What not to do with beer glassware?

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I'm thinking about doing an experiment about glass care and head retention. I guess you have all heard about different things that you absolutely shouldn't do with your beer glasses, because it spoils the head retention of the beer that you later put in it.

Here are some from the top of my head:

- Don't use it for milk
- Rinse any dust particles from the glass before the pour
- Don't use rinse aid
- Any dish soap must be rinsed very thoroughly

Anything else?
 
yeah, rinse aid...I wouldn't even trust it without the jetdry or whatever just from residual. I hand wash it before any session and after without any issues, take less than a minute so its no biggie. I rinse out my glasses immediately after use so I don't have any issues
 
I use a dirty glass after 3 or 4 nights I decide to wash it in the dishwasher. No problems with head retention here.
 
Hand wash, Air dry on dish towel. Store upside down. Quick flush of cold water before pour.

And like cali said. I dont use my glasses for anything but brew...let alone milk!
 
The biggest problem with the dishwasher is washing them with other dishes. You don’t want any fat in the dishwater. It gets stuck in the microscopic pores of the glass and it’s hard to get out. It seems to combine with the detergent and form an insoluble precipitate. It doesn’t take much to ruin the head.

I used to drink Guinness out of a dirty glass at a neighborhood Bennigan’s. You can rinse it a hundred times without much effect. The ‘lace’ would be hard and spotty. Using the same glass all evening was only a marginal improvement.

The only cure I know of is to wash it repeatedly, scrubbing with baking soda. Eventually you will remove the build-up.
 
If you fill your rinse aid cup with distilled white vinegar, it's just as effective as commercial rinse aids, and should have no effect on head retention.
 
The question was what NOT to do. Not what to do :D

Do you have any other things that you should avoid, except the ones I mentioned in the first post?

The plan is to try all the things that you are not supposed to do, and do a side by side comparison on head retention.
 
- Don't use it for milk
- Rinse any dust particles from the glass before the pour
- Don't use rinse aid
- Any dish soap must be rinsed very thoroughly

I'm not sure the milk thing matters much, provided that people are washing and rinising well. Our daily glasses are tulip style pint glasses, similar to Guinness glasses. I use them for everything, inluding milk and smoothies, margaritas, and beer. I wash all dishes by hand with diluted dish detergent, rinse well, and let them air dry in the dish washer. The glasses don't get any special treatment over other kitchenware and I get great head retention and lacing. All of my recipes have a significant amount of wheat, crystal, and/or carapils, and most are medium body mashes. Some head enhancing malts, a proper mash, and a good rinse of your glass should be all it takes. I probably also get great head because I cook and do the dishes in our home ;)

Here's some good info for better head retention-
http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/06/25/enhancing-beer-head-retention-for-home-brewers/

edit: to the OP, maybe you can include the effects of glass shape on head retention in your experiment as well.
 
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