head lacking on my beer

davidgrace · Jul 22, 2019

I started BIAB all-grain brewing by doing 11L kits that I purchased from Brewstore. I did 4 of these kits and was very happy with the results. I then moved on to BIAB brewing from recipes simply halving the ingredients for an 11.5 batch. I have now done 4 of these and 3 have been a little disappointing. The beer lacks head and perhaps body. For the purchased kits I used 1 Crafty Fox carbonation drop (2 grams) in each bottle and they turned out well. For the recipe brews I used exactly the same - 1 Crafty Fox carbonation drop in each bottle. One of the recipe brews has also been very good with exactly the same carbonation.

Any advice?

GerritT · Jul 22, 2019

Happens to the best. *cough* But my flattest batch turned out quite okay, after half a year :/
Anyhoo, have you tried storing them on their sides for a few days, and then upright for a few days again? Maybe the yeast needs some movement.

Oh and ditch the drops, try small grams sugar cubes: cheaper and the same effect.

davidgrace · Jul 22, 2019

GerritT said:
Happens to the best. *cough* But my flattest batch turned out quite okay, after half a year :/
Anyhoo, have you tried storing them on their sides for a few days, and then upright for a few days again? Maybe the yeast needs some movement.

Oh and ditch the drops, try small grams sugar cubes: cheaper and the same effect.

My bottles are all stored in the cellar cooler than room temperature. Would I have to store the bottles on their side in a warmer place for this method to be effective?

GerritT · Jul 22, 2019

Perhaps, but leave them where they are, so you won't change 2 variables at the same time. Or only move 4 bottles or so.

Banbeer · Jul 22, 2019

A few years ago I was doing kits and always put my pint pot in the dishwasher after use, next time the beer was not good for retention, I then decided a few weeks later to wash the glass out in the sink and after that I always have a good head and the desired fizz, just a thought.

Happy brewing.

Colin

Llamaman · Jul 23, 2019

I sometimes get poor head retention from commercial beers too.

The main culprit seems to be when someone has washed the glass in detergent then left it to dry without rinsing in clean water. I think a thin film of detergent gets left on the glass. Especially so if it’s left on a shallow-grooved draining board when a meniscus forms so it doesn’t drain properly.
If I’m doing the washing up, I wash my beer glasses in plain water!

So as we’ll as experimenting with your bottles, I’d also look at your glassware. Test with a bottle you know should be well carbonated and see if this is the problem (or one of the factors contributing to it).

Clint · Jul 23, 2019

Do you initially get a head on pouring which then quickly disappears?
Head retention could be your issue. Adding extra ingredients to your grain bill could help...some add torrified wheat but a la Gunge I've started adding flaked barley. As for body accurate mashing temp control can be a factor ... someone with some better knowledge will be along soon to explain this one...
To some of my recipes I add porridge oats. Both if these extras seem to work and don't change the taste or appearance of the final product.

BeerCat · Jul 23, 2019

My stouts seem to suffer even with a protein rest. Possibly will improve once i get some nitro.. Not boiling the beer will help.

davidgrace · Jul 23, 2019

Washing the glasses and failing to rinse is unlikely to be the problem as I rinse the glass with cold water from the tap before each beer and dry. I get very little head and it disappears quite soon. I wondered about the gain bill as the one recent exception is an American IPA with 6Kg for a 23L batch. That beer has a great head from the start and retention all the way. Having said that, I did a Black Sheep ale that had 3950 kg for 23L plus 475 g of torrified wheat. That also had a poor head from the start and little retention during drinking.

lhooq · Jul 24, 2019

Can be just time, I find? I had a porter that had disappointingly no head until it had been in bottle for about three months, then suddenly all good.

strange-steve · Jul 24, 2019

lhooq said:
Can be just time, I find? I had a porter that had disappointingly no head until it had been in bottle for about three months, then suddenly all good.

Agreed. Not sure why this should be the case but it's something I've observed in my own beers.

Gerryjo · Jul 28, 2019

strange-steve said:
Agreed. Not sure why this should be the case but it's something I've observed in my own beers.

I mind reading about stouts and porters regarding carbonation and it was down residual sugars that take longer to break down and get conversion.
It also mentioned about not priming stouts and porters that were being left for a long condition especially RIS as they will eventually carbonate due to this and therefore reducing the risk of bottle bombs.

bobukbrewer · Jul 28, 2019

I rinse the glass with cold water from the tap before each beer and dry. WITH MY 5 DAY OLD SOAP POLLUTED TEA TOWEL, MAYBE..............

davidgrace · Jul 28, 2019

I rinse the glass with cold water and then dry, not with a soap polluted tea towel, but with paper towel or tissues

bobukbrewer · Jul 28, 2019

ok so the problem is with your beer if there is no head in the glass, or with you if after the first sip, the head disappears......

Gulpitdarn · Jul 28, 2019

Is the problem confined mainly to bottled beers or is there also the problem in getting a good foamy head with Kegged beers?

davidgrace · Jul 28, 2019

I only do bottled beer.

MrRook · Jul 28, 2019

davidgrace said:
I rinse the glass with cold water and then dry, not with a soap polluted tea towel, but with paper towel or tissues

I let mine air dry.

Nicks90 · Jul 29, 2019

davidgrace said:
My bottles are all stored in the cellar cooler than room temperature. Would I have to store the bottles on their side in a warmer place for this method to be effective?

I take it you are bottling and letting them carb up at room temperature BEFORE storing them in a cold cellar?
If not, there is your answer. Your yeast has got cold and gone to sleep and its not carbing up and you'll never get a good head.
But if you do, ignore the above.

I also find that young beer has bigger bubbles and the head is always a little disappointing. Think lemonade or cola sized bubbles. But given a month or two, it miraculously gets much better and the bubbles become very very small and being small, the surface tension of the beer holds them together and voila - creamy smooth head. I have no idea if this is particular to me, or if its physics, but i genuinely find the bubbles change over time as the beer conditions.

foxbat · Jul 29, 2019

bobukbrewer said:
I rinse the glass with cold water from the tap before each beer and dry. WITH MY 5 DAY OLD SOAP POLLUTED TEA TOWEL, MAYBE..............

Cold water run inside the glass should form sheets. If it shrinks back into slivers of water there's soap in there.

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