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BigEd · 10-02-2012, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denny

Duvel has about the best beer foam out there and uses nothing but pils malt and sugar. The point is that you don't need carapils, flaked barley or wheat, or anything else to get good foam. What you need are good procedures. Check this out....

http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/35-head-retention/697-getting-good-beer-foam-techniques

Good point. While many folks want simple, direct answers in brewing almost any question can have many answers. While it seems the typical homebrewer thinks of Carapils/Dextrin malt as only for head retention that is not the only thing it does and as explained above good head retention, or more correctly, foam stability, doesn't necessarily need help from accessory ingredients.

wkaidy · 10-03-2012, 07:17 PM

what's the difference between head retention and foam stability?

wkaidy · 10-03-2012, 07:19 PM

and what kind of other procedures helps with this

**daksin** · 10-03-2012, 07:30 PM

First of all, carapils is a crystal malt and should be treated as such (keep the % low in your grist- a pound is a lot unless it's the only crystal in your recipe).

Second, it's really a bandaid for other problems that may be causing poor head retention (recipe formulation, process issues, water composition). Consider Chimay White, a tripel which is just pils malt and sugar- massive everlasting head.

Third, it's more expensive than flaked barley, which will give you way better head retention anyway, add mouthfeel, contribute fermentable sugars and not sweeten your finished beer.

So, in conclusion: look to your recipe/process/water first if you're not seeing what you want. Then if you want even more head or rockier foam, try some flaked barley!

PS: this is primarily for all-barley beers. Rye and wheat also add some nice proteins which contribute to head retention.

jat147 · 10-03-2012, 07:56 PM

Some folks may find it easier to think of crytals/carapils additions to the grist in terms of percentage of the total weight?
I work on a max of 5%, does that sound a reasonable proportion?

mttfrog13 · 03-28-2013, 02:09 PM

I'd only use carapils in low gravity beers so that they aren't like water. Or in some IPA's that have a (relatively) low gravity to give the beer more body without having to increase the abv.

**sweetcell** · 03-28-2013, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daksin

First of all, carapils is a crystal malt and should be treated as such (keep the % low in your grist- a pound is a lot unless it's the only crystal in your recipe).

and that's exactly when i use carapils/carafoam - when i have no other crystals in my recipe. the point of carapils, for me, is "i want the all the contributions of crystal malts EXCEPT the flavor". if i have any other crystals in the recipe, i'm already getting carapils' main contribution... so why bother.