Unfiltered lager question

Yeast will settle to the bottom if you leave it undisturbed long enough. This is called yeast flocculation. Normally you would want this in a lager.

From the BA style guide:
Kellerbier / Zwickelbier
Description:
A rather old, rare, and unique German beer style, Kellerbiers are unfiltered and unpasteurized lagers that date back to at least the Middle Ages. The beer is matured, unbunged (beer is exposed), in deep vaults. The final product is a smooth, naturally cloudy beer that's rich in vitamins (from the yeast). Hop bitterness can be high and alcohol will vary. Zwickel Bier is similar to a Keller, but not as pronounced.

 

I brewed my own beer for around 30 years though ales and porters rather than lagers. I never filtered them yet if I had done things right they dropped water bright in days. Lagers by definition simply mean stored beers so would have sufficient time to clear long before they are transferred into their final containers.

 

Beers will clear with time as yeast and proteins drop out. That happens faster the colder the temperature.

 

I think that different folks see different things (clear vs, hazy) may be due to the relative stillness/jostling the cans have gone through. A can that has sat still for a stretch will be more settled and therefore clear. A can that has been jostled recently may have sediments stirred up and may therefore be hazy.

 

You would have never seen a beer released out onto the market like that with that sort of inconsistency(per the reviews)10 years ago, unless the haze was intentional. Especially a lager/pilsner. Chalk it up to the market we live in today. Which leads me to believe it is, hence “New World Lager”. Why the inconsistency of reviews? People’s idea of what hazy and clear beer is, I believe have been muddled. Best bet, check out their website and maybe there is some descriptors on that beer that might give a better explanation. All that said hazy or not if it’s good does it matter?

 

This, plus it's tricky to get a smooth pour from a can, thus one of the causes of the "jostling" occurs immediately before the point of the clarity evaluation.

 

@Half-full, do you have any cans of Toppling Goliath Dorothy's New World Lager left? If so, put one (or two) in your refrigerator for a few weeks and pour half of that beer into a glass. Let us know if that beer is as hazy as the one in your photograph above.

Cheers!

 

While we don't get a ton of imported versions, this happens with those as well. Especially considering many sit on the shelves for long periods of time. I've had Mahr's U that looked like chocolate milk (like in my avatar pic) and others that looked like Fat Tire.
The yeast will eventually settle out in a hefeweizen or "cloudy" IPA as well. Give 'em a little shake or swirl if you're looking to get the yeast involved again.

 

I take the scientific approach which is to say if I can read a newspaper through it it's clear and if I can't it isn't. When I had Dorothy (go ahead, groan) it was clear.

 

Since (surprisingly) nobody has explicity mentioned brewing inconsistencies from batch to batch, I’ll mention it as another reason for this. I would think that a can’s position in the canning gear can even make a difference too

 

How aboot NE style IPLs?

 

Where are the hazy stouts?

 

I have a friend Carl who would like your pun here!!

Cheers!

 

As to how it's easy if you have a window with streaming sunlight and a big magnifying glass. As to say why mine was clear and yours wasn't I haven't a clue.