One problem homebrewers face is Beer Haze. Now, being an avid beer drinker, I understand that certain types of beer are supposed to have a certain level of cloudiness. Not only does haze affect the look of your drink, it can also give you a horrible tasting drink that you wouldn’t want to drink if your life depended on it. Beer haze occurs when the brewing and fermentation process is over and can be a sign of some unwanted problems. Cloudiness can indicate an infection in your beer due to the use of wild yeasts or bacteria resulting in improper hygiene causing the beer to spoil. In this case, the haze cannot be corrected and the beer cannot be recovered. These are called biological mists. Always practice good hygiene when it comes to your equipment and always use yeast that has good flocculating characteristics for better beer clarity.
Non-biological mists fall into two categories: cold mist and permanent mist. Cold haze occurs when the beer gets cold, and the haze dissolves when the beer is heated to 20 degrees Celsius or higher. Permanent haze is when the haze remains even if the beer is at room temperature. Proteins and polyphenols (tannins) are also contributing factors to non-biological haze. Polyphenols are extracted from beer ingredients during the brewing and fermentation process, so polyphenols will be in your beer naturally, regardless of your brewing method or the type of beer you’re making. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to combat the problem.
If you have a beer that contains a lot of yeast, you can try a technique called cold conditioning for a few days to dispel the haze. If that doesn’t work, just filter out the yeast. Too much yeast haze is a simple problem and very easy to fix. Always use the freshest ingredients possible. Using fresh malt and hops would be an advantage in combating haze. Check the water for carbonates. Water with carbonates in excess of 20 ppm will affect the pH of the mash. Boil water for 15 to 30 minutes to reduce hardness. If the calcium level in the water is insufficient, add calcium chloride to the water before boiling. The pH of your mash should not be higher than 5.3. If you see the pH of your mash go above 5.3, you can add lactic acid to alter the pH. Protein debris and proper separation of the wort from hot and cold breaks before fermentation can minimize the risk of cloudiness in the beer.
If your beer is an all grain beer, your spray method may contribute to cloudy beer. The spray water temperature should not exceed 70 or 75 degrees Celsius. If the pH starts to rise above 5.3 during spraying, stop spraying. Add lactic acid to the water to lower the pH of liquids, then resume spraying. Using Irish moss in your boil can also help with beer haze. The recommended amount is 5 g per 5 gallon batch. Make sure the moss is rehydrated before adding it to the boil. Make sure you have a good boil and never boil for more than 2 hours. Let the beer sit for 15 minutes after boiling for the hops to settle. Chill your brew as quickly as possible after boiling to allow for proper cold break formation.