I couldnt care less if my beer comes out clear

[Ivypunx]

I use whirfloc and irish moss sometimes to help. But I really dont care if it comes out clear. Is that wrong. And I mostly brew dark beers and imperials that will have haze to them anyway. But even if I brewed a lot of standard pales and ambers I dont think I would care too much. Sue me

 

[milldoggy]

I am in the same mindset. I do not carw, but I brew for my friends, family and neighbors, not for competing.

 

[Black]

I use whirfloc too and get crystal clear beer (for the pale ones) but you're right about dark beers : you won't see anything through it anyway.

I think it is a matter of preference, I'd rather have a good hazy homebrew than a not-so-great one that's crystal clear.

However, I find that my beers all clear up with time until they're crystal clear. That even becomes a problem with my Belgian wits... happy problem that is.

Cheers !

 

[Cider123]

I am with you

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/i-like-cloudy-beer-407272/

 

[signpost]

Well, I think that if you brew in a way that makes the beer taste good, it'll probably end up being pretty clear.

So, good job on not caring about something that doesn't matter unless something else is wrong in the first place. :fro:

 

[daksin]

I really like clear beer, and you're wrong that strong beers and dark beers will necessarily have haze. My IIPAs and stouts always sparkle if I can help it. Apart from the fact that I like to have sparkling clear beer and it's one more thing for me to perfect, it really really helps to introduce new people to homebrewed beer or craft beer if it is very clear, as everything they purchase commercially will be super clear and filtered. Hazy beer turns a lot of newcomers off just because they don't know.

You're of course right that it 100% doesn't matter if your beer is clear or not, as long as it tastes good! This is definitely a matter of personal preference only. You should brew the beer that makes you happy.

 

[snyklez]

I've found that my hazy beer gets clear as commercial if I let it chill in the fridge for a good while. Which is difficult of course, since I'm prone to drink what I've worked so hard for.

 

[Ivypunx]

I really like clear beer, and you're wrong that strong beers and dark beers will necessarily have haze. My IIPAs and stouts always sparkle if I can help it. Apart from the fact that I like to have sparkling clear beer and it's one more thing for me to perfect, it really really helps to introduce new people to homebrewed beer or craft beer if it is very clear, as everything they purchase commercially will be super clear and filtered. Hazy beer turns a lot of newcomers off just because they don't know.

You're of course right that it 100% doesn't matter if your beer is clear or not, as long as it tastes good! This is definitely a matter of personal preference only. You should brew the beer that makes you happy.

lol. Really dont think I'm wrong about stouts not being clear.

 

[isac777]

I get where your coming from. I use to hate clear beer bc when it got real clear that usually meant 1 thing- close to the bottom of the keg. But I have found over the years I now want to make real clear beer bc now rip on me if I'm outta my head but........**** LOOKS GOOD ALL CLEAR AND SPARKLY. It's like anything I first didn't care about oxygenation now I'm looking into a stone. It's funny you start brewing get comfortable then some club member rolls in all high and mighty and gets you worried about something you never thought of. A trick I learned for my clarity issues that seems to help but wastes a little beer GASP, is cut your dip tube in your keg by 3/4-1" off the bottom. I've found it helps with particulates . I heard another rumor that Russian river filters their beer before dry hopping bc yeast does not help and can enhance aroma. Call me a bull****ter but you know what "you can't bull**** a bull****ter"

The more ya know

 

[daksin]

lol. Really dont think I'm wrong about stouts not being clear.

The next time you get a Guinness, hold it up to the light. You can read a newspaper through it.

 

[Ivypunx]

The next time you get a Guinness, hold it up to the light. You can read a newspaper through it.

Guiness is to stouts what bud light is to pilsners

 

[cheezydemon3]

Guiness is to stouts what bud light is to pilsners

*Thanks for taking one.

I usually have to go all OT and explain how guinness is regurgitated charcoal/milk *

I used to not care about clear, but just had an orange peel/coriander blonde brew that tastes fantastic come out quite cloudy, and I have to say that I care.

Not sure what the eff happened.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I've brewed stouts & porters that have come out clear. others so dark it suck the light out of the room. cloudy, clear, who cares as long as you like it.

 

[Teromous]

I prefer my beer to be clear if it's to style.

Obviously it all depends on why the beer is cloudy, if anything can be done to clear it, how much work it will take to clear it, etc. If I know from experience that the beer will clear if it sits for another month in the secondary then I will do it. If it means that I have to cold crash the beer, I will do it. If it means cartridge filtering the beer, hell no. I have extensive experience using cartridge filters on beers and ciders and it has just added another layer of annoyance that is not worth the time, effort, or money.

For me it's a lot like mowing the lawn. I could just go out there and trim the grass down and be done with it. But then there's the sprouts that stick up near the garden, the sidewalk, the curb, the AC unit, the trees, etc. If I'm out there I might as well break out the weed-whacker and trim things up a bit. Sure it might just be for looks, but why not put out the little extra effort and clear the beer?

Aside from extra effort, it also helps you develop another brewing skill. If you're the type that doesn't care if they hit the right gravity, doesn't worry about getting the right bitterness or hop aroma, doesn't care how the beer generally tastes, never cleans their beer lines, etc, then it might not matter. It might be for those who strive a bit more for perfection and an added level of complexity. Is anyone in the world going to know if I get the perfect sear on my steak? Is Emeril or Ramsay going to pop out of the sky and yell at me? Do I have a professional culinary reputation to uphold? No on all accounts. It doesn't change the fact that I have self respect and try to get the best results every time.

 

[Bobby_M]

Guiness is to stouts what bud light is to pilsners

You may not like Guiness, but it literally defines the dry stout style.

 

[Doongie]

I'll take the bait.

While I will drink it cloudy if it tastes good, I prefer clear beer.

Outside of a few styles, clarity is the norm and standard. Lack of clarity is a flaw, just like off flavors, and I do what I can to improve my process to eliminate all flaws. I don't use finings or filters, a good process will yield clear beer.

I, like many others, consider this a matter of pride in my workmanship.

 

[Jobe5217]

I'll take the bait.

While I will drink it cloudy if it tastes good, I prefer clear beer.

Outside of a few styles, clarity is the norm and standard. Lack of clarity is a flaw, just like off flavors, and I do what I can to improve my process to eliminate all flaws. I don't use finings or filters, a good process will yield clear beer.

I, like many others, consider this a matter of pride in my workmanship.

I will drink beer ofcourse no matter what, as long as it tastes good. I think though as I get better that I will refine my system to try and get clearer beer. After making only a single batch, I've heard a lot of skepticism from people who think home brews are "wierd" and prone to giving massive hang overs. Clear beer will go a long way to opening people up to trying... of course that would mean sharing more...

 

[grasshopperfirestarter]

I dont eat any meat but I do put gelatin into every keg for clarity. I love looking through my glass in between sips. On this next ipa I have I decided not to add gelatin since its conditioning a little longer than normal and for the fact that I just want to see how it turns out. Maybe there's more flavor some how?

I get less of a hangover with homebrew!

 

[Yooper]

Guiness is to stouts what bud light is to pilsners

True, but some stouts are not black but instead a ruby brown color. I can definitely see a haze if it's in there!

Good on you if you don't care if your beer is clear or not and you love it anyway. That's awesome. And then it doesn't matter what anybody else does or doesn't do.

I'm one of those people who like things that are aesthetically pleasing, no matter what they are. I like nice looking plates of food, for example. Sure I know it tastes the same if it's just glopped onto the plate, but since most of my senses are involved (and the saying is "You eat with your eyes"), I like it to look really nice when I go out to eat. I like my food "plated", as they say on the Food Network.

I like a nice looking yard, because it just feels nice to sit somewhere visually appealing. I know I can sit in a lawnchair in a junkyard, but I like sitting on my deck next to my fish pond- because it looks nice.

The same is true of beer. I like it to be beautiful- I like to watch the carbonation bubbles come up through it, and I love to look at it up in the light. I really like my beer to be crystal clear, as well as the wines I make. I have an IPA or two that may have a slight hops haze but overall I like a clear beer. Even my wheat beers may have a wheat haze, but are never murky.

If others don't care, that's cool. It doesn't matter to me what others like or don't like. I just know what I like.

 

[isac777]

Clean beer lines??????


Im not rolling in money but its like .39 cents a foot from my lhbs

 

[cheezydemon3]

Clean beer lines??????


Im not rolling in money but its like .39 cents a foot from my lhbs

Guessing you don't recycle.

 

[Milan37]

When my beer was always cloudy, I didn't care. Once I got my beer nice and clear, it's something I really enjoy.

 

[Kinsman]

I like clean, clear, sparkling beer. Wheat beers too. I don't care for 'em 'mit hefe'.

Beer is aesthetically pleasing, and that means sight, sound, aroma, taste, and feel. A cloudy beer is unprofessional. It's flawed. It's likely to make a drinker think 'homebrew' instead of 'good beer'.

I own a restaurant. Not a fancy one either...I do BBQ and burgers and wings and stuff. Every cheeseburger I make, I want the guy on the other end if the deal to say "Wow. That was a really good cheeseburger." I wan the same reaction to my beers.