Hop stand method and hazy beer....advice...help?

[iamwhatiseem]

I just finished trying the first bottle of the 2nd beer where I have used the hop stand method.
1) If you haven't tried hop standing - do so!! It produces outstanding hop flavors! In all of the IPA's I have made, they have gotten better...even damn good. But never quite as good as commercial IPA's by great hopologist like 3 Floyds, Founders...Stone...etc. Just not as good as those guys. And I always thought - well I may never make beer as good as they do. Until I tried hop standing. WOW. What a difference! These two beers are bursting with fruity and tropical flavors. I am so pleased.

But...they are both hazy. The flavor is outstanding...but the clarity is sub par.
Advice and help, as always greatly appreciated.

Questions...
1) I use hop pellets. Is it better to hop stand with whole leaf?
2) My method...
After flame out I put in the hops and use the immersion chiller to continuously stir and keep the hops suspended. Awkward, but it does work. I will continue to do this for 15 or 20 minutes before beginning to chill.
Once I turn the chill pump on I continue to stir as always to help the chilling process.
That's it. Once it gets to about 85 degrees or so I pour the wort into the fermenter.

Thanks for any responses....
Cheers!

 

[wilserbrewer]

Some highly acclaimed ipa's are hazy as well, so maybe you are emulating them perfectly. Perhaps longer cold storage for a week or two would drop the beer clear.

 

[Craigmn]

First: why does it matter if it's clear? Not being a jerk, it's just a question to start with.

Second: a lot of breweries filter or centrifuge prior to packaging so that could be th difference

 

[Yooper]

I just finished trying the first bottle of the 2nd beer where I have used the hop stand method.
1) If you haven't tried hop standing - do so!! It produces outstanding hop flavors! In all of the IPA's I have made, they have gotten better...even damn good. But never quite as good as commercial IPA's by great hopologist like 3 Floyds, Founders...Stone...etc. Just not as good as those guys. And I always thought - well I may never make beer as good as they do. Until I tried hop standing. WOW. What a difference! These two beers are bursting with fruity and tropical flavors. I am so pleased.

But...they are both hazy. The flavor is outstanding...but the clarity is sub par.
Advice and help, as always greatly appreciated.

Questions...
1) I use hop pellets. Is it better to hop stand with whole leaf?
2) My method...
After flame out I put in the hops and use the immersion chiller to continuously stir and keep the hops suspended. Awkward, but it does work. I will continue to do this for 15 or 20 minutes before beginning to chill.
Once I turn the chill pump on I continue to stir as always to help the chilling process.
That's it. Once it gets to about 85 degrees or so I pour the wort into the fermenter.

Thanks for any responses....
Cheers!

Try chilling to 70 before putting the wort in the fermenter. You may be having hazy beer due to the lack of a good cold break.

Do you use whirlfloc or Irish moss in the kettle? That can make a huge difference in final beer clarity.

I whirlpool, dryhop, and use tons of hops in my beers and clarity isn't an issue for me.

 

[Natdavis777]

I whirlpool, dryhop, and use tons of hops in my beers and clarity isn't an issue for me.

Same here. I have an IPA on tap that has an insane amount of late/whirlpool/dryhop additions and it was transparent within 2 weeks after kegging, without fining agents.

I would say additional cold storage would help clear out the beer.

 

[uncleleon]

If is hop resins you are seeing, they aren't going to drop out completely. The last half of the keg will be bright but all your resins will be gone and you will not have quite the hop flavor.

 

[afro_lou]

lol, wut? [emoji651]️

If I'm not mistaken, it's not "hop resins" you're seeing, but chill haze, which has to do with proteins in suspension. The reason that hop flavor/aroma decrease it that hop oils are volatile, therefore degrade with time. If you're actually seeing chunks of hops in your beer, you probably need to be more careful during transfers.

Right?

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Try chilling to 70 before putting the wort in the fermenter. You may be having hazy beer due to the lack of a good cold break.

Do you use whirlfloc or Irish moss in the kettle? That can make a huge difference in final beer clarity.

I whirlpool, dryhop, and use tons of hops in my beers and clarity isn't an issue for me.

This might be the problem.
I brewed both of these beers when it was too cold outside to run the outside tap so I improvise by using a steelhead pump to recirculate water using the hot liquor tank with 3-4 "ice cubes" made using gallon milk jugs.
But the ice melts (obviously) very fast and the remaining water is not cool enough to get the wort below 80-85.
I will have to come up with something else.
Thanks!

To answer other post...it is not hop chunks in the beer. It is not particles in the beer making it cloudy...it is just hazy. Opaque.

Why do I care if the flavor is good? Well...not saying I am not enjoying it - I am!
But how can I be proud of the beer to fellow brewers looking like this? The perfect beer. Isn't that what we all want to make?

 

[ricshayne]

a good cold crashing may help

 

[zeekage]

Some of the best IPAs out there are hazy as can be. I say run with it if it doesn't really bother you.

Some examples from the Northeast:

 

[wilserbrewer]

My thoughts exactly zeekage, excellent pics and examples. If you were to fine and clear the examples above, they would no longer be what has gained them such praise.

Some highly acclaimed ipa's are hazy as well, so maybe you are emulating them perfectly. Perhaps longer cold storage for a week or two would drop the beer clear.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Some of the best IPAs out there are hazy as can be. I say run with it if it doesn't really bother you.

Some examples from the Northeast:

Let it be said that you know how to make a point!

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Well here it is...it may be a little murky...but really good. Probably the best IPA I have made thus far.

 

[Culbetron]

If you're dry hopping, you are probably getting haze from that as well.

A good boil, kettle finings, a good cold break, cold crash, and gelatin are all things that help with clarity.

I would not worry about clarity an IPA though. Dial in the clarity in a beer style that needs it.

Now I'm thirsty looking at your picture!

 

[bwible]

First: why does it matter if it's clear? Not being a jerk, it's just a question to start with.

Second: a lot of breweries filter or centrifuge prior to packaging so that could be th difference

It matters. We eat and drink with our eyes as much as we do with our taste buds. Restaurants go to great lengths to plate food and make it attractive. You wouldn’t like it if you ordered food and they threw it on the plate haphazard and didn’t care how it looked or what was touching what or mixed in with what. We used to scrape everybody’s leftovers after dinner into one bowl to feed our dog. Do you eat like that?

Beer is supposed to be clear. This hop haze and NEIPA idea is a very recent creation/abomination in the history of beer - and not everyone is a fan

 

[JoeMamasIPA]

It matters. We eat and drink with our eyes as much as we do with our taste buds. Restaurants go to great lengths to plate food and make it attractive. You wouldn’t like it if you ordered food and they threw it on the plate haphazard and didn’t care how it looked or what was touching what or mixed in with what. We used to scrape everybody’s leftovers after dinner into one bowl to feed our dog. Do you eat like that?

Beer is supposed to be clear. This hop haze and NEIPA idea is a very recent creation/abomination in the history of beer - and not everyone is a fan

The irony from 5 years ago is not lost on this statement.