I'm new to home brewing. I don't really understand why color is important to people (or clarity for that matter). I brew beer to taste it, not to look at it. Why do you care about the color of your beer? I don't get it. I like to cook too. I also have never understood why people care about how a dish looks over how it tastes. If your gravy needs pepper, who cares whether it's white or black pepper? To me, being concerned with how a beer looks is like being concerned with how a sculpture tastes.
Do you care about color?
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Clayton
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you taste with your eyes first.
COLObrewer
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I use all my senses when drinking beer.
philrose
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I do care about it.
But it's not a cause for stress. If the beer tastes good but is a shade dark or cloudy that's ok.
IMHO carbonation and head don't really fit with this discussion. Those are qualities that matter to me almost as much as flavor and mouthfeel.
But it's not a cause for stress. If the beer tastes good but is a shade dark or cloudy that's ok.
IMHO carbonation and head don't really fit with this discussion. Those are qualities that matter to me almost as much as flavor and mouthfeel.
COLObrewer
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beerocd
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It goes to his comment about the appearance of food.
Plus carbonation can change your perception of a beer to as great of a degree as almost any other ingredient.
Edcculus
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Color is very important when making light colored beers (or any other beer for that matter). You don't want a Hefeweizen or Pilsner that is the color of an Amber. Color can generally tell you what to expect in the taste of a beer. The only exception maybe is Schwartz Beer. In addition, a beer with the wrong color could have off flavors. If your pale beer is too dark from either wrong malt, bad extract or long boiling, chances are it will have too many melanoidin flavors. I don't want any bready, biscuty flavors in a Bohemia Pils.
Clarity is not a new thing. It became really important when glass came into popularity as a drinking vessel. All of a sudden, people could see their beer! If clarity isn't important to you, use opaque mugs. Clarity (or lack thereof) can also point out flaws. If a beer is too hazy because of yeast in suspension, it could taste yeasty. Polyphenols cause haze which is unavoidable in highly dry hopped IPAs. In any other beer, it could be from oversparging, which will make the beer astringent. Chill haze, while annoying doesn't really negatively affect flavor.
I hope this explains a little better why people worry about this stuff. Its not just because it looks pretty. Most of us are in the "make the best beer possible" camp. Color and clarity are just two of the things on a long checklist for a perfect beer.
Clarity is not a new thing. It became really important when glass came into popularity as a drinking vessel. All of a sudden, people could see their beer! If clarity isn't important to you, use opaque mugs. Clarity (or lack thereof) can also point out flaws. If a beer is too hazy because of yeast in suspension, it could taste yeasty. Polyphenols cause haze which is unavoidable in highly dry hopped IPAs. In any other beer, it could be from oversparging, which will make the beer astringent. Chill haze, while annoying doesn't really negatively affect flavor.
I hope this explains a little better why people worry about this stuff. Its not just because it looks pretty. Most of us are in the "make the best beer possible" camp. Color and clarity are just two of the things on a long checklist for a perfect beer.
Black pepper is slightly more pungent than white pepper. 
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We're all (mostly) here to make teh best beer we can. We're not the type to just "make something to get drunk on". If you're only looking for that, try Craigtube. Nothing wrong with it if that's what you're aiming for. There is sense of pride serving your beer to someone and they consider store bought if you don't tell them. The big dogs have nothing but scale over us I've recently (last 3-4 batches) started using Gelatin and I love looking through my beers due to it's clarity.
I've recently (last 3-4 batches) started using Gelatin and I love looking through my beers due to it's clarity.
loganb
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the more you brew the more you will understand that color and clarity play a nice part of flavor. if you are off alittle on color it isnt a huge deal but clarity to me is a big thing dependin on style. not because it is awsome that you can read a book through your beer but when you get more beers under your belt you see the difference in flavor between your hazy beers that arent supposed to be hazy and your more clear beers. and like clayton said you taste with you eyes first even if you dont think you do. and by the way clayton that is a sweet ass tricycle!
philrose
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I agree that carbonation gas a huge impact on flavor. Coming up off on your color however is much more acceptable, to me at least. Might not be the exact beer you were targeting but it will still be good beer assuming all went well otherwise.
Edcculus
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Beer color is such an imprecise science, ballparking is really the best we have. If your pils is coming in the straw to light gold range, Pale ale in the pale gold to deep amber, porter in the light brown to dark brown etc, thats all you can really do. It only becomes a problem if you are way off, or trying to make an exact clone of a commercial beer.
Soemthing I just thought of also. Lagers are generally considered "brillantly clear" due to the long lagering process. If you have a hazy lager, you did something wrong. On the other hand, my last Hefeweizen cleared during its time in my kegerator. Normally clear=good. A clear hefeweizen was just weird though.
I've had the same thing happen and it ended up being quite delicious. Our favorite local brewpub makes it sometimes; it's turned into a sub-category called krystalweiss
philrose
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Grimster
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A good Kristallweizen is one of my favorite beers to drink when I'm in Germany.
I have an american wheat from NB working now I'm hoping to be able to make a couple bottles of it "kristall" if I can figure up a good way to pull it off.
BA_from_GA
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To each his own. I want a beer, mine included, to appeal to as many of the senses as possible. The first thing I do with any beer is look at it. The visual appeal should be pleasing IMO. A great looking beer is not only a reward in itself but heightens the anticipation of enjoying the drinking of it. If you had to choose between two beers of the same type and one beer had great color and sparkle and the other was a cloudy mess which one would you reach for first?
gannawdm
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Aw. That was why I was confused. I didn't know if there was a connection between color and taste (and aroma).
If they both taste the same, I'll take the pretty one. If the cloudy mess tastes better, I'll take it.
When I'm tasting with someone who is new to craft beer, I suggest going through these steps:
1. Look
2. Aroma
3. Flavor
4. Mouthfeel
It's about enjoying beer, of course.
1. Look
2. Aroma
3. Flavor
4. Mouthfeel
It's about enjoying beer, of course.
I love I nice amber-copper color in my IPA's - a bit darker than normal for the style. That color really adds to the appeal.
Initially in my brewing (I've only been brewing for about 7 months) I didn't understand all the fuss about clarity - but now I do. When that coppery color is clear, it really looks good. I've been using gelatin a few times and like the result.
Initially in my brewing (I've only been brewing for about 7 months) I didn't understand all the fuss about clarity - but now I do. When that coppery color is clear, it really looks good. I've been using gelatin a few times and like the result.
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They key is which one would you reach for initially. You haven't tasted either yet. Like it your not, the mind makes an opinion based on visuals first.
+1
Since I started using gelatin, I enjoy my beer so much more. Sure it's gonna taste the same, but their is the pride and satisfaction in making something that doesn't look "home made". Especially when serving to others. Hand them a cloudy mess, they'll automatically peg it as a "homebrew" and expect (and convince themselves that they taste something off) instead of giving it a fair try as just a good "beer".
this seems a bit silly to me. lots of amazing commercial beers are not filtered and do not look incredibly clear. if you're trying to make a pilsner...sure, it should be clear, but i don't think most styles look any better to me clearer vs. cloudy, etc.
i don't care too much for color at all in terms of just lookin' at a beer. color only concerns me if it means there's something wrong with the beer, i.e. a brown hefeweizen. but if my pale ale is a murky dark copper color...meh. as long as it's nice aroma-wise and taste-wise i don't care.
although i do like my imperial stouts to be so dark they stain the glass
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