Another Look at BioHaze™
What is BioHaze™?
It’s a natural process aid derived from gum acacia and tannic acid that creates a shelf-stable hazy, turbid appearance. Tannic acid reacts with proteins in the beverage matrix to create the haze, and gum acacia stabilizes it – without it, tannic acid products alone will eventually cause the haze to precipitate.
Why would a brewer use BioHaze™?
BioHaze™ can help packaged beer maintain haze for up to 6 months; small-scale trials will allow brewers to fine-tune the exact appearance of their product. BioHaze™ also fosters improved mouthfeel and enhanced foam stability – also desirable attributes for hazy beer styles.
Moreover, BioHaze™ can be used in a standard recipe – no need to reformulate the grist or alter brewhouse process to add a new hazy beer to your portfolio. Turn a clear lager into a kellerbier, or a standard pale ale or west coast IPA into a juicy, hazy version.
How do you use BioHaze™ in the brewhouse?
BioHaze™ is best added post-filtration (or at the end of the cold-side process if not filtering). Pre-filtration additions will cause the tannin-protein complex to be removed; since cold conditioning removes proteins that are more likely to sediment out, adding BioHaze™ prior to cold conditioning is also not recommended.
Other factors affecting BioHaze™ performance are:
- Dose rate – the recommended dose is 0.1 – 0.25 lbs/bbl (50 – 100g/hL). Too high of a dose can actually impair haze stability – trials are recommended to find the sweet spot for your recipe and process.
- Grist composition – BioHaze™ works best in a “standard” recipe, where malt makes up the majority of the grist. The combination of BioHaze™ with a large percentage of unmalted wheat, oats, or rye can actually impair haze stability – the large, unstable proteins of these grains create an “overreaction” with BioHaze™ that will become temporarily cloudier, but precipitate quickly and leave a clear beer.
- Hop rate – similarly, high hop bitterness can destabilize the tannin-protein complex and cause it to sediment out. BioHaze™ performs best in recipes with bitterness levels lower than approximately 50 IBU.
For more info:
BioHaze™ Info Sheet from Kerry
“Haze for Days in Your IPAs” – BSG Webinar with Jonathan Doyle and Eoin Lalor from Kerry