Why is clarity an attractive quality in a brew?

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mainbutter

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The title asks it all:

Why is clarity a "good thing", and why do people work so hard to make a clearer brew?

Beverages I hate clarity in:

1) coffee
2) red wine
3) apple cider (not hard cider)

I very much prefer apple cider to apple juice, which typically has been filtered and pasteurized as the main difference.

Is a clear beer "missing" some mouthfeel and flavor complexities? Have negative qualities, other than presentation, been intentionally removed?

If the main difference is presentation, how many of you actually care, and how many of you actively prefer a non-clear brew?

Thanks for indulging my curiosity!
 
I think there are a lot of people who eat with their eyes, or in this case drink. Presentation is very important in a lot of facets in society. I am finishing up a day at work right now where I am required to dress business casual. This doesn't improve my work necessarily, but it does add to the overall experience.

For beer, I think that clarity can be hard to achieve. I have been brewing for about 2 years and my beers almost never come out clear. I envy the brewers who are at the point of worrying about it or can do it repeatedly. Admittedly, I have been focusing on other processes before I decided to add clarity to my list of goals.

I don't think clear beer is missing a lot.

Personally, I really do think they look pretty.
 
I like both clear and cloudy beer.
Hazy wits and hefes are my preference, but a nice, clear golden Pils is nice, too.
Tasty, nice carbing with foam, and absolutely no skunking. Skunked or overly bittered beer will find its way down the nearest drain or into my wife's roses.
 
The title asks it all:

Why is clarity a "good thing", and why do people work so hard to make a clearer brew?

Beverages I hate clarity in:

1) coffee
2) red wine
3) apple cider (not hard cider)

I very much prefer apple cider to apple juice, which typically has been filtered and pasteurized as the main difference.

Is a clear beer "missing" some mouthfeel and flavor complexities? Have negative qualities, other than presentation, been intentionally removed?

If the main difference is presentation, how many of you actually care, and how many of you actively prefer a non-clear brew?

Thanks for indulging my curiosity!

Making a beer clear doesn't have to be hard, it is fairly easy but does depend on the style. And that brings me to my point; clarity is a style attribute. This isn't unlike color or head retention. It is about presentation and commercial quality attractiveness.

Clear beer doesn't necessarily mean filtered, although most commercial beers are. Clear beer also does not mean that it lacks flavor. Many Belgium and farmhouse beers are clear yet complex. Hop forward beers are full of flavor and are super clear.

Unless I add wheat or oats to the grain bill I will do what I can to produce a clear beer. My ciders finish like champagne, even though they started cloudy and thick.
 
Unless I add wheat or oats to the grain bill I will do what I can to produce a clear beer.

^This, though all I really ever do is toss in a Whirlfloc. I keg so by default I cold crash, first half of the keg is slightly hazy, but not super cloudy, second half clears up and by the end it's super clear. There's just something beautiful about a crystal clear beer with a nice layer of foam on top.
 
It's basic human nature to gravitate towards clear beverages as that character conveys a sense of purity - or at least, free of obvious contaminants.
In the context of beer, layer on decades of mass marketed macro lagers and the associated advertising imagery and it's not surprising folks might be put off from even trying a cloudy brew - particularly the NE styles that can look for all the world to be OJ.

I mean, Zima was actually a thing for a while there ;)

I keep a crystal clear cream ale on tap for those people - while I enjoy my juicy Alchemist clones.
It's all good :)

Cheers!
 
For me it's all part of the presentation and overall experience. Though most of my friends don't care.

Most people I associate with consider homebrew to be something vinegary and cheap that is drunk by people who don't care about how it tastes. I think it's the complete opposite of that.

I like presenting my beers in generous portions, in nice glassware, and with nice colour / clarity / head. Looks exactly the same as what you would order in a pub. I take a certain pride in all of this. I think if you are going to the trouble of making it taste good you might as well make it look good too.
 
Just like when I go into a nice restaurant, my food seems to taste better if it's nicely arranged, and not just glopped on my plate. I know that it actually tastes the same, but since you smell/taste/see the food, it does make a big difference to me.

With beer, I like a beer that looks good with the appropriate sized head and bubbles, and clarity that makes it a joy to drink. While I drink NE style pale ales as well, I just like the beers that look better as a rule.
 
First, I do not mind drinking a clear or hazy beer...it's about the flavor first and foremost. No matter what the type, if it's cloudy and good...it's got my vote as a winner. (ahhhh, heck...who am I kidding...I actually enjoy drinking beers with off flavors too. It's like an educational experience for my taste buds)



Have you ever laid concrete, and when you got down you just look at it and admire the work? Well, I can tell you I have laid concrete and never got to the point where I admired the craftsmanship of my labor, it looked bad. It served the purpose...but looked bad.

My wife makes beautiful tasting and looking cakes. A well made bread has beauty in it's simplicity and execution...but it's no easy task. The list goes on and on

Making beer is a craft. Like any craft...you can do a fine job, a horrible job...and then you can display a level of craftsmanship that's refined and beautiful. It's nice to look at things that are well made
 
I'm somewhat of a foodie myself, so I get the whole "eat/drink with your eyes" thing, but that doesn't mean that crystal clarity is universally good and haze is universally bad when it comes to influencing my perception of a beer. I like clarity when it makes sense for the recipe/style. Pilsner, blonde ale, a simple amber... if I'm making those, there is no reason why the clarity shouldn't just take care of itself with 1-3 weeks in the fridge assuming I follow a sound process, so indeed I will be a bit disappointed if the beer ends up with a lingering haze.

What I don't understand is going to lengths to force a homebrewed beer to be clear when it otherwise doesn't want to be. For me, that means no gelatin or filters. Admittedly, a big part of that is just laziness--I don't need more steps to take up my time. If I throw a whack of dry hops in that aforementioned blonde, I'm not going to be upset if the clarity suffers, because it is to be expected. Besides, I kind of mentally associate that haze with the lovely hop aromas anyway, so to me it doesn't diminish the beer. It's all about recipe and context. If I'm making a chicken salad, I want the chicken breast pure/uniform white and tender, so I poach it; if I'm making chicken burgers I will have the meat on the grill to get that distinctive flavor and the nice grill marks which are part of the flavor but also the aesthetic. I'm certainly not going to put meat on the grill to get that summer grill taste, then bring it inside and scrub off the grill marks--they go with the territory so I roll with it.
 
Hey y'all. I'm still really new at this but honestly I think, like others have said, clairity is subjective.
For some reason I'm more drawn to beers that are cloudy. I don't know. I lived in Germany for two years and their Hefe I used to drink with Banana juice was originally cloudy. And ever since then, I think that's why I seek out cloudy beers. I'm still chasing memories. Lol
 
My own two cents is that I like a nice clear beer, but that clarity is overrated. I do not want to chase clarity at the expense of flavor. I have no desire to try those NE IPA's that look like mud, but I am not going to use any additives or special processes to go for clarity. Just isn't worth the effort since my beers are clear enough for me just following general fermentation and sanitation practices.
 
Good thread.

It usually makes no difference at all... taste wise. I drank plenty of not-so-clear-beer in my time. Probably most every beer I made my first couple years of brewing.

...but, we're homebrewers, and, why take the time and effort to make this if it won't be something to admire?? If you don't care, don't worry about it.

Many techniques and products help. A good hot break, irish moss, whirlfloc, gelatin finings, cold crashing... or the simplest - patience and time. Clear beer is easy to achieve if you want it; however, if is a wheat beer, hey it is supposed to be cloudy :).
 
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