour | SRM |
| Clear | 0 |
| Light Straw | 1 - 2.5 |
| Pale Straw | 2.3 - 3.5 |
| Dark Straw | 3.5 - 5.5 |
| Light Amber | 5.5 - 10 |
| Pale Amber | 10 - 18 |
| Dark Amber or Copper | 18 - 26 |
| Very Dark Amber | 26 - 40 |
| Black | 40 + |
TIME FOR A BEER!!
