No head on BIAB beer

[marcarm]

I'm recently moved onto BIAB, and have 2 beers that are ready to drink, both from GW's book, the Adnams Southwold and TT Landlord.

On pouring these beers, there is little to no head, and any head that does appear when pouring quickly disipates as if I were pouring a glass of coke. Beers made from kits have been fine, maybe too much head on some of those, but I long to make a beer with a nice thick creamy head.

I use the maxi BIAB method that is posted on one of the Aussie forums, basically just filling my pot up to the top and liquoring back to get my planned OG, so this does mean I get a variable brew length. I use a campden tablet in all of my water.

Batch with approx 90g of table sugar for 23 litres. No problem with carbonation at all. 2 weeks in the warm and 2 in the cold before sampling.

I wash the bottles in Soda crystals before filling, use Starsan and I believe my sanitation is good. Glasses are rinsed before pouring.

I would like to get the issue resolved as I have another batch fermenting at the mo which should be ready for bottling at the weekend, so if it's something I'm doing wrong it would be nice to know before then. I have also been adding 100g of torrified wheat to the mash, which is meant to help head retention, but I have no head to retain!

[bigchris]

I find adding a bit of wheat to the mash helps with making a good head. I usually add around 100g of torrefied wheat or wheat malt to my grain bill for a brew length of 23L.

[marcarm]

I have been adding that though, so at a bit of a loss as to what I'm doing wrong.

[octoscott]

I have this problem usually just when i am impatient.

Let it carb a bit longer and see how it goes.

[Fuggley Duckling]

The temperature you store your beer at can affect head retention. Make sure it's somewhere cool after the 1st week of being bottled.

[marcarm]

I leave it in the spare room for 2 weeks after bottling, then it gets moved into the garage for a min of 2 weeks before trying, although sometimes I have been known to be impatient and try before the 2 weeks in the cool is up.

My Southwold clone was bottled on 9th Jan and moved into the garage on 27th Jan, but I bring the bottles into the kitchen where they are not as cool before opening, I don't put them in the fridge at all.

[orlando]

Is your boil vigorous enough, if you are at the limit of capacity there is a tendency to simmer rather than boil to prevent spillage? Do you suffer issues with clarity as well? Use of wheat or even oats can add a bit of head retention but it is entirely possible to get a good head without. Another area to look at is keeping the heat constant when the beer is carbonating, at this time of year temperatures can vary quite widely so if the temperature drops below the working temperature of the yeast it can drop out and give up.

[marcarm]

I 'think' my boil is vigorous enough, but on the last brew I experimented with the lid half on so it would boil a bit harder.

I'm making some more tonight so will do the same again to ensure I'm boiling hard enough.

The temp in the spare room is quite constant as we have the heating on all the time, albeit a bit lower than if we just had it on a few hours a day.

The last brews I've made have been crystal clear going into the bottles as I have started cooling a few days before bottling, all have been fermented at 20 degrees in the brew fridge in the garage.

Hopefully with the tips I've got here I should be able to resolve the issue.

Thank you all.

[Fil]

any oils or soaps/detergents in the brew-kit can end up killing the head.. tho im sure thats not the case..

there is always the pocket beer engine, a 20ml syringe used to suck up some beer n squirt it back in can make a beer head fairly easily

or simply send yourself down south and back to the summers of the 70's and 80's when 'real' beer was served without a head liquid filling the glass to the brim..

1st time i headed north i was forever sending my pints back for a top up as they served it with an inch of foam occupying valuable beer volume in the glass cheap gets

[basswulf]

I've not noticed a particular failing with BIAB beer although head retention is typically less good than a commercially bottled beer.

Thumbs up for Fil's suggestion of a syringe as a pocket beer engine. I used to use that until my syringe broke; now I use a plastic "cappucino milk frother" if I want a longer lasting head. Both methods give smaller bubbles which last much longer.

Those with a sensitive disposition should look away now but, if you're desparate and not serving for other people, you can always backwash a mouthful into the glass which sounds a bit gross but also serves to create smaller, longer lasting bubbles.

Wulf