Brewing is a complex process involving intricate biochemistry and physical chemistry. In the course of brewing a beer the brewer is, in essence, enabling stabilisation and clarification which ultimately will lead to a colloidally stable beer. Colloidal haze or non-biological haze occurs when haze sensitive proteins and polyphenols combine or complex forming larger molecules that cause visual turbidity. As a result, the physical-chemical stability and quality of a beer will deteriorate over time, and especially if storage conditions are less than adequate.

Haze active proteins and polypeptides derived from barley proteins (hordeins) that are involved with protein polyphenol complexation have proline rich regions which form binding sites for the proline recognition sites on polyphenols.

Colloidal haze can be chill haze, which occur at low temperatures because of weak hydrogen bonds between proteins and small polymerised polyphenols and disappear when the beer is warmed, or permanent haze, which results from stronger covalent bonds between haze sensitive proteins and further polymerised polyphenols giving larger complexed molecules and does not dissolve when the beer is warmed.

The extent to which a beer needs colloidal haze stabilisation depends on the required shelf life and on the storage conditions of the packaged beer.