Pro brewers' take on hazies

[RainyDay]

 

[Snuffy]

What - and potentially lose the endless entertainment of "Waaaah! There are beer drinkers that enjoy Hazies! Waaaaah! Me no likey!"

That would make a great t-shirt...

 

[Bobby_M]

Whatever the case, I'd venture to bet that turbidity was not a goal of English IPA. This acceptance, and desire, of poor clarity just doesn't make sense (to me). Its not appealing visually and typically meant something that should be avoided for health reasons "back in the day"...

Its gotten so bad that you can literally be poured a glass of yeast and are expected to drink it without complaint! Trust me, its happened to me on several occasions!

This is not specific to the hazy beer craze. If you go into any random brewery and order whatever your favorite beer style happens to be, you will be poured a beer on a scale of very well brewed to dish water. I recently had a Marzen that was a diacetyl bomb at about 3x the IBUs that would be right for the style. I wouldn't blame an uptick in the popularity of German Lagers (which there absolutely is), just an increasing phenomena of people operating breweries that probably shouldn't, and/or the desperation to keep the doors open and the resulting unwillingness to dump a bad batch.

If you get poured a terrible example of any style, send it back. I don't understand what you mean when you say you're expected to not complain. Where did you get that notion? Maybe it's more nuanced, like what I mentioned earlier. You order something off the menu called "West Coast IPA" and you're expecting something like a Lagunitas and you get something that looks like a milkshake. Yeah, that's happened to me and I definitely chat up the management and express my disappointment, or I don't go back, or both.

 

[MaxStout]

 

[Nagorg]

I don't understand what you mean when you say you're expected to not complain.

I mean that the servers don't understand there's a problem. IPA's are hazy after all right?

And I've literally been looked at with a puzzled gaze when I say I prefer clear IPA. Its as if they didn't know that was a thing.

True, this isn't an across the board experience but its not to say it doesn't happen.

 

[day_trippr]

Asking for a "clear" beer is almost asking for a stare down. Or a Zima

 

[Rish]

Zima

I used to use those as chasers for icy vodka shots. Worked pretty well!

 

[BongoYodeler]

All the breweries around me generally have at least one hazy on tap. But clear wcipa is still king in these parts.

 

[Brian66]

IMHO the only issue here is that there are breweries/establishments that have 80% of their taps hazies. It can be hard to find a good IPA that is not a hazy but as been's said - that's the market. Would this discussion be different if these hazies didn't have IPA attached to them? Troon calls them hoppy ales.

I love hazies but have been overloaded and will get a WC IPA or a Cold IPA when visiting a brewery (unless hazie's are a specialty of the brewery). I'm in NJ and feel that in the NE we are spoiled when it comes to access to a really good hazy IPA in our relative area of the NE (Troon, Brix, Magnify,, Root+Branch, Fidens etc - there are more).

I work (part time Beertender) at one of the more popular NJ craft breweries so I get it when a customer is looking for a non-hazy IPA and agree with them.

 

[Snuffy]

What - and potentially lose the endless entertainment of "Waaaah! There are beer drinkers that enjoy Hazies! Waaaaah! Me no likey!"

That would make a great t-shirt...

...or meme.

 

[bobtheUKbrewer2]

In Italy I asked for an Erdinger unopened - I poured it myself crystal clear - got some funny looks...

 

[Bobby_M]

IMHO the only issue here is that there are breweries/establishments that have 80% of their taps hazies. It can be hard to find a good IPA that is not a hazy but as been's said - that's the market. Would this discussion be different if these hazies didn't have IPA attached to them? Troon calls them hoppy ales.

I love hazies but have been overloaded and will get a WC IPA or a Cold IPA when visiting a brewery (unless hazie's are a specialty of the brewery). I'm in NJ and feel that in the NE we are spoiled when it comes to access to a really good hazy IPA in our relative area of the NE (Troon, Brix, Magnify,, Root+Branch, Fidens etc - there are more).

I work (part time Beertender) at one of the more popular NJ craft breweries so I get it when a customer is looking for a non-hazy IPA and agree with them.

I think it's practical to separate bars/restaurants that happen to serve craft beer vs. brewery tap rooms. I understand wait staff at a restaurant not really knowing about the beers on draft. Hell, they often don't even know the list nevermind knowing which IPA was clear vs hazy.

Brewery tap rooms get way less of a pass from me. I know it's hard to keep service staff and they're lucky if they can get people that go above and beyond the "hey I just work here" mentality. Sorry, no excuse. Beertenders have to be able to explain the beer style and what that particular brewery's take is on it. Not only that, while they're answering that question, a 2oz pour of it should be in motion towards the customer. If you can't keep that minimum standard, a huge screen should be cycling through a "about our beers" slide deck.

The brewery owners/brewers/marketing teams should be a little less clueless about the beer they're making too. It's not like there's a test they have to take. There's no requirement that they become Cicerone or BJCP certified before opening. Of course, our geeked out sensibilities would be better served by them if they did, but we're what 1% of their market so screw us.

 

[Brian66]

I think it's practical to separate bars/restaurants that happen to serve craft beer vs. brewery tap rooms. I understand wait staff at a restaurant not really knowing about the beers on draft. Hell, they often don't even know the list nevermind knowing which IPA was clear vs hazy.

Brewery tap rooms get way less of a pass from me. I know it's hard to keep service staff and they're lucky if they can get people that go above and beyond the "hey I just work here" mentality. Sorry, no excuse. Beertenders have to be able to explain the beer style and what that particular brewery's take is on it. Not only that, while they're answering that question, a 2oz pour of it should be in motion towards the customer. If you can't keep that minimum standard, a huge screen should be cycling through a "about our beers" slide deck.

The brewery owners/brewers/marketing teams should be a little less clueless about the beer they're making too. It's not like there's a test they have to take. There's no requirement that they become Cicerone or BJCP certified before opening. Of course, our geeked out sensibilities would be better served by them if they did, but we're what 1% of their market so screw us.

Agreed. I have interviewed at 4 breweries and the one I'm at is one of the only ones that places an emphasis on learning/knowing details of what we're serving. They paid for my Cicerone beer server certification and they ask that all servers get that - although I think I'm one of the few that have followed through on that. We are always short staffed - turnover is high. I talked to a brewer at a 5th brewery (while asking if they were hiring) and he said he wished they'd higher someone with some beer knowledge.

 

[Greg Morris]

What is the difference between hazy vs clear IPA in your opinions other than visually?

 

[MaxStout]

What is the difference between hazy vs clear IPA in your opinions other than visually?

Clear IPAs generally have more bittering, whereas hazies tend to be lower IBU. Of course, there are exceptions to both and YMMV.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Lower ibu, higher final gravity, come in cans with funky labels.

 

[elproducto]

What is the difference between hazy vs clear IPA in your opinions other than visually?

About 2$/can

/s

 

[pvtpublic]

I do not like them in a house
I do not like them with a mouse
I do not like hazies
But I like to be able to pay my bills....

 

[pvtpublic]

What is the difference between hazy vs clear IPA in your opinions other than visually?

Clear IPA's tend to be a bit cleaner, but hazies take on characteristics of what is used to make them hazy, i.e. yeast selection, oats, wheat

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Clear IPA's tend to be a bit cleaner, but hazies take on characteristics of what is used to make them hazy, i.e. yeast selection, oats, wheat

So like a hefeweizen

 

[Greg Morris]

Clear IPA's tend to be a bit cleaner, but hazies take on characteristics of what is used to make them hazy, i.e. yeast selection, oats, wheat

So complicated. But yeast is the main factor. PH at mash, PH at whirlpool, PH at fermentation. Grain bill. Vorlauf time. So many variables. Yet we make IPA'a that are clear and hazy and a blind taste taste you wouldn't know what was clear vs hazy.

 

[Greg Morris]

Clear IPAs generally have more bittering, whereas hazies tend to be lower IBU. Of course, there are exceptions to both and YMMV.

Nope. Just yeast.

 

[Greg Morris]

Clear IPA's tend to be a bit cleaner, but hazies take on characteristics of what is used to make them hazy, i.e. yeast selection, oats, wheat

Not really. You're talking about similar yeasts. That said...Some are haze forward which are different than flocculation. Haze is not a flavour.

 

[Greg Morris]

So many variables. But haze is a perceptual thing. Not so much a flavour thing unless you all love junk in your beer. I love fresh fermenter beer, then bright beer, hate freshly packaged beer, and then love 2 week old beer after packaging for IPA's.

 

[Greg Morris]

So like a hefeweizen

No. Hef's get their character from the yeast. Hef yeast is gross.

 

[MaxStout]

Nope. Just yeast.

Ummm...you might want to compare the BJCP standards for 21A American IPA (40-70 IBU) vs. 21C Hazy IPA (25-60 IBU). Even English IPAs clock in with a higher range of IBUs (40-60) than Hazies.

 

[Greg Morris]

Ummm...you might want to compare the BJCP standards for 21A American IPA (40-70 IBU) vs. 21C Hazy IPA (25-60 IBU). Even English IPAs clock in with a higher range of IBUs (40-60) than Hazies.

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I just know what's easy to drink and what people buy.

 

[MaxStout]

I just know what's easy to drink and what people buy.

Well, you DID ask for differences other than visual.

 

[Greg Morris]

Ummm...you might want to compare the BJCP standards for 21A American IPA (40-70 IBU) vs. 21C Hazy IPA (25-60 IBU). Even English IPAs clock in with a higher range of IBUs (40-60) than Hazies.

View attachment 858192

You can adhere to "standards", but that doesn't mean people like it or enjoy it. Ibu's are subjective. But it you want to target over 22 ibu's for an ipa...you better be over 8% alc/vol.

 

[MaxStout]

No True Scotsman.