Head retention

[wilfh]

Ok, so I have a problem with head retention.

There I’ve said it and now that I’ve got that off my chest I’m going to give you all the gory details.

I’ve done a number of bitters, 2 milds, and 3 wheat beers but none seem to keep any sort of lacing or foam in my beers.

It’s not carbonation as some have been very fizzy but the foam dissipates quickly.

It’s not glassware as foam and lacing is fine with a colne valley kit I did the other day to see if there was a difference.


This leads me to conclude that it must be my mashing. I mash in a cool box at the required temperature, drain and then batch sparge at around 72-75C.

The first runnings tend to sit in a bucket until the batch sparge is drained as only have one boiler and I am guessing that maybe the first drain isn’t denaturing the enzymes so they are taking out any proteins left in the first running (?)

Open to any suggestions on what the problem could be and what I do about it

Maybe it’s my expectations?
cheers
Wilf

[seymour]

You probably just need to include any unmalted grain for at least 3-5% of your grainbill (or as high as 15%). Torrified wheat is most traditional in England, flaked barley seems more popular in Ireland, but also oats (flaked, rolled, instant, Scotch, pinhead, steel-cut, etc) or raw buckwheat/grechka work great too.

Another thought: what is the overall duration of your mash, counting the sit time you described? If it's extremely long, you might try limiting yourself to 60 minutes, or even shorter if conversion is complete. Or at the very least, raise the entire mash to 172°F/77.8°C before knock-out. I've noticed extremely lengthy mashes break everything down very effectively, which is a good thing in terms of absolute efficiency, but leaves behind less head retention and lace.

Best of luck!

[alix101]

As Seymour said some torrified wheat will help ...but I'd look at your mashing temp 65/69 is my goal depending on style your breaking down the protein which essentially what your head is formed from.

[dshar]

Ive been having the exact same problem. On AG #9 now and theyve mostly been good brews, except i didnt manage to get a decent head on any.

I added wheat malt to most specifically for head retention, but just realised that i should have been using unmalted wheat, doh!!

But my last beer was a stout with plenty of oats. So much so that the mash got completely stuck. Head was still terrible, non existent. I mash at around 68 and mash out to 75 usually for 60mins...

Very Confused!

[WalesAles]

Ok, so I have a problem with head retention.
Wilf

Grip the back of Her head firmly!

WA

[Rhodesy]

I tend to do APA/IPA more than traditional bitters etc but I think Carapils works great for this. Mashing temp will also play a great part as previously said above. If you are batch sparging I don't think they will denature that quickly to cause this though I am no expert.

[alix101]

Sorry I'll correct my original I thought you were mashing at 75c

Try torrified wheat first.
If that doesn't work then your heading into water science.
Check your PH through the mash this is a good guide on cause effect https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sourc ... f2RW7aBNGg

[gobuchul]

I have used torrified wheat, flaked barley and carapils, all with success.

[wilfh]

Thanks everyone.
I've been mashing for 90 minutes so I guess its probably 2 hours plus buy the time the boil comes on from mash in.

I've tried terrified wheat (haven't got the quantity on me at the moment but it won't be that much) but I can't say there was a significant difference. I've put malted wheat in before and as I said my wheat beers still had no head to speak of.

Will try 60 minutes.

I've been following the murphy's water treatment profiles but I haven't measured the mash ph. I haven't got a meter and I've found when making cider that the strips are next to useless. Maybe I'll have to invest!

Cheers
Wilf

[guypettigrew]

Do you bottle or keg?

Guy

[alix101]

The ph strips with the number's on a pretty acurate. ..the standard litmus paper is pretty useless.
But ph meters are a good investment long term but again just needs regular calibrating.

[orlando]

Carbonation is a key to head retention, are your beers low in carbonation? You may have noticed that dark beers tend to be more foam positive, that is because grains like flaked barley increas the viscosity of the wort helping to support the bubbles, so as others have suggested some unmalted grains can help. Oats have a high lipid content (fat) so be careful here as like washing up liquid it can rapidly deflate a head if overused, adding coffee or chocolate can also have this effect. A good dose of hops I have heard is positive for good foam. A beer low in protein like one made from a lot of corn or sugar is a classic problem and something Budweiser for example, has to counteract with an array of chemicals, not nice, but then you probably know that. . Dirty glasses are in my experience more of a problem than people realise, make sure they are squeeky clean.

[wilfh]

Thanks. Glass i'm on to and rinse before pouring from the bottle. Carbonation is also something I've already looked at and dont think is the culprit. This because there is plenty of fizz just no head. Even the odd gusher i get drips back to nothing pretty quickly

[seymour]

...Oats have a high lipid content (fat) so be careful here as like washing up liquid it can rapidly deflate a head if overused...

Lots of great points, orlando, all of which I agree with except that one, no offense. You're right that oats have a higher fat content than most other cereal grains, but it never inhibits foam. Oats always improve head retention, lace, mouthfeel, and overall smoothness. There is no percentage of oats over which this ceases to be the case. I've drunk countless commercial oatmeal stouts with 5-15% oats, a recipe of mine uses 17% , Three Floyds/Mikkeller Oatgoop uses 25%, and fellow forum member Timothy's Renaissance Ale used 29% and had a mesmerizing foamy/lacy appearance. The higher the oat percentage of the grainbill, the deeper and more persistent the foam, period.

Wilf, on your next brew, replace 15% of your base malt with flaked oats or torrified wheat, shorten your mash duration, raise temp before knock-out, and you'll see. Cheers!

[Ren]

. Healthy fermentation (temperature stability) and good pitching rates are the most important things to worry about. Foam positive additives wont create foam, but will improve it if it's there in the first place. Good conditioning times, as well as the glass shape can affect foam.