The Blog

Let it Ride IPA, two ways: Hazy, turbid beer on the left; clear, bright beer on the right, after a spin in the centrifuge.

The topic of beer clarity can get a little, ahem, hazy. So we sat down with Indeed Brewing Company's Quality Manager Daniel Howell to see if he could shed some light on a cloudy subject.

Daniel Howell, Quality Manager

What is beer clarity? Why does it matter?

Clarity is simply how clear a beer is or, in technical terms, a lack of turbidity. Chefs often say that you eat with your eyes first, and I would contend it is the same for beer. The clarity of a beer is the first impression that we, the brewers, get to make with the consumer. The desired clarity of our beer can vary from brand to brand from hazy, like Shenanigans Summer Ale, to very bright, like Let it Ride IPA. Whatever the style, we strive to achieve consistent clarity in every can or pint of Indeed beer consumed.

What causes haze?

When fermentation is complete, all beer is hazy and turbid. The overall turbidity of the beer can have contributions from all the ingredients that go into making beer, including yeast, malt, and hops.

Does Indeed filter their beer?

Most of the beer produced worldwide is filtered. However, at Indeed we have decided not to filter our beer. Filtering strips some of the natural character from the beer, and we've decided that we would prefer to present a beer to our customers that has the maximum possible character. Filtration also creates a large amount of waste. After filtration, the filter medium must be disposed of and, while compostable options do exist, this disposal typical means more refuse that is destined for the landfill.

What does Indeed do to reduce the haze in their beer?

Without filtration, there are three primary options to reduce haze in our beer: time, temperature, and "accelerated gravity" from our centrifuge.

• After fermentation is complete, all of Indeed's beers spend time in the fermentation tank conditioning, which allows the haze-causing particles to form and settle.
• After fermentation is complete, our beer is cooled to approximately 32F (or colder) to encourage haze particle to settle.
• If left cold for enough time, most of beer would become exceptionally bright. But, for many of our beers, that means we would be selling an already aged product. Instead, we use a centrifuge separator that, in a sense, "accelerates" gravity. The beer passing through a series a plates that are spinning very fast such that the particles in the beer are thrown to the side and the clear beer passes through.

After all that, why do I sometimes get hazy Indeed beer?

After our beer is centrifuged, it is very clear. But after centrifugation, the beer packaged, and exposed to a rather harsh environment: turbulence, oxygen and heat. All these "enemies of beer" combine to promote the combination of malt proteins and hop polyphenols. These newly formed particles start small and get bigger as the beer continues to age. Initially, these new particles are only visible when the beer is cold and will re-dissolve when the beer is warmed. Thus, this is aptly named "chill haze". As the particle grow even larger, they no longer re-dissolve when warmed and are referred to as "permanent haze".

How does this haze effect my beer?

The simple answer is that it doesn't. Neither of these forms of haze are more than cosmetic. They do not affect the flavor, aroma, or mouthfeel of the beer at all.

Well, there you have it, folks. Beer clarity, clarified! Thanks, Daniel.