[bluefoxicy]

My Innkeeper Ale missed at 1.038 gravity instead of 1.043, possibly since I did a full boil but didn't calculate water loss over an hour and just topped up with fresh boiled water.  I don't have a screen or other filter, so I left a little mess and wort at the bottom of the pot...

More importantly, it's supposed to be light and came out a mid-to-dark brown-amber in the hygro cylinder.  Now it's been in the fermenter a week and it looks much lighter.  Still not light enough for the target.

Can I aim for lighter somehow?  DME and LME darken when boiled; can I add most of the malt at half an hour or 15 minutes?  Do I need to lean on a partial mash, bring a big grain bag of pilsner malt?

I'm getting a house soon (probably), more space, I may just buy additional equipment and go all-grain.

[bigchicken]

Is this a Northern Brewer kit? If so, they will state in their instructions if you should add part of the extract at the last 15 minutes. That could help with color.
The other thing I wanted to mention is that beers tend to look darker in a large amount, but when poured into a 12 ounce glass it may be spot on. I do think it will lighten some as it sits and more haze falls out.

[Jimmy K]

Late extract additions are meant for partial boils. If you're doing a full boil then there is no reason it should darken more than an all-grain wort.
 
If you're saying it was supposed to be light and it came out brown - that is serious darkening. More than I'd be willing to blame on kettle caramelization. Maybe you had the flame on before the extract was fully mixed and it sat on the bottom of the kettle darkening? Or you boiled it over a cauldron of magma.
 
About the gravity - did you top up with water to the amount the kit was designed for? And how much wort was left in the kettle?

[bluefoxicy]

It was dark in a hygrometer cylinder.  I also noted the extremely dark color in the fermenter but that's to be expected; however I can see it lightening up in the fermenter, and checking in a cylinder again requires me to steal a hygro sample.  I'd guess it's lighter than it was.

Northern Brewer kit, The Innkeeper.  Doesn't say to add extract late.

There was just enough left in the kettle that the autosiphon wouldn't work with the kettle tipped up about 15 degrees.  A lot of it was dark, murky junk.  I topped up to 5 gallons, which is the kit size.

The kettle has trouble boiling and requires the lid most of the way on, lifted up at one end, to keep a boil.  It burns on 2 burners.  Perhaps I didn't mix it enough; I did shut the heat off and stir, but the water was dark to begin with and I can't tell what's in the bottom.  There was an LME component, and LME sinks; DME tends to float.

[denny]

It was dark in a hygrometer cylinder.

You were measuring the beer's humidity? 

[bluefoxicy]

It was dark in a hygrometer cylinder.

You were measuring the beer's humidity? 

Yes I wanted to make sure it was dry enough to be refreshing instead of just muggy.

[slickdaddy420]

It was dark in a hygrometer cylinder.

You were measuring the beer's humidity? 

Yes I wanted to make sure it was dry enough to be refreshing instead of just muggy.

hahahahahaha

[narvin]

Perhaps some bleach would do the trick.

[madscientist]

I usually add my 60 min extract addition before the boil starts, after the sparge (partial mash).  I make sure its thoroughly mixed, then start heating to a boil.  Late additions help, but the thorough mixing and not adding with any heat/flame on the kettle has been a huge improvement.