# How To Get A Good Head On Beer



## Harley (15/2/07)

Hi All
Only new to brewing and this is the first time I have used this forum
Had a brewcraft kit since chrissy and made a Brewcraft Munich larger using 1/2 kg of No 60 brewcraft brew booster which came with the kit and it came out great, lovely foaming head that lasts the whole glass. Very pleased. I normaly drink mid strength beer so thats why I uesd 1/2kg.

Then bought a Coopers Pale Ale and used 1/2 kg No 2 brew booster, it tastes good and the head is ok when poured but dissapears to nothing in no time, about 1 min. Not pleased at all, thought it might be something I did or lack of sugars ?

Then bought a Coopers Mexican Cerveza used 1/2 kg coopers No2 brew booster and 1/2kg light malt powder and the head is crappy again. 

The brewing temp on all three brews was the same between 22 and 25 C

I use a nice clean glass the same one for both the Brewcraft and Coopers whith hugely different head results.

Do you have to add head enhancer to Coopers ? or am I doing things wrong ?


Does the head improve with further ageing in the bottle?

Cheers Harley


----------



## Fingerlickin_B (15/2/07)

If you are talking about Cooper's Brew Enhancer #2, one thing to consider is that it's actually half sugar :blink: 

Also, if you are content with the taste and don't want to make bitter toucans, try using the lightest liquid malt you can get in the place of your sugar/booster/enhancer/whatever. 

A bit of wheat malt extract should also help give you that "long life" head  

PZ.


----------



## lonte (15/2/07)

Harley said:


> Does the head improve with further ageing in the bottle?



If you've done 3 brews since Christmas then there's every chance that the latest ones are too young. Further conditioning time will more than likely see the head retention improve.


----------



## discoloop (15/2/07)

This is purely anecdotal evidence, but I've noticed the brews I've done with higher contents of dry malt retain better head than those with liquid malts. 

That said, I've tasted 9 brews, so I could be way off. The use of dry malt is the only thing I can put it down to though...


----------



## Lindsay Dive (16/2/07)

Harley said:


> Hi All
> Only new to brewing and this is the first time I have used this forum
> Had a brewcraft kit since chrissy and made a Brewcraft Munich larger using 1/2 kg of No 60 brewcraft brew booster which came with the kit and it came out great, lovely foaming head that lasts the whole glass. Very pleased. I normaly drink mid strength beer so thats why I uesd 1/2kg.
> 
> ...



Harley, 
The first beer you made you tell us that the head retention was good and then it's all down hill from there. 
I am suspecting that there is a problem when cleaning the fermenter. How are you cleaning your fermenter?

Lindsay.


----------



## Wortgames (16/2/07)

Welcome to the joy of brewing Harley - noticing differences between brews and working out what caused them is what it's all about.

I think the first thing you should do (assuming your fermenter and everything is clean) is to brew another beer using exactly the same ingredients as the first one.

If it gives a good head then it would be reasonable to guess that there's something different about the booster or the kit. Then eliminate one of the options on the next brew and see what you get.

If you don't get a good head using exactly the same ingredients, then you know something in your process has changed.


----------



## phonos (16/2/07)

The Mexican Cervesa does have a pretty crappy head - but it does improve over time. After about 3 months it starts to improve a little.

I can't say anything about the other kits though - never tried 'em


----------



## jdsaint (16/2/07)

try using a pewter, or, tankard they call them.
my old man drinks out of his tankard (pewter mug) and gets a head to bottem of the mug every time.
I drink the same brew in a schooner glass and bam their goes my head. So sometimes the glass or mug can be the diference. Try that and then Do your origonal brew you made if it does not work.


----------



## Harley (16/2/07)

Hi All 
Thanks for all the info and suggestions.
I didnt realise that the coopers brew enhancer No2 was actually half sugar !

Ive been cleaning the fermenter with the brewcraft detergent and brew shield sanitizer that came with the kit, being a bit eager to get the next brew going I just cleaned it then started the next brew straight away.
Since then I have also been using coopers sanitizer, filling the fermenter with it and soaking everything overnight.

As the Munich Larger came out so good I will try that one again and see how it comes out as you suggest.

Just another question the wheat malt extract mentioned, is that a grain or a liquid additive ?


Thanks for all the good suggestions 
Cheers Harley


----------



## Lindsay Dive (16/2/07)

Harley said:


> Hi All
> Thanks for all the info and suggestions.
> I didnt realise that the coopers brew enhancer No2 was actually half sugar !
> 
> ...



Clean the fermenter with a solution of caustic soda. Don't use detergent.

Lindsay.


----------



## RobboMC (16/2/07)

I had the same problems until I got my hands on some NEW glasses. They NEVER go near the washing up detergent and ABSOLUTELY NEVER go in the dishwasher. I now get a good head even on fairly light Pale Ales. I agree with discoloop's comments about Light Dry Malt, I replace half the Brew Enhancer with Light Dry Malt and (IMHO) get pretty decent beer with a reasonable head.

I got my steel tankard I use for camping and other 'out trips' and soaked it in boiling water for a while and now that produces a good head as well. When I took bottles to a friends house we used his glasses and there was no head whatsoever, from the same brew.

50/50 dry malt powder and Brew Enhancer turns most ale kits into good beer. Make sure you dissolve the light malt in boiling water, it's quite difficult to dissolve it in the fermenter otherwise.


----------



## Keifer (16/2/07)

--Just another question the wheat malt extract mentioned, is that a grain or a liquid additive ?--

Easiest to buy in liquid form in a can. You wont need heaps, for grains i use 1/4 to 1/2 kilo (mostly 1/4kg) in about 5-6 kilos of other grain. About 5% wheat malt. Sorry for bringing up AG but i never used it in lit form, maybe once, i can't remember.

Saying that, the beer i was drinking before i had used no wheat malt and it formed and held an excellant head. Go figure...

Just rinse your beer glasses with very hot water and leave to drip dry, then store in the fridge. I've also heard that if you eat fatty foods while drinking that the fat can move from your lips to the beer and quickly dissipate the head.

Heaps of advice already said, hope you work it out


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (17/2/07)

From what I understand, it is the protiens in the beer that add to head retention. 

This is why the wheat malt makes such a difference ( it has a lot of protiens ). 

You can also get wheat malt in a dried extract form as well.

To tell you the truth, I find that most of the glasses I use at home ( washed in dishwasher etc ) don't allow for very good head retention. Mind you the only reason a give a toss about head retention is for competitions, where they mark the beer down ( slightly ) for lack of head retention. Doesn't really make much difference to mouthfeel, body or flavour of the beer,


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (17/2/07)

RobboMC said:


> I had the same problems until I got my hands on some NEW glasses. They NEVER go near the washing up detergent and ABSOLUTELY NEVER go in the dishwasher. I now get a good head even on fairly light Pale Ales. I agree with discoloop's comments about Light Dry Malt, I replace half the Brew Enhancer with Light Dry Malt and (IMHO) get pretty decent beer with a reasonable head.
> 
> I got my steel tankard I use for camping and other 'out trips' and soaked it in boiling water for a while and now that produces a good head as well. When I took bottles to a friends house we used his glasses and there was no head whatsoever, from the same brew.
> 
> 50/50 dry malt powder and Brew Enhancer turns most ale kits into good beer. Make sure you dissolve the light malt in boiling water, it's quite difficult to dissolve it in the fermenter otherwise.




I actually find my glasses are great when they go in the dishwasher. Never yet had head retention problems with glasses used in the dishwasher. Dishwasher tabs are a caustic base and dont have detergents in them like dishwashing liquid.

Dishwashing liquid is bad , real bad for beer glasses.


----------



## 0M39A (18/2/07)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> I actually find my glasses are great when they go in the dishwasher. Never yet had head retention problems with glasses used in the dishwasher. Dishwasher tabs are a caustic base and dont have detergents in them like dishwashing liquid.
> 
> Dishwashing liquid is bad , real bad for beer glasses.



im the same, use those powerball tablets in the dishwasher and have never had a problem with my beer glasses (usually either a standard pint glass or a 12oz headmaster glass)

would never use detergent on them though.


----------



## Fingerlickin_B (19/2/07)

Agreed yet again on the dishwasher thing, 

I used to wash with hot water, but cracked my favourite glasses...plus I also got lazy :lol: 

They just go in the dishwasher now and no ill effects WRT head retention since adopting this practice  

PZ.


----------



## kimbarra (20/2/07)

I always wash my glasses with warm water and then rinse with the sanitiser I use to sterilize my brewing gear and the head on the glass stays there. easy and effective.
It is a pain to use other peoples glasses as they are not as clean. it doesn,t take much foreign material to lose the head.
regards,
Kimbarra.


----------



## RobboMC (20/2/07)

Ok, seems I need to release my dishwasher from pergatory.
trouble is my kids use so many plates there's not much room for glasses.


----------



## Kingy (20/2/07)

when i finish my beer i rinse the glass under hot tap water then turn upside down to drain then when its dry back in the freezer.

when im hooking into the beers i get a good rotating system going and the missus knows how to do it as well so never a soapy glass.

she even knows how to rinse out my largy bottles so i dont have to use the bottle brush anymore on the mouldy insides of the emptys. :beer: dont ya just love it when everything falls into place


----------



## Brad_G (21/2/07)

Just wanna add my 2c... I usually AG brew, but I made a Coopers Pale Ale K&K with Light Liquid Extract and added Dry extract as well. I also boiled up some hops in water to add some bitterness for balance (As it was a big beer). The head retention is amazing and I dont do anything to my beer glasses different to my dinner plates or anything else. Just wash them in detergent, rinse them and Im away again. 

Brad


----------



## Lindsay Dive (21/2/07)

I use the dishwasher BUT, I use a rinse aid called Commercial which is the same as they use in Pubs and Clubs for rinsing their glasses.


----------



## RobboMC (21/2/07)

Does normal household rinse aid like 'Finish' do anything bad to the head?


----------



## maxy007 (24/2/07)

RobboMC said:


> 50/50 dry malt powder and Brew Enhancer turns most ale kits into good beer. Make sure you dissolve the light malt in boiling water, it's quite difficult to dissolve it in the fermenter otherwise.



Can you get 500gms of brew enhancer 2 and 500gms of dry malt from the local HBS or Big W? I usually buy my stuff from Big W cause the better half works there and we get 5% discount  
AFAIK they only sell 1kg of brew enhancer 2. I don't think I've seen dry malt at Big W.

Cheers,

Maxy


----------



## domonsura (24/2/07)

RobboMC said:


> Does normal household rinse aid like 'Finish' do anything bad to the head?




OH YEAH. Definitely.

Keep detergents away from your beer vessels, I wash them by hand with nice hot water and nothing else. Detergent residues in beer glasses kill head quick as a flash.

At worst case if they must be washed with detergent/rinse aid and all that rubbish, rinse them out thoroughly with really hot water whilst still hot from the wash. (Commercial detergents and rinse aids from pubs will still cause head loss if there is too much being metered out in the wash, pub washers are very (usually) carefully metered and monitored to prevent this, especially as the solutions usually aren't cheap, and residues make for slimy glasses, flat beer and p****d off customers, I've spent years working in pubs with crap under maintained washers that cause these problems.....)


----------



## braufrau (24/2/07)

Fingerlickin_B said:


> If you are talking about Cooper's Brew Enhancer #2, one thing to consider is that it's actually half sugar :blink:
> 
> Also, if you are content with the taste and don't want to make bitter toucans, try using the lightest liquid malt you can get in the place of your sugar/booster/enhancer/whatever.
> 
> ...




My husband has just started on a little ditty I call "cheapskate stout", because its made from
a supermarket kit plus everything else that was in the cupboard.

The head is incredible. Sort of like chocolate mousse.
Its no wonder, the recipe included 450g of crystal malt and about 300g wheat malt. :lol: 

The rest was a coopers stout kit, 300g sugar and 14g saaz hops. CSA yeast.

-braufrau


----------

