Cloudy IPA
- Thread starter nickel23
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Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
I think hop oils can sometimes cause this, sometimes referred to as "hop haze." I brewed an IPA last year with a lot of late hop additions and 3oz of dry hop. It was opaque, tasted great, but even with months of refrigerator conditioning, it never cleared up.
It's a hop haze from the dry hops. More dry hop,more haze. Which reminds me,gotta check my Maori IPA...
Captain Damage
Well-Known Member
If it hasn't been in the fridge for a few weeks, you almost certainly have chill haze. This will drop out naturally at refrigerator temperature in 1-3 weeks. It is not a flaw, it's just an indication that your beer hasn't been cold conditioned long enough. Dry hopped beers, such as american IPAs often exhibit a haze from the dry hopping. It varies from beer to beer. This is also not considered a flaw.
Not to high jack, but this reminded me of something I was wondering. Can you cold condition for however long it takes for chill haze do dissipate, then remove the bottles from the fridge and cellar them in the 60's, and will the chill haze remain gone the next time they go into the fridge?
It should,yes. Some beers can get so much protien haze that it may clear pretty decent,but not completely. Most of the time,though,it'll clear up the first 3-5 days in the fridge.
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I feel like my IPA's taste better while they're cloudy and lose character once they clear.
Sure, that makes sense. But, however much a beer has the potential to clear up, if you let it clear and then remove it from the fridge, the work has been done? In other words, I could fridge condition my entire batch, and then remove whatever I don't want to drink right away. Then, as I move bottles back into the fridge, as soon as they're cold, they'll also be clear (as much as they could be in any case)?
Just be sure the beers are fully carbed & conditioned at room temp first. Then you could cold condition'em in the fridge,& move others to storage in a cool basement till you want more cold ones. So yes,after they've been cold conditioned in the fridge for a week,that part is done. Mine never leave the fridge & live,so I've never done it. But it should work never the less.
Correct, the beers would have conditioned for 3-4 weeks at normal temps to carb. I typically brew every 2 weeks or so to keep a variety of styles on hand. I only have so much fridge space though. I tend to put maybe 2 sixers of one style in, but I open half before they shake the haze. I could definitely see the benefit of fridge conditioning as the last step after carbing, and cellaring after that to open space and condition my next batch.
