Don’t Judge A Beer by Its Color

Is judging a beer by its color keeping you from discovering your favorite beer of all time? This post is dedicated to shattering your stereotypes and, hopefully, encouraging you to give a new brew a try. If pre-conceived notions about variations in alcohol content are holding you back, you should know that color doesn’t dictate alcohol content!

The Process

Ultimately, grain plays the biggest role in coloring beer. Contrary to popular belief - debittered malts, although roasted, does not add astringency or bitterness but does add color. Beyond adding deep colors, they can also impart flavorful notes. Since a beer’s color comes from roasted malts, the longer it is roasted, the darker the malt. Beyond malts and the aging process of beer, a combination of other factors will also interact to dictate the color of a beer such as boil length, pH level, yeast strain, hops usage, and specialty ingredients! 

Lighter Colored Beers

More often than not, we find that many people assume that lighter beers aren’t as complex and lack depth of flavor. Would it surprise you if we told you that they can be hoppy, aromatic, spicy, complex, and full bodied? While they might be associated with sun-soaked beaches, lighter colored beers are also brewed in cold regions. 

Darker Colored Beers 

The reverse is true, too. That is, dark colored beers are being brewed in warmer regions. Dark colored beers can be light bodied, refreshing, and just as fruity as a lighter colored beer. What’s the takeaway? Firstly, a lighter beer color most certainly does not equal lack of character! On the flip side, darker malts do not equal heavy beers! 

We hope this post has inspired you to drop your beer color stereotype! The next time you’re mowing your lawn, we encourage you to pick up a darker beer and the next time you mow your ride scoop up a lighter colored beer!