No head

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crookedibrews

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I'm not getting much head on my last few batches. I'm looking for info on how to add more body to my beer. I'm using 5 oz of priming sugar before bottle. I'm getting carbonation but just not that much. I usually dry hop my beers so I use a secondary. Could I be racking to secondary to soon? I usually wait 7 days to 10 days before I rack over.
 
ImageUploadedByHome Brew1390657246.813812.jpg here is ten gallons bottled 3 weeks ago. Opened one last night and it tasted great but I just didn't get that foam on top of my glass. I think it makes a difference In the drinking experience. It's just not the same without it.
 
5 oz. is usually more than sufficient.
I used to use 5 ounces per 5 gallon, and would be over carbonated every time.
Now I use .8 ounces by weight per gallon, then in the basement @ 62 they go.
I do not touch those for 2 to 3 weeks, then they are good.
To get more body I believe you want to mash at a higher temperature like 155 ish.
There are many people that know a lot more than me, just my 2 cents.

EDIT: make sure you rinse your glasses if they have been through the dishwasher. That is big.
 
Yeah, you're racking over to secondary too soon. Use your hydrometer to keep track of your fermentation and don't rack it over so soon. When the FG reading is stable for 2-3 days, primary fermentation is over BUT... you should give your beers a diacetyl rest to clean up precursor alcohols. It just means, let the beer sit on the yeast cake in the primary for another week. You CAN dry hop during the diacetyl rest right in the primary. I like to use a hops bag for dry hopping.

Now, to increase the body of the beer and add some head to it....

Adding a small amount of victory, munich or vienna malt to the beer can help. These add some bready & nutty flavor to the beer enhancing the mouth feel and the malt backbone of your beers. A small 5-10% addition is all you should need to beef up a thin beer and they will also enhance head retention. If you want some nice big rocky head that never dies, use some carafoam or a little wheat. Not too much wheat as it can cloud up your beer with haze. Carafoam is a better choice if you can find it.
 
Any soap residue on any of your equipment that the wort or beer touches will kill the head. Rinse, rinse, rinse. Then sanitize. Hint, if you put your bottles or glassware in the dishwasher and said dishwasher has something like Rinseaid, that will kill the head.
 
Hoppy beers tend to have plenty of foam retention, due to the hops. I wonder if it's your glassware, and not your beer.

I'd suggest a quick trial. Moisten your beer glass inside with water, and then sprinkle salt inside. Use your hand to scrub the glass well, inside and around the rim. Rinse well. Make sure the glass is room temperature when you pour a beer, and see if the salt scrub fixed the issue. It definitely sounds like a glassware issue, and not a beer issue.
 
Yeah, you're racking over to secondary too soon. Use your hydrometer to keep track of your fermentation and don't rack it over so soon. When the FG reading is stable for 2-3 days, primary fermentation is over BUT... you should give your beers a diacetyl rest to clean up precursor alcohols. It just means, let the beer sit on the yeast cake in the primary for another week. You CAN dry hop during the diacetyl rest right in the primary. I like to use a hops bag for dry hopping.

Now, to increase the body of the beer and add some head to it....

Adding a small amount of victory, munich or vienna malt to the beer can help. These add some bready & nutty flavor to the beer enhancing the mouth feel and the malt backbone of your beers. A small 5-10% addition is all you should need to beef up a thin beer and they will also enhance head retention. If you want some nice big rocky head that never dies, use some carafoam or a little wheat. Not too much wheat as it can cloud up your beer with haze. Carafoam is a better choice if you can find it.


When using the primary for dry hoping. What happens with the krausen on the sides of the bucket. I have always used a secondary. Do you just be real carful when you rack over to your bottling bucket. And try not to disturb the gunk on the sides and bottom of the bucket.
 
Hoppy beers tend to have plenty of foam retention, due to the hops. I wonder if it's your glassware, and not your beer.



I'd suggest a quick trial. Moisten your beer glass inside with water, and then sprinkle salt inside. Use your hand to scrub the glass well, inside and around the rim. Rinse well. Make sure the glass is room temperature when you pour a beer, and see if the salt scrub fixed the issue. It definitely sounds like a glassware issue, and not a beer issue.


I'll give this a shot tonight. It's true I just put my glasses in the dish washer. I don't know what type of soap my wife uses but I have seen some of the other glasses get kind of cloudy. From the dishwasher. As for my equipment I'm pretty rigorous when it comes to cleaning. I use starsan for my no rinse cleaner. I have never had a problem with little head before.
 
I'll give this a shot tonight. It's true I just put my glasses in the dish washer. I don't know what type of soap my wife uses but I have seen some of the other glasses get kind of cloudy. From the dishwasher. As for my equipment I'm pretty rigorous when it comes to cleaning. I use starsan for my no rinse cleaner. I have never had a problem with little head before.

Worse than the dishsoap in the dishwasher is the rinse agents like "Jet Dry". If your glasses come out cloudy, that sounds like hard water residue.

I think the salt scrub will make a big difference! Please let us know.
 
I'm not getting much head on my last few batches. I'm looking for info on how to add more body to my beer. I'm using 5 oz of priming sugar before bottle. I'm getting carbonation but just not that much. I usually dry hop my beers so I use a secondary. Could I be racking to secondary to soon? I usually wait 7 days to 10 days before I rack over.

On average let it sit 3 weeks in the primary and dry hop it there. So much easier. That's what I'm gonna do in about 15 minutes. Add the dry hops that is. A week later I'll cold crash it.
 
Thanks I salt scrubbed my glass and poured. Looked better by i would say 25% . I still think it needs more head retention. I will try leaving it in primary longer. I have a rye pa fermenting now thanks for the info.... I am also putting in more research on the grain bill to add body and more head retention.
 
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