Clearing

[BigErn]

Is clearing of beer really that important to people? I figure if it tastes good who cares what it looks like, but a few of my friends have complained that homebrew beer is too cloudy for them.

Just curious how many people cold crash or add Irish moss/gelatin.

 

[dougf]

I used to think it was never that important, as long as it tasted great, who cares. But recently ive been looking at my dark extract beers and thinking how nice it would be if they were clear like commercial brews. I think that clarity would could in competitions mostly. Im going to my lhbs today and get a kit with some irish moss. Been curious about this myself.

 

[KevinW]

Irish moss for me! I have not used gelatin yet but I've got a Kölsch coming to secondary soon!

I have read nothing to indicate "cloudiness" or even "haze" can cause any taste issues, unless the cloudiness is from a defect or infection of course.

Commercial brewers spend a lot of money getting their beers crystal clear, I personally don't care if beer is clear or not, my tastebuds do my judging! But of course, this is only my opinion.

 

[BigErn]

I dont know about competitions but is clarity of the beer part of the judging?

 

[RedGlass]

I dont know about competitions but is clarity of the beer part of the judging?

Yes. At least for BJCP competitions. They review physical characteristics like clarity, head retention, etc. in addition to tasting/evaluating for the style.

 

[jjones17]

Is clearing of beer really that important to people? I figure if it tastes good who cares what it looks like, but a few of my friends have complained that homebrew beer is too cloudy for them.

Just curious how many people cold crash or add Irish moss/gelatin.

IMO, if someone says your homebrew is "too cloudy for them" tell them to buy their own beer. More for you, and the other people who are not so shallow they think a cloudy beer tastes different than a clear one. Providing a beer is conditioned properly, a good tasting beer is a good tasting beer. HELL - Just serve your beer in a ceramic Stein that nobody can see through. Do that for your whiner friends, and if the beer is good they will not know the difference.

Most beers that I make tend to clear whenever the heck they want to. I do not worry about it, some do - maybe more so if they keg. I have heard great things about using a fining agent for kegging.

 

[SumnerH]

people who are not so shallow they think a cloudy beer tastes different than a clear one

Yeast in suspension does make beer taste different. That's why, e.g, hefeweizens and kristal weizens taste so different.

 

[IceFisherChris]

I think that is a low blow if someone tells you that your beer is too cloudy. It's an additional and sometimes unnatural step for making it clear. That's almost as bad as people complaining that their orange juice has pulp in it.

However I do think there is a taste difference. The IPA from my first kit tastes different than the one I just brewed. I changed the hops schedule a little bit, but added gelatin in the last batch. It's almost crystal clear now and it tastes more crisp and light.

 

[COLObrewer]

We are in the middle of our first cloudy beer, it's a pinon blonde. The cloudiness was caused by the cheap muntons yeast I used, or a combination of the pinon sprigs and yeast.

The beer would not clear even after crashing it, so we kegged 5 gals and used gelatin in the other 5gals.

After 3 weeks in the keg, we tapped and the beer is still cloudy and tastes like pure yeast, the 5gals with gelatin is clear and we kegged it yesterday, I'm certain it will taste better.

So, . . . . certain cloudiness does effect the flavor of beer, and sometimes it's not in a good way.

Keep on brewing my friends

 

[Yooper]

Call me shallow, but I like a clear beer. I got to a lot of trouble to make my beer, and I like it to look as good as it tastes. Just like a chef who works hard at a nice dinner- presentation is important.

I don't use gelatin or other after-fermentation finings, but I use whirlfloc in my kettle during the boil. My beers are crystal clear, and that's important to me. Maybe a cloudy beer tastes just as good, but to me clarity is a big plus.

 

[iamopie2]

I don't mind a slightly cloudy beer from chill haze or what not, but i recently tapped a keg on an irish red and it was crystal clear and a deep ruby red. It was gorgeous. I am now obsessed with getting all my beers that clear and pretty. Just because.

But i haven't really noticed any off flavors from cloudiness

 

[Steiger66]

My Belgian Wit cleared a lot over time. I like it a little cloudy in the glass.

 

[Brew-boy]

Clarity is important for a lot of people myself included. A nice long cold spell does wonders for a beer.

 

[marubozo]

I prefer clear beer, but hold no objections to drinking cloudy beer. Like Yoop said, it's like a chef preparing a meal. You can create amazing food and just slop it on a plate and it will still taste excellent. But you can also go one step further and hone in on the presentation and elevate the experience one more level. After all, you do eat with your eyes first.

 

[jjones17]

Yeast in suspension does make beer taste different. That's why, e.g, hefeweizens and kristal weizens taste so different.

You are correct and I agree, which is why I added the sentence after the one you quoted: "Providing a beer is conditioned properly". Meaning a properly conditioned beer should not be green and should not have high levels of yeast in suspension, and the haze is caused from other things. Good point to bring forward though.

 

[osagedr]

Some people care whether their beer is clear, some don't.

Some people care whether their car is clean, some don't.

Some people care whether there is a stain on their shirt when they are out in public, some don't.

Not all beer is supposed to be crystal clear. But if it is supposed to be clear according to the BJCP guidelines, then the beer is flawed if it is not clear. Whether that flaw is important to you is up to you.

 

[BigErn]

What are the BJCP guidelines?

 

[marubozo]

What are the BJCP guidelines?

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php

When you read through a particular style there's an appearance section and it usually lists the clarity characteristics (among other things).

 

[bradneal]

So what are the best methods for clearing your brew?

 

[BigB]

I haven't had a beer yet that didn't come out crystal clear after 2 weeks in the fridge. But the funny thing is, is that I like my wheats cloudy and everything else clear. So, I put my wheats in the fridge as I plan an drinking them, and everything else I put as many as the fridge will hold so they will clear up.