Better head retention

[warix]

I am getting ready to bottle my third batch since I have gotten back into brewing. The first batch had very little foam throughout the batch. Just barely a thin line and made it look like soapy dirty water. It tasted fine, but I got a few strange looks from my friends and relatives. The Second batch was a little better on most of the bottles and the the rest I actually thought was Brett's good but a little on the low side. The Carbonation on the first batch was kinda on the light side and the second batch was better. I did add a little extra corn sugar to the second batch hoping that it would help out.

I am going to bottle my Honey Ale this Sunday and I a looking for advice on how to have a nice head when I pour. The batch started out at 1.051 and finished out at 1.004. It has been in the secondary for about two weeks and in the primary about two weeks also. I am a little worried that there is not enough yeasties left in there to carbonate. Is there some way I can ensure that things will go better this time?

 

[mjohnson]

There will plenty of yeast to carbonate it.

Head retention is not really just a function of carbonation. You can add a boatload of corn sugar and you won't magically get a nice frothy head on your beer.

It has to do with proteins (and probably other stuff too) in the beer. These proteins can be altered in good or bad ways by mash schedule as well as ingredient choice. To make things more complicated, I've heard that yeast health can contribute to head retention (side note: this is why higher alcohol beers often have bad head retention. Recently, I heard on a brewing network show of an experiment where ethanol was added to beers - it did not affect head retention. The take away being that high alcohol is not the sole cause of poor head retention in big beers).

Without having your recipe, I can't give super specific advice, but in general, consider adding a bit of flaked wheat or carafoam. A bit of crystal malt can help with head retention as well, I believe.

Those wonderful bubbles can also can be adversely affected by residue on your glassware.

 

[cernst151]

It's a little late on bottling day to do anything about head retention other than make sure everything is thoroughly cleaned and rinsed before bottling. Soap residue will certainly hurt your head. Possibly in more ways than one. Adding 8 oz Carapils malt to your mash is generally a good bet. I've found that to be very helpful.

 

[bzwyatt]

The head formation/retention in all the batches I've bottled improved with time. I start drinking them around 3 weeks, and they're carbonated fine, but over the next three weeks the head improves. Keeping them in the fridge for 4-5 days minimum helps too.

How long have yours been in the bottle?

 

[trboyden]

Two biggest things when it comes to head is brewing ingredients and proper dispensing equipment. To get good head, you have to start back in your brewing process. Adding wheat, either grain or dry extract will add the proteins needed to create the chemical structure in your beer that will enable good head retention. It doesn't take a lot and you won't get any off tastes from it. In a 5 gallon batch, I will use 1/2 to 1 pound of wheat grain or DME equivalent and I always get good head retention.

As far as dispensing equipment goes. If kegging, it's critical to carbonate with right amount of absorbed CO2. 5 day force carb sessions with 5 PSI of CO2 is generally enough. Better is a corn sugar solution and natural carbing. Kegging lines also play a factor. 15ft of 1/4" tubing is recommended.

For bottle carbing and pouring, make sure you are adding the appropriate amount of corn sugar solution to your bottling bucket or inserting the right amount of sugar cubes to your bottles. When pouring, make sure you have a clean glass and pour in the middle of the glass.

Also, no citrus in your beer! Citrus is the quickest way to kill beer head.

 

[warix]

Thanks all for the replies. I had a good idea that I would not be able to do anything at the bottling stage. I thought I should ask anyway just to learn from the replies. Learn I did! The replies were very detailed and with great information so thank you all again.

The bottles from the first batch conditioned about two weeks before I chilled one for a few days and tried it. Them I tested one every three days after for another two weeks but I also gave a bunch away during that time. I did not notice much of a difference after that and I just chilled down the rest and drank them up. The beer still tasted great. The second batch was about the same as far as time goes but the temperatures that they conditioned at was between 70 and 75 degrees vs 65 for the first batch. That batch went fast because friends were thirstier and it was a really great tasting beer.

I am going to start adding the wheat or Carapils to the batches and see what happens. I am also planning to go All Grain soon and should have my gear all ready for that by September or so. That should help also.

 

[vwmasstransit]

Here's a question to throw in the mix: Will scraping off the hot break foam (with a clean/sanitary stainless mesh colander) affect head retention? I read in Brewing Better Beer by Gordon Strong that he did that to get a clearer beer. I've tried that with the last 2 batches and it did work. However I've also noticed little to no head on the beers. The first was a hef and the other was a stout. 2 very different beers, but same results.

All work and no beer make me a dull boy...

 

[trboyden]

Here's a question to throw in the mix: Will scraping off the hot break foam (with a clean/sanitary stainless mesh colander) affect head retention? I read in Brewing Better Beer by Gordon Strong that he did that to get a clearer beer. I've tried that with the last 2 batches and it did work. However I've also noticed little to no head on the beers. The first was a hef and the other was a stout. 2 very different beers, but same results.

All work and no beer make me a dull boy...

I have not heard of that, but I am also confused by an attempt to make a Hefeweizen or Stout clear. Neither are meant to be clear beers. Maybe a cream ale, an American lager, or a Pilsener beer. But Hefeweizen is supposed to be unfiltered and cloudy, unless you are doing a Krystal version, in which case you really have a wheat pale ale. While the guidelines say a stout "Can be opaque (if not, it should be clear)", practically the common ingredients used will cause an opaque appearance, and trying to filter them will degrade other aspects of the beer (head in your example).

Obviously you can make the beer however you like it. Not discouraging that. But if you were trying to make it to style, don't filter it. That said, I have used isinglass or gelatin in the past and gotten good clarity with no loss of head. But I'd also double-check my cleaning and sanitizing routine if I was having a head issue on a consistent basis.

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks all for the replies. I had a good idea that I would not be able to do anything at the bottling stage. I thought I should ask anyway just to learn from the replies. Learn I did! The replies were very detailed and with great information so thank you all again.

The bottles from the first batch conditioned about two weeks before I chilled one for a few days and tried it. Them I tested one every three days after for another two weeks but I also gave a bunch away during that time. I did not notice much of a difference after that and I just chilled down the rest and drank them up. The beer still tasted great. The second batch was about the same as far as time goes but the temperatures that they conditioned at was between 70 and 75 degrees vs 65 for the first batch. That batch went fast because friends were thirstier and it was a really great tasting beer.

I am going to start adding the wheat or Carapils to the batches and see what happens. I am also planning to go All Grain soon and should have my gear all ready for that by September or so. That should help also.

You still might be able to affect heading on your beer at the bottling stage. I completely eliminated heading on a couple batches by using too much oxyclean for washing and only a single rinse. That left just a trace of soap residue in the bottles and killed the heading on 2 entire batches before I found out what I had done. Try double rinsing your bottles and see if that gets you head on your beer.

 

[warix]

You still might be able to affect heading on your beer at the bottling stage. I completely eliminated heading on a couple batches by using too much oxyclean for washing and only a single rinse. That left just a trace of soap residue in the bottles and killed the heading on 2 entire batches before I found out what I had done. Try double rinsing your bottles and see if that gets you head on your beer.

Thanks, good advice. I will try the double rinse next to around.