Clearing Beer - Why?

[PADave]

I never understood all the trouble and processes that people go thru to try to get their beer clear or why they are needed to achieve clarity. Only thing I ever do is use Whirlfloc. Never cold crashed and never used gelatin. Almost all my brews come out like a commercial brew. I guess I'm doing something right?

 

[doogie]

I used to use isinglass, but then considered what I was adding to my beer and why. Going all grain with a vigorous boil and a quick drop to pitching temperature gives me very clear beer. Most of my beer now conforms to the Reinheitsgebot.

CaptureIPA

• doogie
• Feb 7, 2018

Plenty clear

 

[Shwagger]

Goblet , ugh

 

[kevin58]

Three things, all related in some way, were responsible for clear beer being a thing....

In the 1800's there were newspaper articles, medical journal entries (and even lawsuits filed) accusing brewers of putting all sorts of foul things in their beer. Pale Ales/Bitters were light colored, clear beers and the drinking public put faith in those based solely on their clarity.

Later, in the same century, when glass drink ware became more common, the public again found that a sparkling clear drink in their glass looked more appealing than the opaque beers.

And then there is a class prejudice that happened too... Dark, opaque beers were the drink of the lower class. The pale ales were made of more expensive pale malts and therefore they cost more which made them the drink of those who could afford them... the upper class. Clear beer was equated with wealth and privilege - dark beer with the commoners.

 

[BrewMan13]

I never understood all the trouble and processes that people go thru to try to get their beer clear or why they are needed to achieve clarity. Only thing I ever do is use Whirlfloc. Never cold crashed and never used gelatin. Almost all my brews come out like a commercial brew. I guess I'm doing something right?

Same here. Whirlfloc + time + gravity does the same thing for me. I make a lot of dark brews, so no worries there anyway, but even on clearer beers, the above equation seems to work for me.

 

[GPP33]

Clarity is probably just a mental thing but it’s a mental thing I and many others can’t get over. I’ll agitate my hefes to keep em a little cloudy, if they drop clear I don’t enjoy them as much. I like a little haze in my Saisons and some of my IPAs. Kolsch, pale ale, anything really light (except Saisons) or anything dark I want it dead clear. Clear beer allows you too truly see and appreciate the color and if you get a beer that drops clear with nothing but a whirlfloc addition then it’s a sign things went well. Maybe not a guarantee that it’ll taste good, but at least you did something right. I used to go out my way to mix up sediment in commercial brews, to this day a Grand Teton Brewing Sweet Water is better with the sediment than without. Like I said, it’s probably mental but it’s real when it comes to how much I enjoy a beer. I also can’t stand the murky messes that most people get with NEIPAs, they might taste good but I can’t get over the look.

 

[r4dyce]

I think there's a big difference between cloudiness and debris. I don't typically want actually hop debris etc floating in my brew, but a hazy uniform beverage is fine. I haven't found the need to go to any lengths to clear my beer. I do use a little Irish moss when I remember to put it in. I can't say with certainty that it does anything.

 

[GPP33]

I think there's a big difference between cloudiness and debris. I don't typically want actually hop debris etc floating in my brew, but a hazy uniform beverage is fine. I haven't found the need to go to any lengths to clear my beer. I do use a little Irish moss when I remember to put it in. I can't say with certainty that it does anything.

Hop debris is a whole other subject. That's just putting in zero effort.

 

[r4dyce]

Hop debris is a whole other subject. That's just putting in zero effort.

Well there are some commercial examples of this. I think heady topper comes to mind. So yes should avoided, but even when intentional, it's not my preference.

 

[cegan09]

Well there are some commercial examples of this. I think heady topper comes to mind. So yes should avoided, but even when intentional, it's not my preference.

I have never, in many years, seen hop debris in Heady. Seems like a rumor started from people not understanding why it's hazy.


as far as crystal clear beer, do what makes you happy and who cares. I personally don't put much effort in. No finings, gelatin, whatever. most styles that should be clear drop nice and clear with a little time. Others like NEIPAs don't. I just roll with it. If a beer isn't perfectly clear I certainly don't fret over it because I care more about the taste than the look. As long as it tastes good, who really cares.

 

[r4dyce]

I have never, in many years, seen hop debris in Heady. Seems like a rumor started from people not understanding why it's hazy.


as far as crystal clear beer, do what makes you happy and who cares. I personally don't put much effort in. No finings, gelatin, whatever. most styles that should be clear drop nice and clear with a little time. Others like NEIPAs don't. I just roll with it. If a beer isn't perfectly clear I certainly don't fret over it because I care more about the taste than the look. As long as it tastes good, who really cares.

Admittedly I've only had it three times, from cans , ( don't know if it comes in any other forms) but I distinctly remember they all had substantial green/grey flakes in them. Now I suppose I always assumed it was hops, but it could have been some other sediment. Either way I'm not a big fan of the debris.

 

[eric19312]

It is the beer corollary to the well understood professional chef's mantra "you eat with your eyes first"
Appearance matters. Get over it.

I understand you want to defend NEIPA and say it is still a dang good beer even though it is cloudy. I love them too. But I'm going to hold it up to a light and I want to see a beautiful glowing yellow or even better orangish beer in a perfect tulip glass and not some murky brownish beverage in a smudged pint glass! When I see the former I'm already smelling the hops expecting tropical and citrusy aroma and imaging those sweet and juicy flavors I'm soon to taste. When I'm seeing the later I'm girding myself for a tedious too sweet and lifeless and potentially offensive beverage.

So what is the point? If making a clear beer, people will probably like it better if it is brilliantly clear. If it is another style then there is going to be some other criteria that defines beauty.

If you have an ugly beer that is actually good...I'm thinking a pottery stein for serving would be the fix.

 

[GPP33]

Well there are some commercial examples of this. I think heady topper comes to mind. So yes should avoided, but even when intentional, it's not my preference.

Like Cegan said, that’s not hop debris you’re seeing. At least I hope it’s not. Excessive dry hopping will cause haze but it’s not because of hop debris.

 

[Kent88]

I've mostly been of the opinion that beer clarity doesn't matter unless you're entering a contest. I have a kolsch that I made this year that I really wish I could have hit with some gelatin or filtered, I used a genuine kolsch yeast and it took months to settle and I did get a yeasty flavor. It is a shame because when I tried out the kolsch malt in a lager with 34/70 it was fantastic.

So I'm going to ignore the style guidelines and all that and just make proper lagers with kolsch malt. That stuff is fantastic. No more yeasts with poor flocculation unless they're wheat beers or psuedo-lagers that I plan to let lager for a few months.

But back on track. I could see myself getting my process dialed in to the point where I'm consistently brewing good beer, and then I start hitting my paler beer with gelatin to clarify. Just something about pride in ownership. I made it, I want to make it appealing to people I share it with. And I do plan to get involved in some small contests someday. I'd like to win at the county fair, for sure.

If I ever get to a point where I am clarifying something as dark as a stout, or something like a belgian dark strong ale, or anything that is more black than dark brown or dark red, somebody come and smack me over the head. Not to the point where I am going to a doctor, but enough to know that I'm just being ridiculous.

 

[r4dyce]

Like Cegan said, that’s not hop debris you’re seeing. At least I hope it’s not. Excessive dry hopping will cause haze but it’s not because of hop debris.

Fair enough I stand corrected. According to the Alchemist, the debris is hop resins and proteins that clump up and out of suspension. Bad assumption on my part, it just always looks like little green hop flakes. From what I'm reading also seems like this is much less common now than it was years ago. Either way, my point want I don't like debris but I have no problem with haziness in any style. Lol maybe I'll try one of the debris-free Heady's and I'll like it more.

 

[cegan09]

Minor old thread revival. Some sort of relevant info.

A little bit over a year ago I set aside a couple commercial NEIPAs for the sole experiment of letting them sit for a year. Would they drop clear? Become delicious? Awful? reveal the horrors of what was in suspension?

First beer was a Tree House Very Green. Green is one of their common offerings, supposedly named because the hop additions made the whole batch look green at the time of addition. Very green is that beer turned up a notch. I set it aside almost 1.25 years ago. Put the can in a cardboard box with some other aging beer, and didn't touch or move it for that time. Friday I carefully moved it to the fridge, and then last night I cracked it open. I poured most of the beer into one glass, and then lightly swirled up the last ounce or two and poured that into a second glass.

Results? Just as hazy as it ever was. A little darker maybe? Hard to tell though since lighting makes a big difference on that judgement. Hop presence is almost gone completely. A little on the nose, but taste is almost all malt with just a little bit of generic bitterness in the finish. About what I expected.

The picture of the stuff I poured out isn't great. I'll grab a new one tonight since I set that glass aside to settle again. But honestly the amount that poured it is very much comparable to what you'd get in any fancy bottle, less that most I'd say.



I also saved a Heady Topper from the same time period. Same result. Still hazy, hop presence mostly gone, not as much head from that beer though. And even less debris at the bottom of the can.

Just a little more info to support the idea that these beers really aren't "rushed" to market and that they're skipping brewing steps. Doesn't seem like the big names a shoving yeast filled beers into cans just to move them out the door. They do seem like finished beers overall.

 

[mattdee1]

I used to be on the "who gives a crap about clarity" train, but lately I've come around on that a bit. Now that I've got a bit more experience, I just view clarity as one more parameter that I can try to control to my will when making a beer. When sampling a commercial beer, it is something I will judge relative to the style at hand.

For light and easy-drinking beers such as pale lagers, blonde ales, etc. I really like them to sparkle. I also think a really clear amber ale looks amazing in a pint glass, with that vivid reddish hue. But for dark beers, IPAs, APAs, and lots of other styles, I just don't care at all. If I'm brewing one of these styles, I don't bother with any clarity-enhancing interventions, and just take what I get.

So from the homebrewer perspective, my take on clarity is that it is something to think about, but if you're just getting into the hobby you should spend your time focusing on several other things first.

 

[Electric Mike]

I like IPAs cloudy and dirty looking.

 

[TwistedGray]

If you're bottle conditioning and not kegging isn't there an issue with carb'ing if you clear the beer? I've never bothered clearing my beers, but I might on the next batch.

 

[r4dyce]

I used to be on the "who gives a crap about clarity" train, but lately I've come around on that a bit. Now that I've got a bit more experience, I just view clarity as one more parameter that I can try to control to my will when making a beer.

That's actually an interesting take. "Because I can" might be the best reason to make your beer clear.

I'm in the "don't care about clarity" crowd, but there's definitely a part of homebrewing that is all about process and control and modifying your beer to make it be whatever you want.

 

[tomakana]

OP again - after reading through all this, I think the last couple of posts are where I'm settling in. At this point in my brewing career, clarity is a lower priority to ensuring that I'm getting the basics of brewing down (I know, I know, to a lot of people, clarity is one of the basics...). As I get my processes, recipes, etc down pat, I think the clarity part will come.

I don't think my palate is quite refined enough yet to detect any difference between a slightly hazy beer and a completely clear one, so the comments about it being a mind thing rang true, at least for me. I will say that the handful of bottles that have lingered in my fridge a little longer and dropped clearer than their predecessors have given me a little surge of pleasure when I poured them. Just can't say I noticed an appreciable difference in the quality.

 

[auburntsts]

If you're bottle conditioning and not kegging isn't there an issue with carb'ing if you clear the beer? I've never bothered clearing my beers, but I might on the next batch.

Nope--There is more than sufficient yeast still left to prime with. I've cold crashed and fined with gelatin and have had zero problems bottle conditioning/carbing my beer.

 

[mattdee1]

OP again - after reading through all this, I think the last couple of posts are where I'm settling in. At this point in my brewing career, clarity is a lower priority to ensuring that I'm getting the basics of brewing down (I know, I know, to a lot of people, clarity is one of the basics...). As I get my processes, recipes, etc down pat, I think the clarity part will come.

I don't think my palate is quite refined enough yet to detect any difference between a slightly hazy beer and a completely clear one, so the comments about it being a mind thing rang true, at least for me. I will say that the handful of bottles that have lingered in my fridge a little longer and dropped clearer than their predecessors have given me a little surge of pleasure when I poured them. Just can't say I noticed an appreciable difference in the quality.

I don't know how anybody could seriously claim that achieving "clarity" is part of "the basics" in homebrewing. There is so much more to learn before that starts to matter. Things that actually affect how the beer tastes, for example.

 

[TwistedGray]

Nope--There is more than sufficient yeast still left to prime with. I've cold crashed and fined with gelatin and have had zero problems bottle conditioning/carbing my beer.

Appreciate it