A good head.

The Homebrew Forum

Help Support The Homebrew Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

pvt_ak

Budding Brewer !
Joined
Sep 8, 2016
Messages
2,012
Reaction score
621
Location
North Leicestershire
So - only 3 BIAB in.

#1 - The Simple AG thread by far the best head. Lovely creamy top.
#2 - Flat as a pancake and followed principles of #1 but added crystal malt and changed hops.
#3 - fermenting.

Any tricks of the trade for getting a good head ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Adding dextrine like carapils or caragold to the mash works for me. About 200-300g will do it.
 
the syringe works well, but also make sure you clean your glasses really well..

as for the beer a bit of wheat torrified helps I think..

Also some beers just take longer to carb up taht good head, yeast can determine this aswell, a highly floccoulant yeast may take longer to carbonate up
 
the syringe works well, but also make sure you clean your glasses really well..

as for the beer a bit of wheat torrified helps I think..

Also some beers just take longer to carb up taht good head, yeast can determine this aswell, a highly floccoulant yeast may take longer to carbonate up
Plus one for the syringe,just don't fire too much back into the glass:-o:lol:
It is nice to get some head:grin:,but i don't worry too much if it's only a small amount!
 
So - only 3 BIAB in.

#1 - The Simple AG thread by far the best head. Lovely creamy top.
#2 - Flat as a pancake and followed principles of #1 but added crystal malt and changed hops.
#3 - fermenting.

Any tricks of the trade for getting a good head ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Treat her to a good meal and drinks first.:whistle::whistle::whistle::whistle::whistle:
 
5% wheat flaked, malted or torrified (popped) will help with head retention.. a 'pocket beer engine' (10-20ml syringe) can be used to suck up and squirt a new head onto a pint if so inclined if a good or cool pour has resulted in a nice full glass ;)

Personally i dont get the desire for foam n air in the glass? fill it with beer and let the head retention show itself as lacing on the glass when its been drunk if you ask me..
 
the syringe works well, but also make sure you clean your glasses really well..

as for the beer a bit of wheat torrified helps I think..

Also some beers just take longer to carb up taht good head, yeast can determine this aswell, a highly floccoulant yeast may take longer to carbonate up

I use Torri wheat and get good finish on the head adds to the taste also 👍
 
Personally i dont get the desire for foam n air in the glass? fill it with beer and let the head retention show itself as lacing on the glass when its been drunk if you ask me..

Amen to that.

This is really sticking in my craw. There is some great advice for the AG brewer regarding foam positive grain additions and avoiding detergents, but if you're an All Grain brewer and resorting to using syringes to solve the problem you've lost the plot. A scrape with a table knife may be an instant solution to burnt toast, however reducing the toasting time will ensure perfect toast every time. Get your mash pH and grist right and you will have no head retention problems, and protect yourself from numerous other issues.

From braukaiser.com

A commonly accepted optimal range for mash pH is 5.2 - 5.7 with 5.5 being optimal for starch conversion activity but many authors report wort and beer quality benefits if the pH is lowered into the 5.2 - 5.4 range [Kunze, 2007][Narziss, 2005]. Kunze in particular lists the following benefits for a mash pH as low as 5.2. Since it is a good and fairly comprehensive list I cited it here. Some of these benefits listed will be explained in the following sections [Kunze, 2007]:

The enzymatic activity in the mash is increased as all important enzymes get activated. (except for alpha amylase which starts to suffer at a pH below 5.6)
More zinc, an essential yeast nutrient, goes into solution
The extract yield (efficiency) is improved
The protein coagulation and precipitation is improved (improved break formation)
The redox potential is improved which results in a lower susceptibility to oxygen.
The run-off speed is improved
The color increase during the wort boil is reduced
Better trub precipitation and faster pH drop lead to faster fermentation and greater attenuation of the beer.
Lover viscosity improves filterability
The taste of the beer is more rounded, fuller and softer. The beer is crisper, more fresh and shows more character.
The hop bitterness is more pleasant and doesn't linger
The foam is more stable and denser
The color of the beer is lighter
Mash oxidation is reduced since the main culprit, the lipoxigenase enzyme, doesn't work well at low mash pH conditions
Haze stability is improved
Beer digestion is stimulated. This is a positive effect of the lactic acid
Susceptibility to microbial spoilage is reduced through
Lower beer pH: beer spoilage organism don't grow below a pH of 4.4
Higher attenuation

Will a syringe provide all those benefits?
 
Amen to that.

This is really sticking in my craw. There is some great advice for the AG brewer regarding foam positive grain additions and avoiding detergents, but if you're an All Grain brewer and resorting to using syringes to solve the problem you've lost the plot. A scrape with a table knife may be an instant solution to burnt toast, however reducing the toasting time will ensure perfect toast every time. Get your mash pH and grist right and you will have no head retention problems, and protect yourself from numerous other issues.

From braukaiser.com



Will a syringe provide all those benefits?

Off the subject a bit, but could ph be why my beer always has a chill haze?
I don't treat the water. Beer goes into the fridge clear but always comes out hazy. Still tastes nice, so doesn't bother me too much. Would just like to know.
Maybe water treatment should be my next step.
I use a protofloc 10 mins before the end of the boil.
 
Plus one for the syringe,just don't fire too much back into the glass:-o:lol:
It is nice to get some head:grin:,but i don't worry too much if it's only a small amount!

Yes a nice cap is what you want

I think we all got carried away once or twice :lol:

milkbeer-1-1.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top