Keeping the head

[thrums1]

I have brewed a couple of Brewbarrle kits and the beer tastes very good to me (with my untrained pallet) however, the heads begin well but drop off very quickly resembling a flat beer, although it's still fizzy.

What causes this, as there seems to be plenty of carbonation? Is there anything. Can I do to help keep a good head on it?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

How do you clean your glass?

 

[thrums1]

Under the tap - not the dishwasher.

 

[marshbrewer]

Does the 2nd pint hold its head better than the first?

 

[thrums1]

I haven't noticed any difference really. What are you thinking?

 

[marshbrewer]

Well, I find that my second pint in the same glass keeps a healthy head, which suggests its something in the glass killing the head that get washed away with the first pint. No idea what it is ~ and rinsing the glass before hand seams to make no difference.

 

[Pirate_Pete]

I can't remember who told me to do this, but I steep a bit of grain and add that to my beer.

Carapils is the grain I use a fair bit. It seems to put a nice head on a beer. Maybe too much at times.
I put anywhere from 180-200 grams of carapils in a saucepan of boiled water that has cooled to 75C.
Leave it in there for 30-40 minutes. Remove the grain and boil the liquid for 10 minutes.
Add it to your FV with the other ingredients.

I tend to steep a bit of grain for all my beers now. Carapils, Crystal or Choc Malt in stouts.

I've not really used it except when I used the Coopers BE mixes but maltodextrin is also supposed to be good for head retention.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Under the tap - not the dishwasher.

That rules out it being washing up liquid etc that is causing it.

 

[ukphiltr7]

With the few beers I have done, the head was always an issue for me and I have only just been able to get a decent one. The Coopers larger now has got great carbonation and head retention. It is nearly 2 months in the bottle though. Shame I only have 3 more bottles left now lol.

The guy at my local brew shop said that there is an agent in standard washing up liquid that does not help the head stay around. The agent helps glasses drip dry by allowing water to run off them, this the same for the beer head too. He said not to wash glasses in noAl washing up liquid and to only use water or brewing cleaner. Also he said that if any glasses in the localendar pub get washed by mistake in washing up liquid, they soak them in salt water then rinse with water.

Also a friend of mine who does homebrew said to put the glass in the freezer for an hour before you want a drink.

So armed with this information I went to ikea and brought some more glasses. They was swill d in clean water and the head seems to be better now and the drink is cool too.

 

[Bigcol49]

I've not really used it except when I used the Coopers BE mixes but maltodextrin is also supposed to be good for head retention.

Hi!
I always added maltodextrin to my kit brews to improve body and head retention.

 

[Pirate_Pete]

With the few beers I have done, the head was always an issue for me and I have only just been able to get a decent one. The Coopers larger now has got great carbonation and head retention. It is nearly 2 months in the bottle though. Shame I only have 3 more bottles left now lol.

The guy at my local brew shop said that there is an agent in standard washing up liquid that does not help the head stay around. The agent helps glasses drip dry by allowing water to run off them, this the same for the beer head too. He said not to wash glasses in noAl washing up liquid and to only use water or brewing cleaner. Also he said that if any glasses in the localendar pub get washed by mistake in washing up liquid, they soak them in salt water then rinse with water.

Also a friend of mine who does homebrew said to put the glass in the freezer for an hour before you want a drink.

So armed with this information I went to ikea and brought some more glasses. They was swill d in clean water and the head seems to be better now and the drink is cool too.

Putting the glasses in a freezer makes them act like a glass that has been etched. I have a few of those. The etching or ice cause nucleation.
They tend to use them in pubs and clubs here in Australia. Makes the beer stay or at least appear to stay fizzy longer.

A nucleation point on a beer glass refers to an etched mark or pattern on the bottom of the inside of a beer glass. The etching is called a nucleation point (or a widget in the UK) and helps the release of carbonation and can create a steady stream of bubble emanating from the etched portion of the glass.

 

[Fil]

my tips..

#1 ensure you dont use any soaps or detergents in the clean up, these all contain head killing elements that resist rinsing off.. generic unscented laundry oxi makes a very effective poormans PBW and works very well with no rinse sanitisers..

#2 if all else fails get yourself a 10-20ml syringe, simply drawing up a syringe full of beer and squirting it back into the glass will place a head a yorkshireman would like on his beer, its so effective that its aka 'the pocket beer engine'

#3 wheat additions upto about 5% in the mash are a tried n tested method for improving the head and lacing of a pint, you could attempt a partial mash/ grain steep with a handful of malt and say 200g of wheat (puffed wheat, or wheatflakes with no salt work great..)

 

[ukphiltr7]

#3 wheat additions upto about 5% in the mash are a tried n tested method for improving the head and lacing of a pint, you could attempt a partial mash/ grain steep with a handful of malt and say 200g of wheat (puffed wheat, or wheatflakes with no salt work great..)

That would ring true with what I have heard about wheat beer itself. A friend of mine has just made a wheat beer and he said that when bottling it had a head on it like anything, so he needed to turn the tap down to a trickle when bottling.

So can a small amount of wheat be added to any drink without spoiling the taste? I have a Coopers English Bitter to do next so do next so I am thinking that a bit in there would help make a fanatic head.

 

[Fil]

That would ring true with what I have heard about wheat beer itself. A friend of mine has just made a wheat beer and he said that when bottling it had a head on it like anything, so he needed to turn the tap down to a trickle when bottling.

So can a small amount of wheat be added to any drink without spoiling the taste? I have a Coopers English Bitter to do next so do next so I am thinking that a bit in there would help make a fanatic head.

Only problem with wheat additions is the tendency to gel at mash temps which can impact the drain and can result in a stuck mash

 

[Drunkula]

So can a small amount of wheat be added to any drink without spoiling the taste?

Yes.