Head formation/retention

[MHBT]

I am wondering how to get good head formation/retention on my Belgian golden strong's..Is it necessary to do a protein rest to achieve a head like duvel? i know moortgat uses 4 different pils malts with different levels of modification and an elaborate mash schedule but as a home brewer i don't have the same means as they do, whenever i have made a BGSA is fizzes down rather quick, i'm guessing from the sugar addition ..anybody have any tips on getting that rocky meringue, ever lasting head like duvel? Considering its only pils malt and sugar it must be the mash schedule. I was planning to do a 132F rest for 20 mins next time before i raise it up to 149 sacc rest, but if there is anyway to get a duvel head with a single infusion i would much rather do that, plus the only way i can step mash is with decoction and i'm trying to avoid that if possible, and i hear with well modified malts a protein rest is not a good idea anyway..I don't know, many attempts at this beer and never was able to get the head retention/formation. your help will be appreciated...Cheers

 

[RM-MN]

A lot of the time the lack of head retention is from residual soap residue on the glassware. Wash your serving glasses by hand and rinse really well and see if that helps.

Another suggestion is to add some flaked barley or wheat in the mash.

The heading is caused by the proteins and doing a protein rest reduces them, probably not what you want to do.

One last tip is to increase the amount of priming sugar a little so you carbonate a little higher.

 

[John Eberly]

I am wondering how to get good head formation/retention on my Belgian golden strong's..Is it necessary to do a protein rest to achieve a head like duvel? i know moortgat uses 4 different pils malts with different levels of modification and an elaborate mash schedule but as a home brewer i don't have the same means as they do, whenever i have made a BGSA is fizzes down rather quick, i'm guessing from the sugar addition ..anybody have any tips on getting that rocky meringue, ever lasting head like duvel? Considering its only pils malt and sugar it must be the mash schedule. I was planning to do a 132F rest for 20 mins next time before i raise it up to 149 sacc rest, but if there is anyway to get a duvel head with a single infusion i would much rather do that, plus the only way i can step mash is with decoction and i'm trying to avoid that if possible, and i hear with well modified malts a protein rest is not a good idea anyway..I don't know, many attempts at this beer and never was able to get the head retention/formation. your help will be appreciated...Cheers

 

[John Eberly]

Try about three quarters of a pound of malted wheat in the mash. I bet Moortgat does the same-

 

[dmtaylor]

A protein rest will kill your head. Never do a protein rest with 21st-century malts.

About 10-15% wheat malt will enhance the head.

Mash at like 148-150 F for 45-60 minutes.

Ferment cool in the mid-60s F. Do NOT exceed 70 F for the first ~5 days of fermentation. Higher fusel alcohols produced at higher temperatures will likewise kill the head retention.

Cheers and good luck.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

My 1.080 OG tripel has a pound of carapils and a pound of white wheat for a 5g batch (plus pilsner, a bit of 2 row, C20, and 2# of golden invert syrup). I routinely put bottle caps on the head as a party trick, and it sticks around forever. Using Westmalle yeast (3787/WLP500/ Omega Belgian W), I started fermentation at 68 and ramped to 82, hitting FG in 6 days. Single in fusion mash at 150°. FG 1.008.

 

[MHBT]

My 1.080 OG tripel has a pound of carapils and a pound of white wheat for a 5g batch (plus pilsner, a bit of 2 row, C20, and 2# of golden invert syrup). I routinely put bottle caps on the head as a party trick, and it sticks around forever. Using Westmalle yeast (3787/WLP500/ Omega Belgian W), I started fermentation at 68 and ramped to 82, hitting FG in 6 days. Single in fusion mash at 150°. FG 1.008.

I was thinking about using carapils but its not recommended for this style..the most important part of this beer is getting the attenuation high in the 90+ % area and i would worry that the carapils would prevent that..In a triple i see no problem adding carapils being its a tad sweeter than a bgsa..I am just gonna mash at 149 for 90 mins then add a little bit of hot water to raise it in the 150's for 20-30 minutes and see what that does for me

Also good advice of not letting temps raise to high to keep fusels low and last but not least allow the beer to cold crash longer to get all the micro particles out of solution which should make the foam tighter ..thank you all cheers

 

[MHBT]

Also i been reading joy of homebrewing by Charlie Papazian and in the book it says "at temperatures ideally 122-140 F,other proteolytic enzymes break down proteins into forms that improve the quality and appearance of beer foam and aid in clarity. This is a nice stage to rest and go through in order to develop that creamy,dense head." but then i hear resting in the 130's for 20 mins kills the head..so can somebody clear up my confusion?

 

[yowzers]

I like to add a 1/2 pound of carapils. I also find that the head retention improves considerably with a few weeks of conditioning time in the keg or bottles.

 

[MHBT]

I like to add a 1/2 pound of carapils. I also find that the head retention improves considerably with a few weeks of conditioning time in the keg or bottles.

for 95% of the beers i brew i would have zero problem adding carapils but for this recipe dextrines are out..Thats why im having problems with head retention on this style cause its just pilsner and sugar but there has to be a way..duvel is just pilsner and sugar but it has a better head then any beer i have drank and has zero dextrine malts added

 

[dmtaylor]

Also i been reading joy of homebrewing by Charlie Papazian and in the book it says "at temperatures ideally 122-140 F,other proteolytic enzymes break down proteins into forms that improve the quality and appearance of beer foam and aid in clarity. This is a nice stage to rest and go through in order to develop that creamy,dense head." but then i hear resting in the 130's for 20 mins kills the head..so can somebody clear up my confusion?

Yep. Based on real life experience of myself and thousands of others, statements to the effect of Mr. Papazian's there are proven no longer correct for 21st century malts, which are all well modified and where the protein rest becomes not a benefit but rather the exact opposite, a detriment. Charlie parroted what he had learned from other theorists, and through history for undermodified malts, the protein rest may have been beneficial. But today, no. You'd be very hard pressed today to find any malts that would benefit from such a rest. The world ain't the same today as it was just 20, 30, 50 years ago. Maltsters don't make crappy malt on purpose today just so we can do a protein rest for fun. They just don't. They make the greatest quality malt that has ever existed, and will never NOT do that. As such, the protein rest needs to go the way of the dinosaur. What once was a helpful mashing step is now indeed hurtful. Malts are just better quality today than they used to be. That's why in a nutshell.

 

[dmtaylor]

for 95% of the beers i brew i would have zero problem adding carapils but for this recipe dextrines are out..Thats why im having problems with head retention on this style cause its just pilsner and sugar but there has to be a way..duvel is just pilsner and sugar but it has a better head then any beer i have drank and has zero dextrine malts added

Carapils is worthless, as proven by several recent exbeeriments. Later I can provide links if interested. Try Googling Janish & carapils otherwise, maybe you'll get lucky.

EDIT: Ah, yes, here's the best reference. http://scottjanish.com/dextrins-and-mouthfeel/