Why is it always so cloudy? A rant about appropriate labeling

[NeoBrew]

So, to those of you who like cloudy NEIPA, this is nothing against you or the beer. It’s great that we are innovating and continuing to take this thousands of year old pastime into new territory.

That being said, it seems like the new obsession with these beers is lowering the bar for every beer on the tap list! I’m not a big fan of NEIPAs as of yet. Call me a traditionalist if you must.

What I am sick of is ordering a well know style like IPA at a bar and getting a glass of milky juice! Last night was the final straw for me. I was at a local place that has a pretty decent tap list. I ordered a pale ale from a local brewery and got something that looked like half beer half milk!!! Really? A pale ale?

It also seems like all styles across the board randomly come less than “brite”. Is this just my imagination or are people using this cloudy trend as an excuse to push less than great beer out the door?

I’m thankful that the BJPC has created a new beer style for NEIPAs. I just hope people start putting the info on the menu! Most of the time the servers don’t even comprehend the question when I ask if a beer is going to be cloudy.

For the time being I guess I’m going to stick to known beers and stop trying new things. Which is pretty sad.

Is this just me? What do you think?

 

[mongoose33]

A better term might be "hazy." I just brewed a hazy IPA, and that's the label I'll put on it when describing it to other people.

BTW: I generally don't care for traditional overly-bitter IPAs, so when I see new stuff that isn't in that category on a taplist, I see it as a cause for rejoicing. To each his own.

 

[ong]

Just because of how it looks? I’ve never really thought that was a big deal. I care about aroma and flavor.

 

[NeoBrew]

Just because of how it looks? I’ve never really thought that was a big deal. I care about aroma and flavor.

I care about aroma and flavor too. I don’t believe we need to be a slave to the BJPC guidelines either. But as a consumer I feel it’s really hard to be informed about what I’m going to get in my glass. Here’s the appearance section of the American pale ale category.

“Appearance: Pale golden to deep amber. Moderately large white to off-white head with good retention. Generally quite clear, although dry-hopped versions may be slightly hazy.”

What I got was not slightly hazy but actually milky. I’m sure purposely so to be a NE Pale Ale, if there is such a thing. It exhibited very little to no hop bitterness, which the guidelines say should be “moderate to high”.

Again, not knocking people for making or drinking these “juicy” and fruity hop beers. I would just appreciate the brewer and servers would give some indication it’s not a pale ale.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, asking for a sample is never wrong and tends to reduce public displays of aggravation...

Cheers!

 

[NeoBrew]

fwiw, asking for a sample is never wrong and tends to reduce public displays of aggravation...

Cheers!

That is a great tip.