RdeVjun
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 19/1/09
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MHB, as far as amateur brewing is concerned I don't think the point is to distinguish between cloudy and clear wort at the beer stage- the end product is the one that counts, and at face value, shouldn't there be most emphasis on the beer as- presented regardless of how it was made or what it looked like weeks and months ago?
Consider this- at BABB Annual comp 2010 I entered the maximum permissible six beers and every one of them landed a medal- a feat not achieved by any other club brewer, not to mention a first place and two thirds, but more importantly every one of them was a MaxiBIAB. Firstly that method yields quite cloudy runnings (like most other BIABs), secondly they were all colander- filtered meaning that it is probably the murkiest wort into the fermenter anyone would ever wish to see, while they weren't filtered post- ferment either, just secondary, PVPP and CC, nothing unusual about that, so it still leaves me wondering if the importance of clarity at various stages sometimes does get overstated. I just don't understand why I would want to anchor myself to particular outcomes throughout the process, even more-so when my own experiences indicate that they are not important.
Now, I won't advocate that murky wort in the kettle or fermenter = medals, however I would caution anyone who might be flipping out over clarity that there are bigger fish to fry than that and other challenges such as cleanliness and sanitation, temperature control, recipe formulation, ingredient quality, pitch rate and health, cold processes and water chemistry should be given precedence. As noted, dealing with or addressing these issues should cumulatively leave little to chance, however one other point I'd make is that a clarity 'issue' won't necessarily undo all of the brewers good work in overcoming all of the other challenges of making decent beer.
Anyway, that's my 2c...
Happy New Year, AHBers! :icon_cheers:
Consider this- at BABB Annual comp 2010 I entered the maximum permissible six beers and every one of them landed a medal- a feat not achieved by any other club brewer, not to mention a first place and two thirds, but more importantly every one of them was a MaxiBIAB. Firstly that method yields quite cloudy runnings (like most other BIABs), secondly they were all colander- filtered meaning that it is probably the murkiest wort into the fermenter anyone would ever wish to see, while they weren't filtered post- ferment either, just secondary, PVPP and CC, nothing unusual about that, so it still leaves me wondering if the importance of clarity at various stages sometimes does get overstated. I just don't understand why I would want to anchor myself to particular outcomes throughout the process, even more-so when my own experiences indicate that they are not important.
Now, I won't advocate that murky wort in the kettle or fermenter = medals, however I would caution anyone who might be flipping out over clarity that there are bigger fish to fry than that and other challenges such as cleanliness and sanitation, temperature control, recipe formulation, ingredient quality, pitch rate and health, cold processes and water chemistry should be given precedence. As noted, dealing with or addressing these issues should cumulatively leave little to chance, however one other point I'd make is that a clarity 'issue' won't necessarily undo all of the brewers good work in overcoming all of the other challenges of making decent beer.
Anyway, that's my 2c...
Happy New Year, AHBers! :icon_cheers:
