No head

[sp0rk]

For cleaning your glasses, give this a go (has been working well for me lately)
Clean your glasses under straight hot water from the tap, give them a bit of a wipe with a brand new chux cloth that hasn't touched detergent to dislodge anything
Now chuck the glasses in a bucket of starsan over night and give them another rinse with straight hot water the next morning
The acid in the starsan should eat anything sitting on the surface of the glass and leave it nice and clean
If anything is screen printed on your glasses, there is the possiblity of the starsan eating that too...

 

[dicko]

Thansk Beer God,

What is curious is that I get good head sometimes but not others from the same brew. I have never used grain but assumed things like maltdextrin had a similar effect as regards head.

Some medications and quite often the food you have consumed may cause a beer to go flat.

If you use Starsan then the rinsing needs to be very thorough as Starsan has a surfactant (simple terms, soap) in it.

 

[hotmelt]

Maybe this will help.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2600812/The-gadget-uses-ultrasonic-waves-ensure-beer-ALWAYS-got-head.html

 

[manticle]

If you use Starsan then the rinsing needs to be very thorough as Starsan has a surfactant (simple terms, soap) in it.

Weird. I actually use starsan as a rinse aid for my glasses if I use any kind of detergent on them. Mostly I just rinse with hot water after use but if they get a bit filthy or I'm having guests, I wash well with hot water and sodium perc, rinse with clean water, then spray with starsan and allow to air dry.

I always figured the low pH would act a little like vinegar wash - certainly I get nice, clingy, lacy film in most of my beers.

 

[dicko]

Weird. I actually use starsan as a rinse aid for my glasses if I use any kind of detergent on them. Mostly I just rinse with hot water after use but if they get a bit filthy or I'm having guests, I wash well with hot water and sodium perc, rinse with clean water, then spray with starsan and allow to air dry.

I always figured the low pH would act a little like vinegar wash - certainly I get nice, clingy, lacy film in most of my beers.

It will depend on how the starsan is mixed initially, most think "more is better". You are correct in that it will be an acidic rinse but traces of surfactant will remain regardless of how it is mixed.
The acid rinse is done to ensure the removal or at least the neutralisation of the alkaline in the detergent that is used for cleaning and / or the high alkaline presence in the water used for cleaning.

I only ever use a pinch of citric acid in some rain water or RO if I have some.
Here in SA and more to the point in Port Lincoln the water from the tap is absolute crap as far as minerals are concerned and therefor useless for cleaning anything and even starsan is much better mixed with rain water.
I have tried your method with the starsan as it is really convenient but I have found a much better result with just plain old citric acid.

 

[squirrell]

maybe i should just buy a new glass every time i want a drink. Sounds like a lot of effort!!

 

[manticle]

Wash and rinse is not a lot of effort.

 

[hoppy2B]

Thansk Beer God,

What is curious is that I get good head sometimes but not others from the same brew. I have never used grain but assumed things like maltdextrin had a similar effect as regards head.

Have a go at steeping some grains, it opens up a whole new world of flavour and allows you to modify kit brews any way you please.
Adding hops late in the boil and also dry hopping can raise your beer making up to the sort of quality you would enjoy with some of the more expensive craft breweries, assuming you haven't tried adding hops yet?