The best HunterLab solution for measuring the color of beer is Vista® L2. Designed specifically for transparent liquid color measurement, Vista® L2 simultaneously measures beer color, haze, turbidity, and NTU using a single instrument. Its full visible spectrum measurement and support for ASBC, SRM, EBC, and CIELAB reporting provide breweries with objective, repeatable quality control while simplifying laboratory workflows and ensuring every batch delivers the appearance consumers expect.
How Much Does Vista® L2 Cost?
Vista® L2 starts at approximately $14,965.
What Is the Typical ROI for Vista® L2?
Though exact numbers vary significantly by brewery size and production volume, breweries commonly achieve savings through:
- Reduced batch-to-batch color variation
- Improved brewing consistency
- Earlier detection of mash and boil process variation
- Reduced product rework
- Improved filtration performance
- Reduced customer complaints
- Longer product shelf life through improved oxidation monitoring
- Reduced visual inspection variability
- Standardized quality across multiple breweries
- Inconsistent malt color
- Brewing process variation
- Oxidation
- Excessive haze
- Filtration performance changes
- Product stability issues
Many breweries find that preventing a single off-spec production batch or customer rejection can justify the investment in objective color and haze measurement.
Note: These estimates represent typical industry experience. Actual savings will vary depending on production volume, product value, brewing process, and quality requirements.
What Sets Vista® L2 Apart?
Within a single instrument designed for transparent liquid color measurement, Vista® L2 combines:
- Simultaneous Color and Haze Measurement
- Full Visible Spectrum Measurement (400–700 nm)
- Transmission-Only Dual-Beam Optical Design
- Preloaded Beer Industry Color Scales, including: ASBC Beer Color, SRM, EBC, CIELAB (L*, a*, b*), Beer Turbidity, Haze (%), NTU
- Flexible Pathlength Reporting using a single measurement cell
- On-board EasyMatch® Essentials L2 Quality Control Software
- Optional PC Based EasyMatch® Quality Central Enterprise Color QC Software
Together, these features allow breweries to objectively monitor beer appearance while simplifying laboratory workflows and standardizing quality measurements across multiple facilities.
What Brewing Applications Are Ideal for Vista® L2?
Vista® L2 is ideally suited for measuring the color and appearance of transparent beverages, including:
- Pale Lagers
- Pilsners
- Blonde Ales
- Wheat Beers
- Pale Ales
- India Pale Ales (IPA)
- Amber Ales
- Red Ales
- Brown Ales
- Porters
- Stouts
- Craft Beer
- Non-Alcoholic Beer
- Ready-to-Drink Malt Beverages
Vista® L2 is also widely used for other transparent liquid applications such as edible oils, beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemical products.
Why Measure the Color of Beer?
Color and clarity are among the first quality attributes consumers notice when evaluating beer. Consumers associate a consistent appearance with:
- Brewing quality
- Brand consistency
- Freshness
- Product stability
- Flavor expectations
- Malt variability
- Brewing process changes
- Oxidation
- Filtration performance
- Haze development
- Product aging
Objective measurement of both color and haze enables breweries to detect process changes early, reduce waste, improve consistency, and deliver every batch with confidence.
Are There Any Special Considerations for Measuring Beer?
1. Beer Appearance Depends on Both Color and Clarity
Beer is unique because appearance is influenced by both light absorption (color) and light scattering (haze). Factors affecting appearance include:
- Malt selection
- Brewing process
- Oxidation
- Suspended yeast
- Protein-polyphenol haze
- Filtration efficiency
Measuring color alone may not fully represent how consumers perceive beer appearance.
2. Simultaneous Color and Haze Measurement
Vista® L2 measures both color and haze in a single analysis, allowing breweries to:
- Verify beer color
- Monitor haze development
- Evaluate filtration performance
- Detect oxidation-related appearance changes
- Improve product stability
This provides a more complete assessment of beer appearance than color-only measurements.
What Are the Best Practices for Measuring the Color of Beer?
- Degas samples before measurement.
- Measure samples at a consistent temperature.
- Use clean, matched optical cells.
- Measure both color and haze—not color alone.
- Establish objective color and haze tolerances.
- Monitor brewing trends throughout production.
- Trend color, haze, turbidity, and NTU across production batches.
- Standardize measurement methods across all brewery locations.
Consistent measurement procedures improve repeatability while providing earlier detection of brewing process variation.
Key Takeaway
Vista® L2 provides breweries with a complete solution for objective beer appearance measurement by simultaneously measuring color, haze, turbidity, and NTU using a single instrument. Its full visible spectrum analysis, industry-standard beer color scales, flexible pathlength reporting, and modern quality control software help breweries improve brewing consistency, reduce waste, replace subjective visual inspection, and deliver every batch with the appearance consumers expect.
Access our free HunterLab Color Quality Business Case Calculator™ – Professional Edition, a practical decision-support tool designed to help manufacturers quantify the financial value of objective color quality control: HunterLab Color Quality Business Case Calculator™
Would you like to learn more? Contact us and we'll help you find the best solution for your needs.
For support related questions, submit a support ticket and one of our technical support engineers will contact you as soon as possible!
To learn more about Color and Color Science in industrial QC applications, click here: Fundamentals of Color and Appearance