Getting Head ;p
Getting Head ;p
I just recently opened a bottle of my brew (lager) and found that the head doesn't last very long. Sorry if this is a repost but i was wondering if there were some fresh ideas out there?
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wildschwein
- Posts: 204
- Joined: Friday May 11, 2007 9:13 pm
- Location: Fremantle WA
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Hmh, lets see.
Any fats that get into contact with your brew can affect head retention.
I always clean all my brewing equipment in a household unscented bleach solution (about a cup per 9 litres of cold water) and rinse with very hot tap water. Bleach is good at removing any potential fats that may be on the equipment or bottles. Avoid using wooden spoons for mixing your brew which have been used for cooking, they often contain small traces of fat.
Lower temperature brewing, like 20C and below leads to less fusel oil formation in your brew which encourages better heads on your beers: these oils are created in higher concentrations at higher temps and tend to reduce head retention, which is why traditional English ales (brewed at higher temps) are quite flat and lose their heads quickly.
Try all-malt brewing: you'll always get better retention properties from using all-malt fermentables. Some brewers swear by adding around 150-200g of wheat malt for improved head stability in a 23 litre brew. Some people suggest a similar amount of maltodextrine can improve head stability, but I'm not sure about it.
If your careful you can also very slightly increase the amount of priming fermentables at bottling/kegging. But go easy and make sure your brew has finished fermenting first. Don't go overboard try about 20g more dextrose/malt/sugar (whichever you use) in the total batch. Be wary that this maybe dangerous if you go too far adding more (=grenades).
Finally, (and I'm sure you've heard it before) make sure your glasses that you're pouring into are cold and are free from fat and/or detergent residue.
Thats about it really. These things tend to work for me and every beer I've made recently has incredible head retention with lacy patterns that line the side of the glass down to the last mouthful. Although different kit brands vary in head retention quality. Try Morgans's products out: head retention in these kits is outstanding.
Any fats that get into contact with your brew can affect head retention.
I always clean all my brewing equipment in a household unscented bleach solution (about a cup per 9 litres of cold water) and rinse with very hot tap water. Bleach is good at removing any potential fats that may be on the equipment or bottles. Avoid using wooden spoons for mixing your brew which have been used for cooking, they often contain small traces of fat.
Lower temperature brewing, like 20C and below leads to less fusel oil formation in your brew which encourages better heads on your beers: these oils are created in higher concentrations at higher temps and tend to reduce head retention, which is why traditional English ales (brewed at higher temps) are quite flat and lose their heads quickly.
Try all-malt brewing: you'll always get better retention properties from using all-malt fermentables. Some brewers swear by adding around 150-200g of wheat malt for improved head stability in a 23 litre brew. Some people suggest a similar amount of maltodextrine can improve head stability, but I'm not sure about it.
If your careful you can also very slightly increase the amount of priming fermentables at bottling/kegging. But go easy and make sure your brew has finished fermenting first. Don't go overboard try about 20g more dextrose/malt/sugar (whichever you use) in the total batch. Be wary that this maybe dangerous if you go too far adding more (=grenades).
Finally, (and I'm sure you've heard it before) make sure your glasses that you're pouring into are cold and are free from fat and/or detergent residue.
Thats about it really. These things tend to work for me and every beer I've made recently has incredible head retention with lacy patterns that line the side of the glass down to the last mouthful. Although different kit brands vary in head retention quality. Try Morgans's products out: head retention in these kits is outstanding.
Last edited by wildschwein on Friday May 18, 2007 12:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
Nice first post wildschwein, amateurwildschwein wrote:Hmh, lets see.
Any fats that get into contact with your brew can affect head retention.
I always clean all my brewing equipment in a household unscented bleach solution (about a cup per 9 litres of cold water) and rinse with very tap water. Bleach is good at removing any potential fats that may be on the equipment or bottles. Avoid using wooden spoons for mixing your brew which have been used for cooking, they often contain small traces of fat.
Lower temperature brewing, like 20C and below leads to less fusel oil formation in your brew which encourages better heads on your beers: these oils are created in higher concentrations at higher temps and tend to reduce head retention, which is why traditional English ales (brewed at higher temps) are quite flat and lose their heads quickly.
Try all-malt brewing: you'll always get better retention properties from using all-malt fermentables. Some brewers swear by adding around 150-200g of wheat malt for improved head stability in a 23 litre brew. Some people suggest a similar amount of maltodextrine can improve head stability, but I'm not sure about it.
If your careful you can also very slightly increase the amount of priming fermentables at bottling/kegging. But go easy and make sure your brew has finished fermenting first. Don't go overboard try about 20g more dextrose/malt/sugar (whichever you use) in the total batch. Be wary that this maybe dangerous if you go too far adding more (=grenades).
Finally, (and I'm sure you've heard it before) make sure your glasses that you're pouring into are cold and are free from fat and/or detergent residue.
Thats about it really. These things tend to work for me and every beer I've made recently has incredible head retention with lacy patterns that line the side of the glass down to the last mouthful. Although different kit brands vary in head retention quality. Try Morgans's products out: head retention in these kits is outstanding.
, I think not 
Covered everything really.
Cheers
Boonie
A homebrew is like a fart, only the brewer thinks it's great.
Give me a flying headbutt.......
Give me a flying headbutt.......
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Iron-Haggis
- Posts: 337
- Joined: Sunday Jan 15, 2006 9:34 pm
- Location: Sydney
Although I don't think increasing priming levels will do much to help head retention. You'll get more head when you pour, but it doesn't mean it will retain it. I usually underpime compared to recommended levels and don't find any difference in head retention to when raising priming levels.
Punk in Drublic
fresh grain, even steeped, is amazing. try a simple crystal or chocolate malt addition depending on the brew. also too much bittering hops or alcohol servely reduces head, but is not as drastic as lipids near your brew. Some ppl also like to replace carb drops or dextrose with malt. is meant to give finer, longer lasting bubbles. haven't tried though...
Keep it reel 
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wildschwein
- Posts: 204
- Joined: Friday May 11, 2007 9:13 pm
- Location: Fremantle WA
- Contact:
Yes, you're right it doesn't change head retention but it does give you the head or the raw material to work with and hopefully you get all the other things right. I must admit though I was rather tenious when making this suggestion. I just tried to think of everything I knew about the question.Iron-Haggis wrote:Although I don't think increasing priming levels will do much to help head retention. You'll get more head when you pour, but it doesn't mean it will retain it. I usually underpime compared to recommended levels and don't find any difference in head retention to when raising priming levels.
head retention
I was told that adding a little corn syrup in the fermenter will help but I haven't tried it myself. I was looking for an answer to the same question. I'm sitting here enjoying a bottle of Blue Mountain Lager. It tastes great and is going down a treat. It is plenty fizzy enough but not holding a head. I guess all things considered I'm enjoying it and as the saying goes "2 out of 3 aint bad"!!
Jak - If you have nothing constructive to say, why say anything at all
I rarely have any problem with head and head retention.............on my beer. As I have said before, I am only a kit brewer, I am not over the top with cleaning or sanitising, and my glasses get rinsed after use and put back in the fridge. I use Coopers brew enhancers or dry hops extract and prime with sugar. A couple of points not brought up in this thread so far is the conditioning time, longer will improve head and head retention in a lot of cases, I also have scuffed the bottom of the glasses with a bit of emery paper, just a light scuff to take the sheen off the glass seems to work wonders, and doesn't send the beer flat like some commercial beer in the commercial glasses does.
Ross