Maybe it has always been but today there is a name for everything - even for the color of beer. When you're judging or simply want to describe a beer, there are acceptable and standardized terms and methods to do so. For color, there is the Standardized Reference Method SRM numbers. The Beer Judge Certification Program has established a system of naming and numbering a beer's color.
Beer Color Descriptions
Note that SRM is a measure of beer color density more than hue/tint. Keep this in mind when attempting to use only SRM numbers when describing beers. Within these Guidelines, beer color descriptors generally follow this mapping to SRM values:
Straw....................2-3
Yellow...................3-4
Gold.....................5-6
Amber................... 6-9
Deep amber/light copper..10-14
Copper...................14-17
Deep copper/light brown..17-18
Brown....................19-22
Dark Brown...............22-30
Very Dark Brown......... 30-35
Black....................30+
Black, opaque........... 40+
