Black Hops Reserves Brew At Home Comp Round 1 (Hornet) Debrief + Diacetyl Tips
Black Hops Reserves Brew At Home Comp Round 1 (Hornet) Debrief + Diacetyl Tips
2022-01-29
Gabs-Revival-2020-Online-–-Friday-5-June
Gabs Revival 2020 Online – Friday 5 June
2022-01-30

Hazys Beers And How We Brew Them At Black Hops

Just like sour beers, hazy beers are all the rage in the Australian craft beer scene right now. Not too long ago, we discussed sour flavors and how to brew them on our blog. So now it’s time to delve into the vibrant, shadowy world of hazy IPAs.


It’s also a good time to add the longtime fanatic G.O.A.T. Hazy IPA to our core beer lineup.

The origins of juicy hazy beers: Hello, Nappas!


The origins of hazy beers can be traced back to a relatively new subcategory of IPA, the New England IPA. the name refers to where they originated, in the New England region of the northeastern United States (specifically in Vermont).


This style of American IPAs hazys is defined by their so-called “juicy” aromas and flavors. As their name implies, these beers can have a cloudy hue that makes them seem “hazy” rather than the clear, sparkling finish of beers like pale ales and lagers.


Its signature “haziness” is largely due to the style of yeast used, the hazys addition of high-protein malts, and the fact that it was heavily dry hopped during the brewing process. Overall, these beers are fuller and more bitter than your average IPA. In terms of taste,

 it is smoother and hazys creamier than other IPA beers.

It originated in 2004 as an IPA brewed by the Alchemist Brewery called Heady Topper. its cloudy, orange appearance,

 fruitiness and aroma are due to the fact that the beer was not filtered or pasteurized during the brewing process, producing a beer hazys rich in microorganisms, enzymes and compounds.

hazys-Beers-And-How-We-Brew-Them-At-Black-Hops

Since the rise of Nepa and the arrival of Haze fever, many different Hazy subgenres, such as Hazy Pale Ale, have become increasingly popular.


Then there is the offshoot or hazys sub-genre of Hazy, the milkshake IPA – now there are even milkshakes and Slushie IPAs! Originally seen by many as a fad, these beers use lactose and fruit additives to give them their signature creamy, juicy, full-bodied taste, 

as well as unfermented sugars and adjuncts like vanilla.
To date, on dark hops, we have focused primarily on brewing hazys IPAs, as well as a small number of double/royal and milkshake IPAs.

 in fact, we have eschewed brewing strictly defined NEIPAs, primarily because people think they have to look, smell, and taste a certain way. 

Their stylistic origins are actually quite diverse, but not in a way that challenges our choice to focus on the potential perception of hazy IPAs because of the broader acceptance parameters surrounding them.
You can find full details on all of the hazy beers we brewed below.


Juicy vs. Hazy vs. Cloudy

The terms “hazy” and “juicy” are often confused when describing hazy IPAs. The word “juicy” is used in conjunction with the word “fruity,” which is a descriptor used in brewing to indicate the flavor and aroma of certain hops and the esters hazys produced by the yeast. 

An ester is a fruit flavor produced during fermentation and formed during the brewing process through the esterification of ethanol. Most hazy beers are described as having a fruity or juicy flavor profile.


The origin of the word “hazy” actually dates back to the brewing world, when it was used to describe the presence of unwanted proteins suspended in beer. Today, it refers to beers that often have a cloudy hue or a hoppy shimmer.


But this is where things get a little tricky. For while a cloudy appearance is often a characteristic or byproduct of hazy beer, describing it as hazy or cloudy can be confusing. A gloomy beer like German Hefeweizens is quite different from the smooth fruit hazys bombs of typical hazy IPAs. 

Therefore, it is best to separate “cloudy” and “hazy” from “hazy” as far as terminology is concerned.
The science of making beer hazy, and how we brew beer in dark hops


Hazy beers acquire their hazy characteristics through several specific brewing factors, namely
Water chemistry
Yeast strain


The type of grains used
Type of hops and timing of additions


Avoidance of filtration and pasteurization
Chemistry


We use a perchlorosulfate ratio, which is the opposite of typical hoppy pale ales, but because of the extremely high hopping rate, hazys we are actually emphasizing the smooth malt body rather than the hops, as they represent the hops themselves.

Yeast

We use many different varieties of beer, often the fruitier, ester-driven English styles. There are a number of new craft yeast labs that specialize in breeding new hazy/juicy yeast strains for these styles of beers.

 We have also been using them for some time now and have even started planning a project to capture our own native wild strains for isolation and use.

Hops

Use fruit style hops, lots of dried hops, added after hazys the brewing process is boiled.
We like hops that are tropical fruits with a touch of humidity and pine. citra, mosaic, amarillo, columbus and riwaka are our regulars,

 but every year new experimental varieties come out that we like to play with. The likes of Sabro and Strata stand out in 2020.


When we add hops late in the boil (whirlpool), we lower the temperature to 85-90°C to limit the amount of bitter oil isomerization hazys and retain as much of the hop flavor compounds as possible.
Grains


High protein grains such as oats and wheat are often used to boost protein levels and help create the desired smoke.
Unfiltered and Pasteurized


Filtration is counter-intuitive when it comes to haziness, so we don’t do it when brewing them.
Pasteurization is also a difficult process when brewing this highly hoppy beer,

 which focuses on fresh flavor and aroma, but there are hazys modern ways to pasteurize these beers to extend shelf life. Nonetheless, this is not the method we have taken.
The hazy beers we’ve brewed so far


Since we started the haze craze in 2017 and brewed our first Haze Beetle juice, we’ve been steadily building a haze resume. Here’s what we’ve come up with so far (listed in alphabetical order)
Beetle Juice (Black Haze IPA)

hazys-Beers-And-How-We-Brew-Them-At-Black-Hops

We always enjoy a hazys fun beer for GABS, and after the success of our Caribbean Crusher single Hazy IPA, we thought it was worth trying a double release.


Caribbean Haze was brewed in collaboration with Mount Gay Rum at GABS 2019. Spiced with citrus, pineapple, mango and coconut, this Caribbean-style smoky Double American IPA is spiced with Mt Gay Black Barrel rum, adding fresh Caribbean flavors to an already hazys aromatic style.


The recipe was so well done that we ended up cooking it twice to make sure we could can a new version after the banter.

Tiantai Beer Tanks For Microbrewery