What's With the Sediment in My Beer?

This is a follow up post to my post on sediment in wine,  A lot of the same questions apply to beer, and some of the answers are very different.  What is the sediment in my beer?  Is it good?  Is it bad?  Should I drink it?

First, what is the sediment?  Like wine, there are a couple of answers to this.  The most common answer is that it is the yeast remaining in the beer.  This happens for two reasons.  One is because a beer was bottled unfiltered.  The other is that a beer went through bottle conditioning.  There are some situations in which a sediment or haze could be a sign of bad handling of the beer some time between brewing and consumption.  Mostly, though, this is a deliberate choice by the brewer, whether traditional or untraditional to the particular style of beer.  Unfiltered beers have dead yeast cells (lees) deliberately left in the beer in order to contribute to the flavor, color, and body of the beer.

Bottle conditioned beers undergo a secondary fermentation, usually with the intention of adding carbonation naturally, in their bottle.  The dead (or, in some fresh, bottle conditioned beer, even living) yeast obviously remains in the bottle.

In terms of if the sediment is good or bad, with the exception of beers which are not intentionally hazy, the haze and sediment is usually a good thing.

Should you drink it?

Well, that's really quite a subjective question.  The lees add flavor, body, and texture to a beer.  They are also, apparently, quite nutritious, offering protein and lots of vitamins.  That being said, I'm a big texture person, so too much can leave a chalky or gritty mouth feel.  This is why, at a great beer bar, the server will ask you, before serving you a beer which throws sediment, if you like the sediment.

My personal preference varies on the size of the bottle the beer comes in.  That sounds strange, right?

Well, if a beer comes in individual serving bottles, and has been poured properly, and is agitated ever so slightly before service, the sediment is spread out throughout the beer and quite manageable.  If, however, the beer is served in a large format bottle (like a 750ml bottle), and has been sitting upright, ALL of the sediment is likely to be present in the last glass served.  That's a bit much for my personal taste.  Similarly, draft weiss beers and belgians often throw a lot of sediment, even enough to turn them from pale gold to hazy gray in color, toward the bottom of the keg, particularly if they are served upright.  Those last few glasses are a bit too much sediment for me.

At the end of the day, if you are drinking a Belgian beer, a wheat beer, or even some British styles, chances are the sediment in your beer is harmless at worst, and tasty at best.  It's really your choice whether to indulge or stick to just the liquid!