Make IPA Clear Again

[bwible]

I started brewing again after 20 years because everything on the store shelves looks like alcoholic Kool-Aid. That's fine, go for it. But if I want an Ordinary Bitter, I have to make it. Like it was 1976 or something.

Bitters and English Pale ales are a big part of what I brew. And yes, its due to availability. We can get Fuller’s here - London Pride, Porter, ESB - Boddington’s in nitro cans, and not a whole lot else. Some of the stuff we see is not in good condition by the time it gets here, either.

I’ve noticed the same thing with IPA, too. Every can is labeled hazy, juicy, dank - words we never heard in years gone by. And many of the others are falsely labled - that’s one of the biggest complaints is that guys don’t know what they’re buying when they buy IPA anymore. Much of it seems to be in cans now, bottles seem to be getting fewer and fewer.

I don’t drink a whole lot of IPA these days, but I enjoy one now and again. When I do, I usually buy Lagunitas.

And yeah, every company has a hard seltzer now because they are dirt cheap to produce and the profit margin is extremely high, plus they are lower calorie beverages popular with women.

 

[day_trippr]

Both. And why put clear in quotes?

I didn't want to even remotely associate an IPA with Zima
Anyway...my point is exactly the same as those who take exception to making beer intentionally opaque as a primary goal...

Cheers!

 

[Miraculix]

I wonder if we should start a thread on how to make less bitter, super hop flavored, tropical and all that clear beer. People like the hazy beers for the flavor. Can we get those flavors in a clear IPA?

Sure, much dry hopping after fermentation finished, less bittering additions, job done!

 

[ba-brewer]

Anyone making a Kveik clear? Do I need to lay off the late hops?

I did an IPA with Omega Voss that came out quite cloudy. A dose of gelatin fixed it.

The IPA I did with Lutra that I have on tap is pretty murky too, could of been too much Vic secret (dry hopped) though. I try not to use gelatin but might need to do it again.

 

[InspectorJon]

Sure, much dry hopping after fermentation finished, less bittering additions, job done!

I have done this. A pils/Mosaic SMaSH with heavy dry hop with a highly flocculant yeast and it came out hazy. Yellow Rose From what I can find the haze is the result of polyphenols in the post boil hops binding with the malt proteins so it's apparently not as easy as it seems it might be.

If there really is interest in exploring this subject we should start a new thread. There is too much debate, humor and distraction regarding the legitimacy of haze in the last 40 pages to bury a serious discussion here on how to make an IPA with the qualities people like about hazy IPA but getting those into a clear IPA. I'm not sure it is possible.

 

[InspectorJon]

Duplicate

 

[NeoBrew]

I have done this. A pils/Mosaic SMaSH with heavy dry hop with a highly flocculant yeast and it came out hazy. Yellow Rose From what I can find the haze is the result of polyphenols in the post boil hops binding with the malt proteins so it's apparently not as easy as it seems it might be.

If there really is interest in exploring this subject we should start a new thread. There is too much debate, humor and distraction regarding the legitimacy of haze in the last 40 pages to bury a serious discussion here on how to make an IPA with the qualities people like about hazy IPA but getting those into a clear IPA. I'm not sure it is possible.

What if we don’t like ANY of those qualities?

(Just trying to get the thread back on track.)

 

[InspectorJon]

What if we don’t like ANY of those qualities?

Drink pilsner, not IPA.

 

[day_trippr]

lol!

 

[Miraculix]

I have done this. A pils/Mosaic SMaSH with heavy dry hop with a highly flocculant yeast and it came out hazy. Yellow Rose From what I can find the haze is the result of polyphenols in the post boil hops binding with the malt proteins so it's apparently not as easy as it seems it might be.

If there really is interest in exploring this subject we should start a new thread. There is too much debate, humor and distraction regarding the legitimacy of haze in the last 40 pages to bury a serious discussion here on how to make an IPA with the qualities people like about hazy IPA but getting those into a clear IPA. I'm not sure it is possible.

I once did this, really wanted it to be neipa murky, and came out as a clear grapefruit bomb. I have no idea what the difference might be that caused mine to drop clear...

 

[Nagorg]

really wanted it to be neipa murky

^^^
This is what I dont understand. Why on earth would murk be a sought after characteristic? Murk as an unintended consequence when trying to achieve flavor and aroma goals I can understand.
But seeking the murk just makes no sense. There's nothing about a milky looking liquid that is appealing IMO.
Kinda like choosing a glass of swamp water over a crystal clear pour from a water fountain.

 

[Miraculix]

^^^
This is what I dont understand. Why on earth would murk be a sought after characteristic? Murk as an unintended consequence when trying to achieve flavor and aroma goals I can understand.
But seeking the murk just makes no sense. There's nothing about a milky looking liquid that is appealing IMO.
Kinda like choosing a glass of swamp water over a crystal clear pour from a water fountain.

I know and couldn't agree more. It was just for the experiments sake. One of my very first brews tbh. And my first and only extract based beer ever. Was like clear and golden grapefruit juice.

 

[beersk]

^^^
This is what I dont understand. Why on earth would murk be a sought after characteristic? Murk as an unintended consequence when trying to achieve flavor and aroma goals I can understand.
But seeking the murk just makes no sense. There's nothing about a milky looking liquid that is appealing IMO.
Kinda like choosing a glass of swamp water over a crystal clear pour from a water fountain.

Good point. I think in general anything milky looking isn't desirable. Unless of course it's supposed to be milky looking, ie milk. But it's just a matter of opinion. We're so used to beer being clear except a few select styles (hefeweizen, wits, kellerbier, blanking on other key styles). Now I guess IPA is lumped in with those. Otherwise, beer should pretty much be clear to bright. And even hazy IPAs don't have to be straight up muddy looking. There can be some amount of clarity (ie Heady Topper). But I'm just repeating what most folks already know...
I think bright IPAs and hazies have their place. I'd just like to see the balance of the two on the market start to even out. There are barely any west coast examples on the market right now, at least in the Iowa City area.

 

[GnenieGone]

Case in point. Added some white wheat for body otherwise clearing up nicely. Too much chatter here...wheres the pics!

 

[Miraculix]

Case in point. Added some white wheat for body otherwise clearing up nicely. Too much chatter here...wheres the pics!

View attachment 714060

Looks yummy. And I like the glass!

 

[InspectorJon]

wheres the pics!

Whith this I will start the new thread. We will see where it goes. This is advertised as a West Coast IPA. Not really murky but not quite clear. I thought it was quite good. Citra, Amarillo and Sabro.

 

[The_CuRe]

Not clear at all, yet it is dry and bitter.

 

[NewJersey]

Not clear at all, yet it is dry and bitter.

Even THAT is sorta ok to me

This is what I don't like
https://images.app.goo.gl/rKoJBmj2fMzzcAUJ9

 

[moinkyschmoink]

At the risk of backlash, yes I'm posting this! Am I the only one (or one of a few) that isnt on board with the Haze Craze?

I might be open minded to the "style" if it weren't for the association with IPA... Other than the large qty's of hops used, I dont think these beers are characteristic of IPA at all. Personally, the lack of clarity is off-putting and I believe its damaged what a lot of folks think beers should look like. For example, now you can be served a glass of yeast and nobody thinks there is anything wrong with the pour!

I'll admit that I have tasted some that were pretty tasty and had a good aroma but still... IPA?? Really??? Can we just not have a "Hazy Ale" category instead of bastardizing IPA?

MIPACA.... I need to make some hats!

If you make the hats dibs on one!

 

[NewJersey]

If you make the hats dibs on one!

I'd happily sport one too!

 

[Nagorg]

If you make the hats dibs on one!

I'd happily sport one too!

While I wish I could capitalize on the idea, others already have. <--Click link to Amazon!

Enjoy...

 

[NewJersey]

While I wish I could capitalize on the idea, others already have. <--Click link to Amazon!

Enjoy...

Amazing

 

[moinkyschmoink]

While I wish I could capitalize on the idea, others already have. <--Click link to Amazon!

Enjoy...

Awesome I have one on the way! Thank you good sir!

 

[Beerwildered]

For your consideration. Stay safe out there.

 

[Apple_Jacker]

2 years late to the thread, but I too am not a fan of most hazy IPA's. Almost all of them give me killer headaches.

 

[NewJersey]

I'm starting to see more commercial examples of traditional IPAs by me again. (NJ)
Rejoice!

 

[NewJersey]

Bjcp guidelines should prohibit wheat, oats, and lactose from the IPA category and NEIPAs should be their own category

 

[Twinkeelfool]

If black ipa can be a category then NEIPA can too. Doesn’t bother me at all I just find it a bit odd they just add new categories for any new fad beer. Give it a few years and there’ll be a keto kale strawberry chilli tomato chorizo smoked fettuccine lager stout category haha

 

[Nagorg]

Most fall under "Specialty IPA". If the BJCP actually adds a category for NEIPA, hopefully it wont be another Specialty category. "IPA" should be dropped completely and use "Hazy Ale" as the category.

But given that the Brewers Association recognizes the style, that's unlikely to happen.

 

[Beermeister32]

If you clouded up and made a juice bomb out of another style, say Pilsner, you wouldn’t call it Pilsner any more. So I’d vote for a separate category for NEIPA.

 

[bwible]

If black ipa can be a category then NEIPA can too. Doesn’t bother me at all I just find it a bit odd they just add new categories for any new fad beer. Give it a few years and there’ll be a keto kale strawberry chilli tomato chorizo smoked fettuccine lager stout category haha

That’s a great point. I haven’t entered competitions for many years, but why do we need 13 categories for specialty IPAs?

 

[mattman91]

I enjoy the hazy/NEIPAs quite a bit, but I understand what is being said here. I love a good, classic West Coast style IPA. That was the style that got me in to craft beer in 2012. I'm bummed that most of the smaller breweries do not really make them as often.

I think the "crispness" is mostly what is missing in the newer styles. A full, creamy mouthfeel is nice in a lot of beer styles, but not everyone's preference for an IPA.

I do love a lot of the new school hops out there, and some of my favorites recently have been beers brewed with those hops but without the addition of oats/wheat etc. Do not get me started on lactose. That does NOT belong in an IPA. For me, it isn't the in-your-face bitterness that I miss (not that I don't mind that) it is more of a mouthfeel thing for me,

 

[InspectorJon]

They must have got the memo. Dust Bowl brewery, Turlock, CA - Peace, Love and Haze NEIPA.

 

[day_trippr]

But not that much "brighter" than the original neipa

Cheers!

 

[Brooothru]

You're makin' me jealous with that Heady, _tripper!

From the start, I haven't much been a fan of the "haze craze" even though I've tried to adapt. Four years ago we were less than 100 miles from Alchemist on a road trip to New England to score some Heady when we had to abandon the quest due to a family emergency. Since then I've sampled several NEIPAs that were supposedly good but all failed to impress. More recently I've been given a few newer entrants to the style, most notably New Belgium and Sierra Nevada, that were actually quite good. Maybe I'm just evolving.

The style has once again piqued my experimental side. A recent IPA that I brewed for a competition next month utilized that "mysterious process" of biotransformation when the fermentation reached low krausen, and my first impression was, "WOW!!!" It's hazy alright with a bright yellow-orange glow which I usually find off-putting, but the aroma and taste are exactly what everyone told me was the attraction of these NEIPA beers. Oddly, I hadn't planned on brewing a NEIPA. It just turned out that way. There were six different hops: Nugget FWH; Nugget, Chinook and Summit at :15 minutes; Nugget, Chinook, Summit and Mt. Hood hopbursted at :01 minute; and a large DH of Citra and Cascade when gravity got down to about 10 points before predicted FG. Usually I use no more than three different hops in any single brew since I feel like the taste gets muddled with more than three. After spunding and doing a closed pressure transfer to a Brite keg for conditioning, the sample tasted very fresh with all that fruity goodness that I've heard so much about but have failed to experience.

In any event I'm not prepared to abandon the "Make IPA Clear Again" crowd, yet, though I might be willing to give a little more "brew 'cred" to the NEIPA advocates. I'm interested to see what the judges think at the competition.

 

[beersk]

But not that much "brighter" than the original neipa

View attachment 737906

Cheers!

I know! And there are so many people who say this isn't hazy enough. F*cking whiners, "It's not hazy enough!!! MOAR HAAAAAZE!!!" That's THE original. There's a reason why it says "drink from the can" on the packaging...They were ashamed of the haze.

 

[ba-brewer]

^Maybe they figured not everybody knows drinking from a can is the best way to fully enjoy the aroma of an IPA.

 

[Brooothru]

^Maybe they figured not everybody knows drinking from a can is the best way to fully enjoy the aroma of an IPA.

No thanks. If I want to taste sheet metal I'll lick my fermenter .

 

[davidabcd]

If the beer had a metallic taste when drinking from a can, that taste would still be there in a glass. It doesn't though because of the coating inside beer cans.
Maybe coming in contact with the outside of a can might give a metallic taste.

 

[ba-brewer]

I was thinking it was a comment about cans being better than bottles for storage, but it does not look that statement is on all of their of beers, or at least the pictures on the website.