Should beer ever be cloudy?

[Toyoda]

I'm a big fan of real ales but have had a couple of cloudy ones from hand pulls lately. Usually things settle after a couple of minutes but these have been cloudy and have even had a bit of sediment left in the bottom. Is this bad or just the way it is?

The latest was a Hobgoblin Gold from my local Wetherspoons. I know spoons isn't the last word in quality and have heard the usual stories about them buying beer that's nearing it's best before date, but whether that's true or even relevant, this beer tasted absolutely fine. Plus spoons proudly advertise their Cask Marque status. I had a couple of pints of it and I saw they were selling it in the meantime so clearly it wasn't the start or end of the barrel. Pleased to report no ill after effects but it got me wondering about the clarity of beer. I'm sure I was always told it should settle nice and clear. Worth noting that I favour the gold/lighter beers where it's easier to spot cloudyness.

I suppose with spoons they change their hand pulls every week (perhaps due to buying whatever's cheap at the time) and maybe they're not giving the keg time to settle or maybe it's dubious practices in flushing the lines. Still, it remains popular with myself and the old guys!

[Truckosaurus]

Traditional real ale should always be clear, but fashionable 'craft beer' from a keg is sometimes cloudy either because it has not been filtered (and therefore meant to have more flavour) or the brewer doesn't know what he is doing.

[Toyoda]

Truckosaurus said:

Traditional real ale should always be clear, but fashionable 'craft beer' from a keg is sometimes cloudy either because it has not been filtered (and therefore meant to have more flavour) or the brewer doesn't know what he is doing.

It's a good point but what would you call traditional real ale? Something like Theakstons Best Bitter? Even the traditionals seem to be jumping on the 'craft' bandwagon and using the term interchangably. Hand-crafted is another meaningless phrase doing the rounds. Nevertheless, the cloudy beers I've had have been from big companies, not some microbrewery in a pub's back garden.

[SpeckledJim]

Real ale has a very tight definition.

Un-pasteurised, so 'living' and hand-pulled.

Lots of the beer you see called 'craft' is just to try to distinguish it from nitro.

Stuff like Brew Dog isn't real ale, but is labelled 'craft' to justify £5.50 a pint.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Some of the pale ales will tend to have a protein haze. Nowt to worry about.

[oxford drinker]

More and more real ales are now un-fined - so naturally cloudy. Whether this is just a fad, or whether it's the easiest way to make them vegan - I'm not sure, but when preparing the beer list for last year's festival here in Oxford around 30 of the 140 beers were unfined. Only a couple of years ago this was a max of 1 or 2.

[soad]

Toyoda said:

IStill, it remains popular with myself and the old guys!

A drink that improves with each sip?

[Smollet]

I drink a lot of ale and tbh if I get a pint I know well is cloudy I always return it. Some of the wheat beers are cloudy by nature but I'm no fan of them.

[feef]

oxford drinker said:

More and more real ales are now un-fined - so naturally cloudy. Whether this is just a fad, or whether it's the easiest way to make them vegan - I'm not sure, but when preparing the beer list for last year's festival here in Oxford around 30 of the 140 beers were unfined. Only a couple of years ago this was a max of 1 or 2.

There are plenty of alternative finings to diatomaceous earth or isinglass, so don't think the vegan argument holds up
It's not unlike the non-chilled-filtered whiskies that are now becoming more common

[wombleh]

The bottles of hobgoblin gold in my garage are clear. I don't think they have a different brew for draft (unlike the normal hobgoblin).

Weatherspoon here advertises a real ale festival from time to time where they put out big menus with lots of interesting sounding beer, none of which ever seems to be on tap. Very odd!

[JakeT]

Blue Moon is rather cloudy... Supposedly a craft Beer and I've only had it in the North East U.S... Quite like it though.

[otolith]

You can buy Blue Moon in the supermarkets in the UK. It's a wheat beer, it's meant to be cloudy.

[loafer123]

JakeT said:

Blue Moon is rather cloudy... Supposedly a craft Beer and I've only had it in the North East U.S... Quite like it though.

How often do you have it?

[markcoznottz]

Toyoda said:

I'm a big fan of real ales but have had a couple of cloudy ones from hand pulls lately. Usually things settle after a couple of minutes but these have been cloudy and have even had a bit of sediment left in the bottom. Is this bad or just the way it is?

The latest was a Hobgoblin Gold from my local Wetherspoons. I know spoons isn't the last word in quality and have heard the usual stories about them buying beer that's nearing it's best before date, but whether that's true or even relevant, this beer tasted absolutely fine. Plus spoons proudly advertise their Cask Marque status. I had a couple of pints of it and I saw they were selling it in the meantime so clearly it wasn't the start or end of the barrel. Pleased to report no ill after effects but it got me wondering about the clarity of beer. I'm sure I was always told it should settle nice and clear. Worth noting that I favour the gold/lighter beers where it's easier to spot cloudyness.

I suppose with spoons they change their hand pulls every week (perhaps due to buying whatever's cheap at the time) and maybe they're not giving the keg time to settle or maybe it's dubious practices in flushing the lines. Still, it remains popular with myself and the old guys!

Only popular because of the price that's all. They don't do something right that's for sure. Go to a proper pub and the difference is instant, the amount of carbonation, temperature etc. I had a pint of carling cold in a real ale pub and I was really shocked it tasted I imagine how the brewery wants it to, and so easy to drink, that's the word I'd use , easy.

[SwanJack]

markcoznottz said:

Toyoda said:

I'm a big fan of real ales but have had a couple of cloudy ones from hand pulls lately. Usually things settle after a couple of minutes but these have been cloudy and have even had a bit of sediment left in the bottom. Is this bad or just the way it is?

The latest was a Hobgoblin Gold from my local Wetherspoons. I know spoons isn't the last word in quality and have heard the usual stories about them buying beer that's nearing it's best before date, but whether that's true or even relevant, this beer tasted absolutely fine. Plus spoons proudly advertise their Cask Marque status. I had a couple of pints of it and I saw they were selling it in the meantime so clearly it wasn't the start or end of the barrel. Pleased to report no ill after effects but it got me wondering about the clarity of beer. I'm sure I was always told it should settle nice and clear. Worth noting that I favour the gold/lighter beers where it's easier to spot cloudyness.

I suppose with spoons they change their hand pulls every week (perhaps due to buying whatever's cheap at the time) and maybe they're not giving the keg time to settle or maybe it's dubious practices in flushing the lines. Still, it remains popular with myself and the old guys!

Only popular because of the price that's all. They don't do something right that's for sure. Go to a proper pub and the difference is instant, the amount of carbonation, temperature etc. I had a pint of carling cold in a real ale pub and I was really shocked it tasted I imagine how the brewery wants it to, and so easy to drink, that's the word I'd use , easy.

A proper pub wouldn't be selling Carling in any shape or form (currently drinking a Leffe Triple which is cloudy and far too easy, even at 8.5%)

Edited by SwanJack on Tuesday 31st May 20:22

[markcoznottz]

SwanJack said:

markcoznottz said:

Toyoda said:

I'm a big fan of real ales but have had a couple of cloudy ones from hand pulls lately. Usually things settle after a couple of minutes but these have been cloudy and have even had a bit of sediment left in the bottom. Is this bad or just the way it is?

The latest was a Hobgoblin Gold from my local Wetherspoons. I know spoons isn't the last word in quality and have heard the usual stories about them buying beer that's nearing it's best before date, but whether that's true or even relevant, this beer tasted absolutely fine. Plus spoons proudly advertise their Cask Marque status. I had a couple of pints of it and I saw they were selling it in the meantime so clearly it wasn't the start or end of the barrel. Pleased to report no ill after effects but it got me wondering about the clarity of beer. I'm sure I was always told it should settle nice and clear. Worth noting that I favour the gold/lighter beers where it's easier to spot cloudyness.

I suppose with spoons they change their hand pulls every week (perhaps due to buying whatever's cheap at the time) and maybe they're not giving the keg time to settle or maybe it's dubious practices in flushing the lines. Still, it remains popular with myself and the old guys!

Only popular because of the price that's all. They don't do something right that's for sure. Go to a proper pub and the difference is instant, the amount of carbonation, temperature etc. I had a pint of carling cold in a real ale pub and I was really shocked it tasted I imagine how the brewery wants it to, and so easy to drink, that's the word I'd use , easy.

A proper pub wouldn't be selling Carling in any shape or form

I drink ipa, Guinness almost anything, so in the summer if I'm on a session I will drink cold draught lager. But the point is the same, spoons had kids as managers who are not ensuring the drink is within guidelines, I suppose you get what you pay for.