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  • 1.  Chill haze in bourbon barrel aged barleywine

    Posted 06-27-2022 15:53
    Hey all,
    We can never seem to get the haze out of our bourbon barrel aged barleywine and scratching our heads as to why.

    The beer starts at 25P with a base of Maris Otter and various caramalts and ferments out to about 5.5-6P and we drop to 60F to help remove as much yeast as possible. It spends 11-13 months in bourbon barrels then gets racked into a conical FV to be crashed to 31F before centrifuging into a bright tank.
    We have tried centrifuging it before barreling down at 55-60F and even fining with biofine when it is crashed post aging and then centrifuging and we still end up with a firmly opaque beer that will clear up when left to warm to room temperature.

    We don't have a filter so haven't tried that..

    Has anyone experienced this? Does anyone know where it is coming from or how we can make it clear? My guess is that it is some kind of interaction with the wood by specific malt constituents unique to this beer because we haven't had issues with haze on other spirit barrel aged beers.
    Any insight is appreciated!

    ------------------------------
    Jonathan Porter
    Owner/Brewer
    Smog City Brewing
    Torrance, CA
    porter@smogcitybrewing.com
    310-980-8201
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  • 2.  RE: Chill haze in bourbon barrel aged barleywine

    Posted 06-28-2022 17:38
    We have seen this same problem and its been very inconsistent for us. Some BBA Barleywines are clear and some have the same chill haze you are having. I think it has something to do with polyphenol interaction with the wood. I am following.

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    Shawn Adams
    Head Brewer
    Akronym Brewing
    Akron OH
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Chill haze in bourbon barrel aged barleywine

    Posted 06-28-2022 17:39
    We have had a similar problem in our BBA Barley wine and BBA Wee heavy it very inconsistent for batch to batch some a clear and other have chill haze. I think it is some polyphenol interaction with the oak. I am following this post.

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    Shawn Adams
    Head Brewer
    Akronym Brewing
    Akron OH
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Chill haze in bourbon barrel aged barleywine

    Posted 06-29-2022 16:04
    Porter,

    I've tried stuff that is more selective for polyphenols and that seems to really help.  Stuff like Polyclar.  It definitely is not a protein haze from the barrel aging that I've seen with these!

    Carbon filtration might help you out as well, but that requires a pad filter.

    ------------------------------
    Stephen Gonzalez
    Senior Manager of Brewing & Innovation
    Stone Brewing Co
    Escondido CA
    (760) 715-9213
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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