Cloudy Ale

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

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andybrew2010
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Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 2:56 pm

Cloudy Ale

Post by andybrew2010 »

My beers have been hazy lately. Any idea? I do mostly ales. Is there a technique I may be missing? Filtering? Adding a floculant?
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slothrob
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cloudy beer

Post by slothrob »

There are a number of factors that can cause cloudy beer: pH, calcium concentration, conversion, protein concentration. A good place to start to avoid cloudy beer is to be sure you aren't using grains that require conversion, get a rolling boil, use a flocculant like Irish Moss or Whirlfloc, then chill well and fast.

Using a flocculant yeast can make a big difference, as well. Some British Yeast will often leave a very bright beer quite quickly, while American Ale or German Ale yeast, as much as I like their flavor, can be very slow to drop completely. I'm told that Gelatin can help bring down haze after the fermentation is complete, but I have always found that a couple weeks in the fridge does a pretty complete job of any last remaining haze.

Is the haze chill haze, meaning that it goes away when the beer warms up? That would indicate that it's proteins and phenols, as opposed to starch or yeast, which will help direct you to where you need to focus your treatment.
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