hazy beers?

Ok, I've had 3 batches that are hazy, not clearing. It isn't chill haze, because it's hazy warm or cold. It does not affect the flavor, at least that I can tell.

1) EdWorts Rye IPA
2) EdWorts Haus Pale Ale
3) EdWorts Haus Pale Ale again...

The *only* thing I've changed in my technique is to sparge with hotter water - but I *still* can't get my grain bed over 168 deg, so I don't think this is the issue.

Even more perplexing is *between* these three batches, I've had a couple of clear batches, thusly:

1) brown ale - clear
2) Rye IPA - cloudy
3) Haus pale - cloudy
4) Blonde ale - clear
5) Haus pale -cloudy

Reading my old joy of homebrewing book, he says that haze is a result of bacteria infection & that I should see a ring in the neck of the bottle. But there is no ring, and these beers taste fine. yet, I wonder if maybe one of my carboys has something in it that's creating a very minor infection, thusly why some batches are cloudy, and some aren't.

I'm planning on nuking the carboys with bleach and water. Any other suggestions?

Fortunately, these beers taste great, just don't look as good.

I seriously doubt it's an infection if the beer tastes fine. Do you use Irish Moss or Whirfloc in the boil? What is your fermentation timing?

ifishsum said:

I seriously doubt it's an infection if the beer tastes fine. Do you use Irish Moss or Whirfloc in the boil? What is your fermentation timing?

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no to irish moss/whirlfloc in the boil. fermentation is plently long, I leave it 4 weeks usually in the primary. I've done many many batches this way without haze, but suddenly, having trouble making clear beer.

I'd suggest whirlfloc for sure. When I use whirlfloc and get a good cold break by chilling the wort fast, even my wort is clear going into the fermenter. Every one of my beers is crystal clear, only by using whirlfloc and the good cold break.

Some ingredients cause haze, like wheat, and highly hopped beers can have a hops haze (I assume from the hops oils, but that's just a guess). In your case, though, it seems like that's not the issue.

I also recommend the use of irish moss or whirlfloc.

I had a cloudy pale ale recently and it was because of my water modifications. I put in too much phosphoric and that stripped out too much calcium, lack of calcium is not only bad for the yeast but can also cause hazyness.

Use a fining agent and cool quickly, be sure not to disturb too much trub when racking to your bottling bucket/keg.

In my limited experience:

no kettle finings = cloudy beer, even after weeks in fermenter or kegged.

using kettle finings = clear beer going into fermenter, as well as clear quickly in the keg.


Since you do see clear beers without finings, it may be that your cloudy batches have starch haze (i think) - meaning that you have some material getting through from the mash, like pieces of grist, etc. I had this problem and then started to be more careful to transfer clear wort to the kettle (no grist pieces) and my beers cleared up.

Pangea said:

In my limited experience:

no kettle finings = cloudy beer, even after weeks in fermenter or kegged.

using kettle finings = clear beer going into fermenter, as well as clear quickly in the keg.


Since you do see clear beers without finings, it may be that your cloudy batches have starch haze (i think) - meaning that you have some material getting through from the mash, like pieces of grist, etc. I had this problem and then started to be more careful to transfer clear wort to the kettle (no grist pieces) and my beers cleared up.

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HMM>..that might be my issue, i've been lazy about this lately. I'll try some finings (I have irish moss, might as well use it) and be sure to vorlauf like crazy next time...

actually, the last batch (now that I think about it) had what I could only describe as "flour" on the bottom of the brewpot when I had finally gotten the wort into the carboy. I assume this is exactly what you said - a bunch of ... flour ... from the grain that made it into the brewpot because I was lazy about vorlaufing.

tranceamerica said:

vorlauf like crazy next time...

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Whoa! Do the opposite. Vorlauf gently. Most of the time I have grist getting through the mash tun when I'm pulling too hard or draining too fast. If I slow down my vorlauf, I get much better results. To give you an idea, it typically takes more than 5 minutes for me to transfer 4 gallons or so from the mash tun to the kettle using my march pump. It's really being pulled very slowly.

Are you dry hopping? That would cause a hazyness.