Bit of a funny one...

[ltp]

Bit of a funny one, wasn't too sure in which board to discuss it. Time constraints usually see me putting down a kit and kilo quickie on Sunday afternoon rather than touching anything resembling a grain.

This, along with an unfortunate mixed Scottish/Jewish heritage usually see me making up a Coopers goo, a BE1, a Safale yeast and some late hopping for a budget pale ale (or now-fashionable "XPA" when using the Coopers draught or larger goo).

Following a recent batch, I failed to save my yeast and so I ran with the kit yeast in a Coopers stout. Weather being what it was, and me without a temp-controlled fridge, the brew saw some high 30s, and a few cold nights either end (in lower Vic).

The beer smelled like a solid Father's Day Cooper's Kit brew after fermentation, and so being a cheap prick, and rather than tipping it, I put a pot of stove-top expresso, a fair bit of brown sugar, some honey, and a good dose of vanilla essence into the keg first.

For a throw-away keg, the beer is now very surprising drinkable with ufront vanilla and molasses notes, some chocolate, and very smooth. The weirdest thing is though that this beer holds a head like nothing else. Thick, luscious, Guinness-style head. The brew pretty much self-carbonated in the keg due to the brown sugar, but the carbonation appears to be mostly an ice-cream head, albeit with enough in the body and fantastic lacing.

To cut a long story short; what's causing the fantastic head here? Is it the "beer style" (a stout goo) having more proteins, is it the brown sugar, the honey? I can't imagine it would be the essence.

 

[MHB]

It's the Vanilla, or more accurately probably the artificial Vanillin (tight prick) used in cheap knockoff vanilla flavouring.
Home brewers have been using vanilla to get a big head on stout for decades, it works, at the price of your beer tasting of Vanilla (not something I look for in any beer), Ok in custard or whipped cream, ice-cream… but not beer for mine thanks.
Mark

 

[ltp]

Thanks for the fast response ; out of interest, do you how the vanillin is causing head retention?

Unfortunately, I'm mostly a computer nerd and couldn't find anything in a quick search on it that I could readily understand the mechanism for doing so (heaps of results for homebrewers doing this though).

Cheers,

-ltp

 

[MHB]

Got a few thoughts on the mechanism, unfortunately I doubt we have the language in common for a simple explanation to be much use.
At the pub one time I remember asking a maths professor for a simple explanation of fourier transform analysis, he looked thoughtful for a moment then asked what I would like from the bar - point being I just don't have the background.
Have a read of this, If your still interested try getting a copy of Foam by Charlie Bamforth.
Mark