Cloudy beer seems cool?

[SlitheryDee]

This was for a pale ale that had 9 oz of hops for a 10 gallon batch. That equals out to 4.5 oz for 5 gallons. My dry hop alone is more than that in my NE IPA's.

I wish I could get a good example of a NEIPA around here. Then I could really judge whether the haze is worth it or not. Suppose I'll just have to brew one lol.

 

[plazola86]

I wish I could get a good example of a NEIPA around here. Then I could really judge whether the haze is worth it or not. Suppose I'll just have to brew one lol.

Where are you located at? I'm from California so I pre judged these beers too as more and more started coming out. I always thought nothing would beat a west coast IPA. When I finally tried one I didn't have anything bad to say and now give them the same amount of credit as a west coast IPA. I'm a beer lover not a beer hater.

 

[Dcpcooks]

A brewery should have the technical skills needed to produce clear beers to style. They should also be able to know when to stick to style and when to break the rules.

I'm cool with a cloudy beer when it's supposed to be cloudy. I'd also say if they can't make a clear crisp kolsch then you will probably find other flaws in that breweries beers.

 

[myelo]

I agree it's all about the taste of the beer...I always made clear beer myself but have also noticed this trend...Equilibrium brewery just opened near me and they have nothing but hazy beers and they are really good...hazy is def trending right now tho

I also agree it's all about the taste. But that goes both ways. If a delicious tasting beer is hazy I'm good with it. But if it's crappy tasting and hazy, I'm not going to like it just because it's hazy. And I think that might be what the OP is getting at -- beers being made to be intentionally hazy to jump on the haze bandwagon. Or people praising a beer JUST because it's hazy.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I also agree it's all about the taste. But that goes both ways. If a delicious tasting beer is hazy I'm good with it. But if it's crappy tasting and hazy, I'm not going to like it just because it's hazy. And I think that might be what the OP is getting at -- beers being made to be intentionally hazy to jump on the haze bandwagon. Or people praising a beer JUST because it's hazy.

Yeah, what get me is the idea of looking at a beer and thinking "Nice haze". I just can't imagine it. I guess once you start associating a flavor you like with a particular "quality" of haze in a beer, anything's possible though.

 

[plazola86]

I also agree it's all about the taste. But that goes both ways. If a delicious tasting beer is hazy I'm good with it. But if it's crappy tasting and hazy, I'm not going to like it just because it's hazy. And I think that might be what the OP is getting at -- beers being made to be intentionally hazy to jump on the haze bandwagon. Or people praising a beer JUST because it's hazy.

I totally agree with this.

 

[bobeer]

as long as it fits to style I don't really care. If the beer has a slight haze that doesn't bother me either. If the beer is supposed to be clear then it should be as clear as the brewer can get it.

I think the NE IPA craze is a bit weird. It's just a beer with a ton of hops in it. Everyone freaks out and acts like it's the best thing ever. While it does taste good, IMO, it looks like crap and isn't that hard to reproduce.

 

[VagueSkunk]

I wish I could get a good example of a NEIPA around here. Then I could really judge whether the haze is worth it or not. Suppose I'll just have to brew one lol.

The only somewhat readily available beer close to this style that has any distribution that I've found is Firestone-Walker's "Fortem". I dont know if it is available where you are but it's worth a look. I buy up all the 4-packs whenever I see them since it's a limited release.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Cool like Michael Jackson? Or cool like refrigerator?

 

[edsa1984]

Ok so the next question is; why are they serving these beers hazy? Is it because they think it's 'in'? Is it because they want to serve as 'fresh' as possible? To give you guys a point, I had a Bock there that was very nice indeed, but you couldn't even slightly see through it

 

[Sadu]

I think the NE IPA craze is a bit weird. It's just a beer with a ton of hops in it. Everyone freaks out and acts like it's the best thing ever. While it does taste good, IMO, it looks like crap and isn't that hard to reproduce.

It's also the lower bitterness, the types of hops used, and using Chloride instead of Sulfate that make this a nice beer. I consider it a welcome addition to the pack.

I think they can also look pretty great if done well. I like that burnt orange look, which works with a certain amount of cloudiness and the right kind of glassware making it glow. If it looks like a yeast starter then it really needs to taste amazing.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

It's also the lower bitterness, the types of hops used, and using Chloride instead of Sulfate that make this a nice beer. I consider it a welcome addition to the pack.

I think they can also look pretty great if done well. I like that burnt orange look, which works with a certain amount of cloudiness and the right kind of glassware making it glow. If it looks like a yeast starter then it really needs to taste amazing.

Yeah, I agree. I think they can be quite beautiful, unlesss you're in the "beer that isn't clear must be crap" school.

 

[jbunton]

I know in my area allot of microbrewery patrons and brewers I know and have spoke to are not keen on additives and adjuncts in their beer. If you were a brewery around here adding gelatin, isinglass, whirlfloc, defoamer and some of the other things just for clarity and ease of process allot of people would not be impressed and would not hesitate to voice their displeasure on the matter. To be honest for the market here haze is a craze but all natural is what people are really after regardless.

To me style guidelines and clarity doesn't matter, its all about flavor!
Some of the best beers I've been drinking lately throw all style guidelines out the window.

 

[mpolybius]

All things being equal, I would prefer a clear beer just like I prefer a beer with good head retention. I had a similar experience at a new local brewpub - we got a sampler and all the beers were cloudy except for the Mexican lager.