I figure anyone reading this blog probably knows we recently underwent an expansion, which involved re-learning to brew on newer/bigger/fancier equipment. One of our most prized purchases was our centrifuge, which replaced our diatomaceous earth filter. With our old filter, all of our beer came out crystal clear (or “bright”, which I spell as “brite” when discussing beer clarity). With our new centrifuge, we can choose to make the beer as brite as we wish – it has the functionality to allow some amount of haze through if we choose to. Now you might well ask us why we would want to let haze through) if you were so inclined), and the answer is… Flavor? Aroma? Maybe?
There is a lot of chatter between brewers, and brewers and drinkers, that various hazes contain flavors that you might want expressed in the finished product. At high levels, those hazes may even add to a richer mouthfeel, which might be a cool thing. Or not. There is some amount of science backing some of the claims of the hazy-beer-tastes-better crowd, but some of it looks to me like serious voodoo bullshit. But hey, we have the ability now to play around with various levels of clarity, so play we will, at least until we decide what we like, what you guys like (or what sales will let us get away with).
So anyway, if you grab our beer and it isn’t as… crystalline as you are used to – that’s us, trying to figure out this whole flavor/haze thing. We are tasting all the time and once we are happy we will pick a direction. Sorry to make you our guinea pigs – I hope you enjoy the ride!
Thanks for continuing the expedition, Drakes! Looking forward to the clarity it brings…or lack thereof.
I have home brewed for some years now and I have on occation, had flavor packs to go with my beer. If you want a cloudy beer at a pack or if you want it clear, do not add the pack.
I actually experienced the other end of the spectrum – I poured a 4-oz taste of the Hefeweizen yesterday, and it’s actually quite clear (this may be because I only poured from the top of the bottle without swirling to pick up yeast).
I write this as I sit in your barrel room for my first visit. I’m from the East Coast(CT) and while I enjoyed the IPA and Foraging Raccoon, the Go Dumb does for the most part nail that “juicy” NE IPA thing, except it’s a bit too bitter. The good ones are not still fermenting and don’t have active yeast – I’ve had some of them too and they are spicy, burning messes. Treehouse, Hill Farmstead, Alchemist, Trillium, Other Half, etc are fully fermented, just hazy from the late dry hops, and no centrifuge 😉