Are you tired of pouring cloudy, muddy-looking beer from your homebrew? Let's dive into the art of creating brilliantly clear brews that taste and smell fantastic and look absolutely stunning in your glass.
The Haze Conundrum
While hazy beers may be trendy, there's something truly satisfying about a crystal-clear pint. There are two types of haze:
- Biological: This is caused by physical particles being suspended in the beverage.
- Non-biological: primarily caused by chemical compounds in the beer.
We've got some tricks up our sleeve to help you achieve that perfect clarity.
Common Culprits of Cloudy Beer
Biological:
- Yeast - some yeast strains can be very light and remain in suspension in the beverage for a long time. We call these low-flocculating yeast.
- Hops - Hop pellets that are commonly used in beer brewing are made up of ground-up hop cones. These ground-up particles can sometimes be very small, allowing them to remain suspended for a long time.
- Grain - Crushed grains are used in brewing; some very finely crushed grains can make it through the process and remain suspended in the beverage.
Non-Biological:
- Starches - In all-grain brewing, the starches in the grains are converted into sugars our yeast can use to make alcohol. Starches do not dissolve in water, cannot be consumed by yeast, and will cause a haze.
- Protein-rich grains - Unmalted grains and grains like wheat & rice add body to the beverage, but these are very large chemical compounds, so many of them can cause a haze.
- Dry hop usage - Hops contain the macronutrient called polyphenols. These are also very large chemical compounds, so many of them can cause a haze.
Tried and True Techniques for Clarity
Biological
- Rapidly cool your wort
- Cold store your beer
- Filtration
- Finings
Non- Biological
- Opt for low-protein malts
- For all-grain brewing, ensure a long-completed mash
- Harness the power of finings
- Filtration
- Smaller dry hop or other hop products like hop oils
Ways to Clear Beverages
Fining Agents: Your Secret Weapon
Finings are additives you add to your beverage that make small particles and compounds clump together. As they clump together, they get heavier and sink to the bottom of the vessel, allowing the beverage to be more easily separated.
Finings are generally added in two places in the beer brewing process
In the boil kettle of the all-grain brewing process
- Irish Moss [Link]
- Deltafloc/ Whirl floc
In the fermenter
- Isinglass
- Chitosan [Link]
- Kieselsol [Link]
- Gelatine
Rapid Cooling & Cold Storage
When beverages are cooled, energy is removed from the particles and compounds in the beverage. With less energy, their weight has more of an effect on them, forcing them to drop to the bottom of the vessel quickly, allowing the beverage to be more easily separated.
Filtering
Commercial breweries will often use filtration methods like centrifuge filtration, which is very effective at removing particulates and larger compounds like proteins and polyphenols. Unfortunately, filtration of the non-biological haze-causing compounds is very difficult on a home scale. However, there are several products that will help with the biological haze removal, like these: Bouncer Products
The Clear Advantage
A bright, clear beer isn't just about aesthetics. It often boasts a smoother, less astringent flavour profile that many beer enthusiasts prefer. By mastering the art of clarity, you'll elevate your homebrews to a truly professional level.
So, are you ready to say goodbye to muddy pints and hello to crystal-clear perfection? Give these techniques a try, and you'll be amazed at the results. Cheers to clearer beers!
MYO Drinks
Helping you to make your own Great Batch from Scratch