larrybrewer
Well-Known Member
I need some help getting a foamy, creamy head on my beer - out of the bottle. A recent batch and probably half of my past batches were fizzy with a quickly diminishing head. FYI - I brew all grain, and keg/bottle 50/50. My kegged beer is way smoother and has better head retention.
My latest batch fermented from 1.048 to 1.008 in 3 weeks. It has been in the bottle for 6 weeks. I cracked a bottle tonight, decanted, and poof, the head died and it had the mouth feel of soda pop. WTF?? I have noticed with similar batches, after several months in the bottle, this effect is reduced, and there is more head retention, but it is still not great.
I would like my bottled brew to come out like Deschutes does. When I up end a 12oz bottle of Deschutes Mirror Pond, it produces about an inch of creamy head, and its not fizzy.
My procedure:
Soak bottles in star san solution, drain, and let dry.
Rack to bottling bucket, straight from primary, no secondary fermentor
Add 3 oz of dextrose dissolved in a pint of water that had been nearly boiled then cooled, stir thoroughly, but not to cause splashing.
Cap w/ Oxy caps
Let sit for 6-8 weeks.
It should not be the cleanliness of the glass. When I pour a Deschutes into a glass washed in the same dishwasher, the result is dramatically different.
Since I'm doing all grain, I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with proteins in the wort. This recent batch had 1/2 pound of flaked wheat in the mash.
My water chemistry is dialed in, tap water is practically distilled and I add 2/3 tsp of CaCl, and 2/3 tsp of Gypsum to my 5 gallon batch.
Fermentation is healthy, though temp may vary in the house from 62-68F.
What else am I missing here? Its the fizzy part that is really pissing me off more than anything. 3oz of dextrose for 5 gallon batch should not be too much though, right?
My latest batch fermented from 1.048 to 1.008 in 3 weeks. It has been in the bottle for 6 weeks. I cracked a bottle tonight, decanted, and poof, the head died and it had the mouth feel of soda pop. WTF?? I have noticed with similar batches, after several months in the bottle, this effect is reduced, and there is more head retention, but it is still not great.
I would like my bottled brew to come out like Deschutes does. When I up end a 12oz bottle of Deschutes Mirror Pond, it produces about an inch of creamy head, and its not fizzy.
My procedure:
Soak bottles in star san solution, drain, and let dry.
Rack to bottling bucket, straight from primary, no secondary fermentor
Add 3 oz of dextrose dissolved in a pint of water that had been nearly boiled then cooled, stir thoroughly, but not to cause splashing.
Cap w/ Oxy caps
Let sit for 6-8 weeks.
It should not be the cleanliness of the glass. When I pour a Deschutes into a glass washed in the same dishwasher, the result is dramatically different.
Since I'm doing all grain, I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with proteins in the wort. This recent batch had 1/2 pound of flaked wheat in the mash.
My water chemistry is dialed in, tap water is practically distilled and I add 2/3 tsp of CaCl, and 2/3 tsp of Gypsum to my 5 gallon batch.
Fermentation is healthy, though temp may vary in the house from 62-68F.
What else am I missing here? Its the fizzy part that is really pissing me off more than anything. 3oz of dextrose for 5 gallon batch should not be too much though, right?