Make IPA Clear Again

[Bassman2003]

Sure, but I thought the discussion was about the term IPA being confusing for the servers and the orderers? No big deal...

 

[bwible]

NEIPA or hazies are actually in their own sub category now. That takes care of any "theft" of the IPA name.

No, it actually doesn’t. Breweries and bottlers don’t print BJCP category numbers on their bottles or labels. They all still just say “IPA”. And clear IPA was here first. Thats 99% of the complaints.

 

[wepeeler]

No, it actually doesn’t. Breweries and bottlers don’t print BJCP category numbers on their bottles or labels. They all still just say “IPA”.

If the brewery is selling a hazy or NEIPA, it should be labeled as such. If not, that's the brewery's fault. I would say a majority of breweries near me label them as such, but I'm in New England, so the market for hazies might be larger than where you are from.

Sure, but I thought the discussion was about the term IPA being confusing for the servers and the orderers? No big deal...

That's why the server should be educated on the tap list. And if you're a beer drinker in 2022, you should have an idea of what you're ordering.

 

[bwible]

If the brewery is selling a hazy or NEIPA, it should be labeled as such. If not, that's the brewery's fault. I would say a majority of breweries near me label them as such, but I'm in New England, so the market for hazies might be larger than where you are from.

I’m in PA and I’ll tell you for a fact that more than half of the hazies here are NOT labelled correctly. And most of them are in cans.

This is all anybody has been asking for. Put NEIPA or Hazy IPA or a different name somewhere on the label. They came with CIPA for Cold IPA or IPL for India Pale Lager. Come up with HIPA or something different for the hazies just so people understand what they are buying.

 

[wepeeler]

I’m in PA and I’ll tell you for a fact that more than half of the hazies here are NOT labelled correctly. And most of them are in cans.

This is all anybody has been asking for. Put NEIPA or Hazy IPA or a different name somewhere on the label. They came with CIPA for Cold IPA or IPL for India Pale Lager. Come up with HIPA or something different for the hazies just so people understand what they are buying.

I'm in agreement. They should absolutely be labeled correctly.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

We never bought into the haze-craze. All of our beers are brilliant-clear.

 

[ABV Motleybrew]

I both love and hate hazy ipas. I hate them because I think purposefully making beer hazy is totally pointless, but on the other hand, hoppy hazy ipas are so easy and so forgiving to make that they're getting more people into homebrewing which is a reallygood thing. But then to add to this, it annoys me when loads of homebrewers think they're experts when all the brew is hazy ipas, and they've not experienced the pitfalls of brewing more traditional less forgiving styles.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

My problem is haze has always been considered a flaw, often the result of poor brewing habits.
Hazy beer is why they used stone mugs for beer drinking two hundred years ago.
When the breweries started making light pilsners, that were clear, and actually pretty to look at, clear drinking glasses became popular for the light lagers.

 

[Broothru]

That's why the server should be educated on the tap list. And if you're a beer drinker in 2022, you should have an idea of what you're ordering.

A couple of years ago I won Best of Show at a local comp. Part of the 'win' was the opportunity to brew at a local upscale brewery/restaurant.

On the evening the beer was tapped, the restaurant owner and head brewmaster asked me to brief all the servers and bar staff about my beer, so they could tell patrons what they could expect, just like telling customers about a chef's special offerings on the menu. My beer got a lot of positive reviews from both the patrons and the staff, who were able to give the customers an accurate description of what was on tap.

Knowledge is power in the hands of the consumer, and also results in bigger tips for the wait staff.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Here is the question...does hazy, murky beer taste better than crystal clear, brilliant hyper clear beer? Which of these is prettier?

Before you answer, remember that we taste with our eyes first.

 

[wepeeler]

A couple of years ago I won Best of Show at a local comp. Part of the 'win' was the opportunity to brew at a local upscale brewery/restaurant.

On the evening the beer was tapped, the restaurant owner and head brewmaster asked me to brief all the servers and bar staff about my beer, so they could tell patrons what they could expect, just like telling customers about a chef's special offerings on the menu. My beer got a lot of positive reviews from both the patrons and the staff, who were able to give the customers an accurate description of what was on tap.

Knowledge is power in the hands of the consumer, and also results in bigger tips for the wait staff.

Congrats! And I agree 100%. Knowledgeable wait staff goes a long way. And improves your chance of getting a beer you really want!

 

[wepeeler]

Here is the question...does hazy, murky beer taste better than crystal clear, brilliant hyper clear beer? Which of these is prettier?

Before you answer, remember that we taste with our eyes first.

You have to compare apples to apples. A hazy East Coast ipa is not a brilliantly clear West Coast ipa. They also don't claim to be.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

You have to compare apples to apples. A hazy East Coast ipa is not a brilliantly clear West Coast ipa. They also don't claim to be.

Ok, let's compare beer-to-beer.
Does a hazy/murky beer taste better than a clear beer?

Just like a good steak, you taste with your eyes first. As I'm in the crowd that believes hazy beer is a flaw, we will pick the clear beer every time.

 

[day_trippr]

They both have their assets.
And a proper neipa looks pretty tasty to my eyes...

Cheers!

 

[Nagorg]

Which of these is prettier?

I always find myself wanting to drink sludge water.

 

[wepeeler]

Ok, let's compare beer-to-beer.
Does a hazy/murky beer taste better than a clear beer?

Just like a good steak, you taste with your eyes first. As I'm in the crowd that believes hazy beer is a flaw, we will pick the clear beer every time.

Again, you need to compare apples to apples. A hazy neipa tastes better than a clear neipa. You can't compare it to a WC IPA. When the haze drops, it takes with it a lot of the juiciness and mouthfeel.

Now a hazy Pils vs a clear Pils is a better comparison. Obviously you want a Pils to be brilliantly clear. It's part of the style guidelines, just like haze is acceptable in the sub category of 21C: Hazy IPA. It's literally in the description. "Hazy, often opaque..."

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Again, you need to compare apples to apples. A hazy neipa tastes better than a clear neipa. You can't compare it to a WC IPA. When the haze drops, it takes with it a lot of the juiciness and mouthfeel.

Now a hazy Pils vs a clear Pils is a better comparison. Obviously you want a Pils to be brilliantly clear. It's part of the style guidelines, just like haze is acceptable in the sub category of 21C: Hazy IPA. It's literally in the description. "Hazy, often opaque..."

Good to know. I'm just not a fan of haze. Glad some people like hazy / murky / cloudy beverages. I'm not in that camp, just a personal problem.

When tasting two Pale Premium Czech Lagers, one hazy, one clear, the clear beer was the choice. It tasted cleaner, more crisp, less hoppy. The hazy beer has cleared out now, being brilliant.

If God had wanted beers to be hazy, Pilsner Urquell would have had hazy beer.

 

[wepeeler]

Good to know. I'm just not a fan of haze. Glad some people like hazy / murky / cloudy beverages. I'm not in that camp, just a personal problem.

When tasting two Pale Premium Czech Lagers, one hazy, one clear, the clear beer was the choice. It tasted cleaner, more crisp, less hoppy. The hazy beer has cleared out now, being brilliant.

If God had wanted beers to be hazy, Pilsner Urquell would have had hazy beer.

Well I understand that the words "hazy" and "murky" seem similar when describing something, but not in beer. Even the BJCP description says 21C can be hazy, but not murky. I've seen a ton of hazies turn brown-ish because of oxidation, and that's what I'm assuming murky is, as a descriptor. But a nice fresh hazy neipa is beautiful. Especially in sunlight. It practically glows!

In your case of the lagers, the hazy lager needed conditioning to drop out unwanted particles. That results in a brilliant, crisp beer. And is very indicative of the style. Just like the haze adds to the overall experience of a well-crafted neipa. The same unwanted particles are a flaw in a lager.

Also, light beers, such as lagers, typically use lower protein grists than neipa and the lager yeasts do not react the same way to the extra hops in a neipa. Supposedly the haze is stabilized by yeast and hop (and grain protein) interaction. There is so much more of all of that in a neipa vs a lager (or even alight ale ie Golden ale)

I think we're "arguing" the same idea, just from different angles.

 

[bwible]

My problem is haze has always been considered a flaw, often the result of poor brewing habits.
Hazy beer is why they used stone mugs for beer drinking two hundred years ago.
When the breweries started making light pilsners, that were clear, and actually pretty to look at, clear drinking glasses became popular for the light lagers.

Or pewter mugs

 

[YeastFeast]

Ok, let's compare beer-to-beer.
Does a hazy/murky beer taste better than a clear beer?

A Hazy IPA tastes better than a clear IPA most of the time in my opinion.
I would argue that if you walked into random bars, restaurants, breweries and did taste tests with 10 people at each, 8/9 of 10 people would pick the Hazy as the better tasting beer.

 

[Beermeister32]

Some breweries have admitted to adding flour to get the haze:

http://beergraphs.com/bg/973-two-brewers-admit-their-methods-for-haze/
I prefer a crystal clear beer..!

 

[Beermeister32]

Here is the question...does hazy, murky beer taste better than crystal clear, brilliant hyper clear beer? Which of these is prettier?

^^^Exactly!

 

[YeastFeast]

Some breweries have admitted to adding flour to get the haze:

http://beergraphs.com/bg/973-two-brewers-admit-their-methods-for-haze/

How pathetic! I could care less about haze (or amount of) as long as it has no bitterness, proper hop aroma & mouthfeel and taste like what a hazy IPA is supposed to taste like.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

How pathetic! I could care less about haze (or amount of) as long as it has no bitterness, proper hop aroma & mouthfeel and taste like what a hazy IPA is supposed to taste like.

I would like to see a double blind taste test, Hazed IPA vs Clear IPA. These would need to be the same beers.

 

[Beermeister32]

Flour in beer. Gives a whole new meaning to the term “liquid bread!”

 

[TBA]

I like orange juice more than apple juice. I guess that’s why I like hazy NEIPAs more than clear beers. Lol

 

[NeoBrew]

A Hazy IPA tastes better than a clear IPA most of the time in my opinion.
I would argue that if you walked into random bars, restaurants, breweries and did taste tests with 10 people at each, 8/9 of 10 people would pick the Hazy as the better tasting beer.

This isn't a popularity contest. It is about not selling everything with the label IPA so that consumers know what they are going to get.

Some of us love a West Coast IPA.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

This isn't a popularity contest. It is about not selling everything with the label IPA so that consumers know what they are going to get.

Some of us love a West Coast IPA.

And some of us do not like any IPA. West Coast, East Coast, Midwest...

 

[Bassman2003]

Then why post on an IPA thread? Seems like a search for conflict or to demonstrate who is better in one's eyes...

 

[renstyle]

2022, when attempts to find a decent clear (WC is my fave) IPA at local stores becomes a scavenger hunt.

I think they hide most of them with all of the Brown and Mild ales!