[rodwha]

Would a significant amount of wheat create the illusion of being a bit darker with a very dark beer? I’m wanting a black beer that isn’t roasty, that tastes like an amber. So far my beers have either tasted like a Schwarzbier using Midnight Wheat in the mash of a bit more of a brown using said grains in the sparge. But I’ve also been targeting about 30 SRMs. Were I to use a something along the lines of 20-25% white wheat along with Midnight Wheat so as to be quite hazy and shoot for say for high 20’s might it aid the appearance and look black?

[RC]

If anything, I think white wheat would do the opposite of what you're wanting. It'll result in more haze and so would probably make the beer look lighter due to the extra turbidity. All else being equal, a turbid beer will appear lighter than a clear beer because of all the light scatter.

[rodwha]

Interesting. I wouldn’t have (and didn’t) thought so.

[goose]

Red wheat will darken the color more than white wheat.

[Robert]

If anything, I think white wheat would do the opposite of what you're wanting. It'll result in more haze and so would probably make the beer look lighter due to the extra turbidity. All else being equal, a turbid beer will appear lighter than a clear beer because of all the light scatter.

+1

PS to darken with minimal flavor impact try Sinamar.

[rodwha]

I want to use just grains. My next attempt will just move more out of the mash and into the sparge and see how that goes. Were it an option at MoreBeer I’d possibly try it.

[denny]

I want to use just grains. My next attempt will just move more out of the mash and into the sparge and see how that goes. Were it an option at MoreBeer I’d possibly try it.

Sinamar is made from grain.

[Robert]

Yep, Sinamar is made by Weyermann,  it's an extract of dehusked Carafa that's never been heated, so minimal roasty flavor, just a whiff of malt.  Reinheitsgebot compliant. It's cold extracted and concentrated by vacuum boiling to 3000°SRM.  So it's like when you cold steep grain, but way more color and less flavor than any homemade hack could provide.

You can get it from William's Brewing.   I thought MoreBeer had it too but I could be wrong.