Where does my head go?

I brew from kits, and sometimes when i pour from a bottle, i get a good head that stops on the top, but some time it just fizzes away and is gone within minutes, why is this? i know detergents effect the head, but my glasses are always well rinsed out,

Rinsed out?

That's not good enough! Don't let detergent (including those "tabs" in dishwashers) get anywhere near your beer glasses. Detergent does not just "rinse out".

banjodeano said:

I brew from kits, and sometimes when i pour from a bottle, i get a good head that stops on the top, but some time it just fizzes away and is gone within minutes, why is this? i know detergents effect the head, but my glasses are always well rinsed out,

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If you do kit brews with sugar rather than malt, there is not enough body, from non-fermentable sugars, to sustain a head on the beer.

In the same way that a sparkling wine does not retain its head of froth.

Since I was a student in the south of England and grew up not to expect a head on a beer, I don't really understand its attraction, TBH.

peebee said:

Rinsed out?

That's not good enough! Don't let detergent (including those "tabs" in dishwashers) get anywhere near your beer glasses. Detergent does not just "rinse out".

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I am taking about washing up liquid, which everyone uses to wash their glasses in...:whistle:

Same batch ?
Some hold head ?
Others dont?

johnnyboy1965 said:

Same batch ?
Some hold head ?
Others dont?

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No....
same kits, but different batches
one batch keeps a head, then the next doesnt
but same procedure on each brew

banjodeano said:

I am taking about washing up liquid, which everyone uses to wash their glasses in...:whistle:

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Yes I know; detergent, washing up liquid, ...

But you've added some extra info in later posts: Not talking about the same batch of beer, now that opens up a lot of new possibilities. And I'm sure folk around here will jump on them!

I've noticed that if I drink my beer young the head retention can be poor.

I've noticed that as they age it gets better!

From my own observation, it seems to be due to carbonation, I use 100g sugar / 23 litres and bottle condition, it seems to take 2 weeks to be carbonated enough to drink, but full carb takes at least double that.

It might be more complicated than that, I know with AG carapils / dextrine is added to aid head retention.

I always clean glasses and bottles with hot water only.. use a microfiber cloth to dry glass if needed..

I always found kits a little kit and miss with head retention

There was a similar thread thread to this a few weeks ago http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=548588#post548588
I have to say I am very particular about clean glasses like Covrich.
If you are really seeking a sustained head on your pint try Torrified Wheat. You will have to do a mini-mash with a diastase containing grain like Pale Malt since TW does not contain any. That's what commercial brewers sometimes use (Black Sheep Brewery mentioned TW as 10% of the grain bill when I did a visit last year) and I have tried it recently and it works.
I did read on here a while back that the longer you leave beer to condition the smaller the bubbles that form when you serve it and so the head will be stronger and last longer, but I have no way of knowing whether that's true or not.

terrym said:

There was a similar thread thread to this a few weeks ago http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=548588#post548588
I have to say I am very particular about clean glasses like Covrich.
If you are really seeking a sustained head on your pint try Torrified Wheat. You will have to do a mini-mash with a diastase containing grain like Pale Malt since TW does not contain any. That's what commercial brewers sometimes use (Black Sheep Brewery mentioned TW as 10% of the grain bill when I did a visit last year) and I have tried it recently and it works.
I did read on here a while back that the longer you leave beer to condition the smaller the bubbles that form when you serve it and so the head will be stronger and last longer, but I have no way of knowing whether that's true or not.

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Good idea on the TW! I actually not used that yet but have used carapils which does a similar job..

If you don't want to go down the grains route yet, doesn't malto dextrine do basically that?

ALl depends on teh kit make up.. what kit are you using and any fermentables added to them?

Covrich said:

Good idea on the TW! I actually not used that yet but have used carapils which does a similar job..

If you don't want to go down the grains route yet, doesn't malto dextrine do basically that?

ALl depends on teh kit make up.. what kit are you using and any fermentables added to them?

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I am using Wilkos own brand, usually one called sweet newkie brown, and a stout that they sell, i have found them to be quite good and a nice taste...
i dont add anything extra to the kit, i just mix in normal sugar and add yeast, although the stout i have just made, i did add some crushed black malt after i left i steeped it, i will see what difference it makes if any to the head, although when i had a little taste, it did give it a nice bitter/burnt taste

Don't automatically assume that 2 kits of the same type from the same manufacturer is going to ferment out exactly the same every time. Natural ingredients vary - ask any all grain brewer! Also if you had a long slow fermentation with one batch, the beer produced is going to come out different to if you had a rapid violent fermentation. Temperature affects how the yeast works. Also when you pitch your yeast it will be affected by how well the yeast gets started - if you have a high death rate of the pitched yeast the fermentation will be different to if you have a low death rate. Oxygen levels at pitching also affect the whole process.

If you are using Wilko's 1.5kg kits and ordinary sugar and making up to 23 litres my guess would be that your brews are going to be on the 'thin' side, and that's the reason the head on your pint doesn't last very long.
One quick fix might be to try using Brew Enhancer or Beer Enhancer which, in any case, should give a better beer compared to using ordinary sugar. Coopers BE No2 contains maltodextrin which will help as others have said and is probably better than their No1 for the type of beers you are brewing.
You could also try upping the malt a bit by using another kit. If you like stout, I and others can recommend Coopers Original at 1.7kg. It's usually on offer when Tesco have one of their sales. There are plenty of ways of enhancing it, and you will get a sustained on your pint! And another easy way of increasing the malt is to use Holland and Barrett 500g jars of malt extract, I've used it and its OK for brewing imo.