What Makes Murk, Murk?

What Makes Murk, Murk?

You may have wondered why, in a world of hazy IPAs, we at Pure Project call our version “murky”. And beyond that, what gives a murky beer that recognizable, super opaque body that many beer enthusiasts love so much? Well, let’s hop right into it! 

 

WHAT DOES MURKY MEAN, ANYWAY? 

Back when hazy IPAs started hitting the brew scene here in San Diego, the style was not initially welcomed with open arms. Comments like “hazy is lazy” were common, but we decided to have fun with it anyway—as brewing and the wonderful world of beer are meant to be fun. 

“Murky” was our tongue-in-cheek description of the style that was getting so much backlash. It’s our version of a hazy, or juicy, IPA, and—described by our head brewer, Winslow—it is “an opaque celebration of the fruity and tropical flavors that hops can provide.”

 

LET’S TALK SCIENCE: what makes it murky?

The murkiness of these brews is mainly thanks to two things: using high protein grains in the mash and heavy dry hopping at the end of—or post-fermentation.

Simply put, when protein molecules from the grains merge with the polyphenols in hops, something beautiful happens: A remarkable cloudy appearance forms (the scientific name for this, as brewers and scientists know it, is a colloidal haze). This haze remains stable and intact because the molecules don’t easily dissipate in water, and scatter light throughout the liquid (aka the Tyndall effect).

Using a lighter pilsner malt also contributes to that glorious straw to light golden color you typically see in a murky. Plus, dry hopping/adding the hops post-boil also helps to achieve those juicy, mouthwatering flavors and creamy mouthfeel with low bitterness that makes this style so unique.

 

how pure does murk

Our murkies are different in more ways than just the name. Winslow has created a proprietary, flocculating yeast strain for these brews (fun fact: this flocculating yeast makes it so we don’t have a yeast cake at the bottom of our cans!). And as using high quality ingredients is a must for us, we also like to showcase California-grown malts from Admiral Maltings in our beers.

Plus, by using carbon filtered San Diego water and brewing them with that special local touch, it gives the beer a slightly higher bitterness and dryness than, say, a New England IPA. We aim to have balance and mild bitterness in these beers rather than simply being sweet—we still want the beer to be refreshing and palatable for this San Diego weather.

On the hoppy side of things, we gravitate towards fruity tropical hop varieties when brewing this style to create a juicier beer. You’ll mainly see Pacific Northwest hops in our brews, which we hand select from Yakima Chief in Washington, as well as New Zealand hops, which are grown using sustainable practices and produce amazing fruity flavors. Be on the lookout for guava, pineapple, citrus, stone fruits, and a plethora of other fruits gracing your palate when you sip a murk.

P.S. Have you heard about our participation in NZ Hops’ Bract Brewing Programme? Learn more here.

 

ALL THIS BEER TALK GOT US THIRSTY…

Inspired to drink something hoppy and refreshing? Check out all of our IPAs, both murky and non-murky, here.