Head, Bubbles And Getting One Bigger And The Other Smaller

[maltedhopalong]

Hi All,

My beers have too much carbonation and poor head.

Any suggstions on getting smaller bubbles, foamier head and better (any at all) lace?

 

[joecast]

a few mors details may help;
do you bottle condition or keg?
if you bottle...
what do you prime with? dry extract, sugar?
how long do you condition for before drinking?
what final gravity do you bottle at? maybe the beer isnt done fermenting when you bottle, and the extra priming sugar is causing you problems.

also do you brew from kits, steeping grain, part mash, all grain??
joe

 

[maltedhopalong]

Sorry.

I bottle, prime with dex and some that still have the same problem are anywhere from 6 to 12 months old.

 

[dig]

Good 'foam positive' tips:
*more malt
*better malt
*dark malts
*wheat
*more hops
*foam stabilisers/augmenters such as tetra hop extract and PGA
*make sure there's no cleaning residue on anything that comes in contact with your wort or beer.

 

[Fents]

kits or AG?

all my kits used to give crap head. once i moved to AG, no head seems to be a thing of the past (working her overtime).

Could also be your beer glass's. always wash them in warm water with a soft cloth, no detergent imo tbh.

 

[maltedhopalong]

glasses are fine, other beers retain great head (commercial). Yeah, they're kits, but I'd heard things like carapils will improve the head. main thing I want are tighter bubbles...

Is liquorice additive like... liquorice? do you taste it?

 

[0M39A]

sure you use kits, but what else do you use with them?

when i first started brewing, i only used dextrose, as such all my beers had a thin head that lasted seconds before fading away to nothing.

started using malt extract and steeping a little crystal grain and things got much better.

 

[maltedhopalong]

The beers in question used "brew enhancer" type packets of maltodextrine, dme and the like. hbs versions of the coopers range, i believe.

 

[maltedhopalong]

sure you use kits, but what else do you use with them?

when i first started brewing, i only used dextrose, as such all my beers had a thin head that lasted seconds before fading away to nothing.

started using malt extract and steeping a little crystal grain and things got much better.

It's not so much about fixing my specific brews. I went searching trying to make up a list of things that affect the head which I could then use to solve my own problems. I couldn't find any such list, so I thought this thread could do it and that way it helps other brewers too. (particularly kit and extract brewers like me)

 

[therook]

It's not so much about fixing my specific brews. I went searching trying to make up a list of things that affect the head which I could then use to solve my own problems. I couldn't find any such list, so I thought this thread could do it and that way it helps other brewers too. (particularly kit and extract brewers like me)

Link

Rook

 

[0M39A]

Well as you said yourself, carapils is great for helping head forming and retention.

100g-200g is all you'll need.

personally i use a couple of hundred grams of light crystal (60ebc) in pretty much every beer and it works great.

 

[pint of lager]

Brew Your Own magazine link have a very interesting article on head retention.

Every edition, they publish some content on their website, and this is building up to a very nice resource.

Have a browse through the article index, I am pretty sure it is called foam.

If anyone is looking for some web based browsing, this is definitely a site worth spending some time on.

Never had a problem with my ag brews, they always have a nice head.

Like the others have said, start getting some more malt and hops into your recipes.

Licorice won't help your head retention. It is available from home brew shops and is usually used to add some different flavours to dark ales and stouts.

Overcarbonation is a different problem again. You need to make sure your beers are fully fermented before bottling. Leave them in primary for two weeks, double check the sg is stable, then bottle. Don't use carbonation drops, some brands are notorious for problems. Buy a sugar scoop from your homebrew shop.

If your carbonation levels are fine for the first three weeks or so, then they slowly start over carbing, you probably have an infection problem.

 

[SJW]

I have never needed Carapils for head retention. I think doing All Grain brewing is your best bet Another reason to go AG.

 

[pint of lager]

Thanks rook for the link, that will take you straight to the right spot.