Standard Reference Method

The Standard Reference Method or SRM[1] is one of

several systems modern brewers use to specify beer color.
Determination of the SRM value involves measuring the
attenuation of light of a particular wavelength (430 nm)
in passing through 1 cm of the beer, expressing the attenuation as an absorption and scaling the absorption by
a constant (12.7 for SRM; 25 for EBC). The SRM (or
EBC) number represents a single point in the absorption
spectrum of beer. As such it cannot convey full color
information which would require 81 points, but it does
remarkably well in this regard (it conveys 92% of spectral information) even when fruit beers are considered.
Auxiliary deviation coecients (see Augmented SRM
below) can pick up the remainder and are necessary for
fruit beers and when subtle color dierences in malt beers
are to be characterized.

SRM = 12.7 D A430

where D is the dilution factor ( D = 1 for undiluted
samples, D = 2 for 1:1 dilution etc.) and A430 the absorbance at 430 nm in 1 cm.
The 430-nanometer wavelength corresponds to a deep
blue light, and was chosen, as was the multiplier, to make
values determined in the SRM system comparable to
those determined using the Lovibond system in use at the
time the SRM was adopted.[2]

The SRM was adopted in 1950 by the American Society

of Brewing Chemists which had recognized the need for
an instrument based measurement of color unburdened
by the diculties of the Lovibond system which relies
(it is still in use in many industries including brewing
malts are often labeled with the Lovibond color of laboratory worts prepared from them) on visual comparison
of the sample to tinted glass discs. Beer colors measured
1 Measurement method
in SRM and degrees Lovibond were, as noted above, approximately equal at the time of adoption of the SRM.
The ASBC and EBC measurements are now identical
Comparison of EBC (see below) and Lovibond data pub(both done at the same wavelength and in the same size
lished by modern malsters makes it clear that the relationcuvette) but the scaling is dierent. A photometer or
ship between SRM and Lovibond (L) is:
spectrophotometer is used to measure the attenuation of
light at 430 nm, as it passes through 1 cm of beer contained in a standard 1 cm by 1 cm cuvette. The absorp
tion is the log of the ratio of the intensity of the light beam SRM = 1.3546 L 0.76
entering the sample to the intensity leaving. This dierence is multiplied by 12.7 in the SRM system and 25 in
the EBC (see below). For example, if the light intensity 2 EBC
leaving is one one hundredth the light intensity entering
the ratio is 100, the absorption is 2 and the SRM is 25.4. The EBC system of color measurement is similar to the
The scale factor derives from the original denition of SRM. Measurements are taken at 430 nm in a 1 cm cell
SRM discussed in the next paragraph.
but the unit of color is 25 times[3] the dilution factor times
A430 as opposed to 12.7 times the dilution factor times
A430 so that

The SRM number was originally, and still is, dened by

Beer color intensity on a sample free of turbidity and
having the spectral characteristics of an average beer is
10 times the absorbance of the beer measured in a 1/2inch cell with monochromatic light at 430 nanometers.[1]
Modern spectrophotometers use 1 cm cuvettes rather
than 1/2 inch ones. When a 1 cm cuvette is used, application of the Bouguer-Beer-Lambert law shows that the
multiplier should be 12.7 rather than 10. When the SRM
value for a beer or wort is larger than about 30 the log linear limit of some instruments using 1 cm cuvettes is approached. In such cases the sample is diluted with deionized water. Using Beer-Lambert again gives the mathematical denition of SRM in the general case as:

EBC = SRM 1.97

SRM = EBC .508
Thus EBC is approximately twice SRM and this applies
at any color depth. The agreement between SRM and
Lovibond is fair for pale beers (10 L ~ 12.7 SRM) but
worsens for darker beers or worts (40 L ~ 53.4 SRM).
Both systems demand that the beer be free of turbidity
prior to the measurement at 430 nm. In the SRM a second
1

AUGMENTED SRM

measurement is taken at 700 nm. If the absorption at this

wavelength is less than 0.039 (this number comes from
[2]
) times the absorption at 430 nm the beer is considered
turbidity free. If not, it is to be ltered or centrifuged
and the reading repeated. If the ratio test is not passed
after clarication then the beer does not have average
spectral characteristics and, technically, is not qualied
to be characterized by the SRM method. The augmented
SRM method described below removes this diculty.

ing at 380 nm and extending to 780 nm. These are converted to transmission values (by taking the antilogarithm
of each absorption) and inserting the results into ASTM
E-308. The reported tristimulus values are in L* a* b*
color space and describe what is seen under Illuminant C
(daylight) by a 10 observer when the path is 1 cm. The
choice of path, illuminant, observer and color space does
not represent a limitation of E-308 but rather the ASBCs
need to standardize reporting.

In the EBC system the beer is required to be ltered if its

turbidity is more than 1 EBC turbidity unit (equivalent to
1 FTU). No absorption measurement is made other than
at 430 nm. (the turbidimeter measures scattering at 650
nm).

If we are given only the SRM value for a beer we can

compute the approximate transmission spectrum if the
beer has average spectral characteristics simply by taking
the antilog of A() :

Note that an earlier version of EBC color was based on

absorption at 530 nanometers, which permitted no direct
conversion between the two systems. However, if one
assumes a linear log absorption spectrum (the Linner hypothesis from the realm of caramel color), and knows the
Linner Hue Index,[4] HL , the absorptions are related by:

T () = log 1 (

(430)
(430)
SRM
(0.018747e 13.374 +0.98226e 80.514 ))
12.7

This can be used with E-308 to calculate tristimulus color

in any path, for any illuminant, for either observer in any
colorspace derivable from CIE XYZ space. This formula
could, for example, be used to compute color patches to
be printed on transparency or card stock for use in evaluating the SRM of actual beers but color swatches preHL /10
A430 = A530 10
pared in this way are only valid for the illuminant, obA formula for converting between the old EBC color server and path used in the E-308 calculation. The BJCP
value and SRM sometimes continues to appear in liter- color guide was prepared in this way. This illustrates that
ature. It should not be used, as it is awed and based on the SRM does convey full color information if the beer
has average spectral characteristics. If it does not then
measurements which are no longer taken.
we need more information than just the SRM provides.
Part of the problem with this formula is that beer spectra
are not log linear. The absorption of 1 cm of a beer with
average spectral characteristics (average here means the
average of the absorption spectra of the ensemble of 99 4 Augmented SRM
beers as described in[7] ) at wavelength is well described
Recent research[7] has shown that the transmission specby
trum of a beer (with no restriction on its spectral characteristics) can be represented by:
(430)
(430)
(430)
SRM
13.374
=
log 1 ( SRM
+
A() =
(0.018747e 13.374 +0.98226e 80.514 ) T ()
12.7 (0.018747e
12.7
(430)
80.514
0.98226e
+ c1 1 + c2 2 + ...))
While it is clear that one could use this formula to comwhere the i are eigenvectors of the covariance matrix of
pute A530 from the SRM measured at 430 nm and thus inthe normalized transmission spectra of the ensemble of
terconvert between SRM and old EBC this is not where its
beers from which the average normalized spectrum (the
value lies. Because it represents, at least approximately,
sum of the two exponential terms in parentheses in the
the full absorption spectrum of the beer it can be used
A() formula) was determined and c1 , c2 etc. are obto calculate the tristimulus color (three color coordinates
tained as the dot products of the eigenvectors with the
in a chosen color space which describes the color an obnormalized transmission spectrum of the beer being charserver actually sees) of a beer of known SRM by followacterized. This formula is identical to the one given previ[5]
ing the prescription of ASTM E-308.
ously with the exception that it has been augmented by the
ci coecients which encode the deviation of the sample
normalized spectrum from the average normalized spec3 Tristimulus color
trum. Where the sample beer has a normalized spectrum
close to the average the cs are small and it is remarkable
There has been interest in tristimulus reporting in the how often this is the case. Typically one or two augmenbrewing community in recent years and the ASBC has tation coecients are sucient and they are frequently
an approved Method of Analysis [MOA] for tristimulus small enough that one or more can be neglected. For excharacterization.[6] The absorption of the sample is mea- ample, an imported ale with SRM equal to 6.8 has coefsured in 1 cm at 81 wavelengths separated by 5 nm start- cients 0.07 and 0.1. Using both these coecients

3
one obtains color accuracy of less than one L* a* b* space
unit (the limit of perception) in up to a 10 cm path under
Illuminant C. Using just the SRM for this beer gives a reasonably good description of its color with error of about
4 L* a* b* units. Beers which deviate dramatically from
the average spectrum are easily accommodated. Thus
a sample of Kriek (Belgian cherry beer), has an SRM of
15.27. Were its color to be reconstructed from just the
SRM it would be the color of an average beer which
will be dark amber not the red of a Kriek. Including 3
coeecents (1.8, 0.8 and 0.1) yields color accuracy of
less than 1 L* a* b* unit in paths up to 8 cm again under
Illuminant C.
Augmented SRM is advantageous relative to the ASBC
tristimulus method in that color under any viewing circumstances can be computed in addition to which the familiar SRM rating is retained. Because of metamerism
one cannot, in the general case of non zero deviation coecients, estimate the original spectrum from the L* a* b*
values reported by the ASBC method.

Color based on Standard Reference Method (SRM)

References

[1] Beer 10-A Spectrophotometric Color Method, ASBC

Methods of Analysis
[2] Irwin Stone, Miller, M.C. The Standardization of Methods for the Determination of Color in Beer"ASBC Proceedings 1949
[3] 2.13.2
Spektralphotometrisch
(EBC-Methode),
Brautechnische Analysenmethoden Band II, MEBAK
2002
[4] R T Linner, Caramel color: a new method of determining its color hue and tinctorial power. Proceedings of the
Society of Soft Drink Technologists Annual Meeting, 1970,
p 63-72.
[5] ASTM E-308-96 Standard Practices for Computing the
Colors of Objects by Using the CIE System, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA 1996
[6] Beer 10-C Tristimulus Analysis, ASBC Methods of
Analysis
[7] A.J. deLange,"The Standard Reference Method of Beer
Color Specication as the Basis for a New Method of Beer
Color Reporting, J.Am.Soc. Brew. Chem 66(3) 143150, 2008

Dictionary of Beer, Ed: A. Webb, ISBN 1-85249158-2

Home Brewing, Graham Wheeler, ISBN 1-85249137-X

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