The Definitive Knock-down, Drag-out Cloudy Beer Debate Thread

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by breadwinner, Apr 29, 2015.

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  1. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,647) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    I return tomorrow from 2 weeks of drinking real ale in England. The pints have brilliant clarity, do to the flocculant ale yeasts.

    If a beer has haze from dry hops, that can be OK, but I do pick up some rough edges from the poly phenols.

    Too much yeast in suspension is bad news for my digestive track - my wife can testify to that.
     
  2. Hodgson

    Hodgson Initiate (0) Nov 17, 2014 Canada (ON)


    I agree, plus an extra yeasty hit can cover over the qualities of the malt and hops, or in part.

    But it's a question of taste of course...
     
  3. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,647) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    I do like a Kellerbier, and those don't seem to upset me as much.
     
  4. Hodgson

    Hodgson Initiate (0) Nov 17, 2014 Canada (ON)


    Well, question of taste again, I prefer clear lager, however I do enjoy weizens and I once had a "kristal" one that wasn't as good as the unfiltered one IMO.
     
  5. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Yep, once upon a time. Much the same as flush toilets were once a hangup.
     
  6. bleakies

    bleakies Maven (1,355) Apr 11, 2011 Massachusetts

    Ugh. The next time I drink a cloudy brew I don't think I'll like the metaphors that will come to mind.
     
    breadwinner likes this.
  7. 2beerdogs

    2beerdogs Grand Pooh-Bah (5,682) Jan 31, 2005 California
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Haze is not a problems for me. It's all about the nose/flavor/feel, etc... Having said that, a cloud bomb diminshes the visual appeal. Not typically a deal breaker for me.
     
  8. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    :slight_smile:

    Well if its cloudy from the yeast, you don't want to give too much thought to what the yeast have been up to while the beer is fermenting or finishing off the bottle conditioning.
     
    Immortale25 likes this.
  9. 4truth

    4truth Pundit (806) Jan 30, 2015 Illinois
    Trader

    I had three glasses in front of me.

    Two contained, respectively, cloudy DDH Congress St. and Father Nelson. Fresh.

    The other contained crystal-clear Michelob Ultra. Date unknown.

    I drank the DDH CS and FN. I was happy. Very happy.
     
  10. pnelting

    pnelting Pundit (901) Nov 17, 2014 Texas

    This thread reminded me of how much I enjoy Dirt Wolf.
     
    Shroud0fdoom likes this.
  11. MisSigsFan

    MisSigsFan Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2013 California

    That looks great.

    That looks great.

    This,
    [​IMG]

    this,
    [​IMG]

    and this are all great.
    [​IMG]

    There seems to be a correlation... They all look amazing to me as well.
     
  12. gatornation

    gatornation Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,388) Apr 18, 2007 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I prefer cloudy,hazy but i dont enjoy Floaties
     
    GlassOfHops likes this.
  13. breadwinner

    breadwinner Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2014 California

    See, this is part of the difficulty in describing cloudy beer. Just spent some time skimming through Untappd pics of Father Nelson and DDH Congress, and they are miles apart in their cloudiness. The former has some haze, it seems, but it's fairly minimal, and there are numerous pics of it fairly clear. DDH Congress, on the other hand, looks, at best, barely translucent and, more often, like an Orange Julius. I'd submit the method of brewing beers like this have to be quite different.
     
    Kurmaraja likes this.
  14. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,313) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah

    Clarity became an issue in the 1700s when glassware began to be used. Brewers like John Courage realised that well brewed beers were generally clear despite the massive hopping of the day.In particular with pale ales which predated pils by a couple of hundred years.
     
    LehighAce06 likes this.
  15. GetMeAnIPA

    GetMeAnIPA Pooh-Bah (2,559) Mar 28, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Those are some good looking "New England" IPAs :rolling_eyes:
     
  16. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I think this article was written for you?

    http://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...iltered-beer-cloudy-pint-unfined-london-murky

    Cheers!
     
  17. 4truth

    4truth Pundit (806) Jan 30, 2015 Illinois
    Trader

    Totally get where you're coming from, I think on many days you're right. This day happened to be this past Sunday, and the Father Nelson--while not quite as cloudy as DDH CS I've had in the past--was cloudier than say, HT or SoS. Brewing method, and maybe even bottle by bottle? Don't know.

    Can't say it was surprising because it was my first Father Nelson. And delicious it was.
     
    breadwinner likes this.
  18. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Ah good. Even earlier then and a more powerful argument for glassware as a causal factor. Do we have any pointers to that information, etc.?
     
  19. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I don't mind a bit of haze, but the solid beers just look ugly. And appearance is an important attribute for me.
     
  20. breadwinner

    breadwinner Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2014 California

    Well, we know where this guys stands...

     
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