No head on newly brewed batch

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horrorclause

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Hey everyone,

I bottled my first batch of homebrew about three weeks ago; the first two weeks after bottling I kept the bottles in the closet, this final week I left them in the fridge. When I pour, there is no head
 
For whatever reason it wouldn't let me type everything out. But anyways, it was an extract batch and I primed each bottle with the recommended fizz drops. It's carbonated fine and I have had no gushers. I'm just wondering why there is absolutely no head
 
What type of beer is it? Head retention can vary depending on the style and recipe. And are you saying it doesn't pour any head or that it retains no head?
 
Depending on the alcohol content, it can often take more than 2 weeks to fully bottle carb, as well.
 
R2-D2 said:
What type of beer is it? Head retention can vary depending on the style and recipe. And are you saying it doesn't pour any head or that it retains no head?

It is a honey ale, and I meant to say that it pours no head at all
 
R2-D2 said:
What type of beer is it? Head retention can vary depending on the style and recipe. And are you saying it doesn't pour any head or that it retains no head?

It is the whitehouse honey ale from northern brewer. And it pours no head at all.
 
TopherM said:
Depending on the alcohol content, it can often take more than 2 weeks to fully bottle carb, as well.

I see, it's been bottled for 2 weeks at74 F and the third week it was in the fridge. It feels as carbonated as a commercial beer
 
You put them in the fridge without testing them first? You put them in the fridge too soon. You should have waited a minimum of three weeks before even checking them, let alone putting them in the fridge. You put the yeast to sleep before the process of carbonation/conditioning was done.

Take them out of the fridge, let them warm back up. In a couple of days swirl them to re-rouse the yeast. Then leave them ALONE for at least another week.

After that, pull 2 of them, one from one case, and one from the other. Stick them in the fridge for a minimum 24 hours, then see how they are. If that's the case then you can chill them down.

But head development is one of the last things that happens, once the beer is carbed. If you arrest the carbonation, then you won't get the head.
 
Revvy said:
You put them in the fridge without testing them first? You put them in the fridge too soon. You should have waited a minimum of three weeks before even checking them, let alone putting them in the fridge. You put the yeast to sleep before the process of carbonation/conditioning was done.

Take them out of the fridge, let them warm back up. In a couple of days swirl them to re-rouse the yeast. Then leave them ALONE for at least another week.

After that, pull 2 of them, one from one case, and one from the other. Stick them in the fridge for a minimum 24 hours, then see how they are. If that's the case then you can chill them down.

But head development is one of the last things that happens, once the beer is carbed. If you arrest the carbonation, then you won't get the head.

Ok, figured I messed up somewhere; I'll do this tonight then.
 
That's not to say you might have heading problems due to your recipe, but you should always make sure the process is complete. And for most beers 3 weeks at 70 is the minimum it takes to carb and condition many beers. Some take longer. So it's always a good idea to err on the side of caution, and make sure before declaring an "emergency." ;)
 
Revvy said:
That's not to say you might have heading problems due to your recipe, but you should always make sure the process is complete. And for most beers 3 weeks at 70 is the minimum it takes to carb and condition many beers. Some take longer. So it's always a good idea to err on the side of caution, and make sure before declaring an "emergency." ;)

Now I know for the future. I took your advice and took all the bottles out of the fridge and they were 68 F by this morning, so I shook up the test bottle a bit to rouse the yeast. There is a fair amount of foam in the bottle when I swirled it up, so maybe there is still hope!
 
Very funny. After I jut finished that same recipe with no head I searched this forum for causes. Hopefully it's not eh recipe. You are a week ahead of me I think so I'd love to hear if you have better luck after waiting a little longer.
 
For what it's worth, my WHHA after 2 weeks in the bottle has some head. Minimal, but about what I'd expect after 2 weeks. (Also Northern Brewer kit)

image-3749434331.jpg
 
Mithranbeer said:
For what it's worth, my WHHA after 2 weeks in the bottle has some head. Minimal, but about what I'd expect after 2 weeks. (Also Northern Brewer kit)

Well it's good to see that my color is right, but that's a bit more head than what I was getting.
 
iamkj said:
Very funny. After I jut finished that same recipe with no head I searched this forum for causes. Hopefully it's not eh recipe. You are a week ahead of me I think so I'd love to hear if you have better luck after waiting a little longer.

I'll definitely update, but I think I'm going to leave it for another two weeks in the bottles
 
horrorclause said:
Well it's good to see that my color is right, but that's a bit more head than what I was getting.

I just now realized the NB kit came with carb drops which I did not use. Instead I primed with honey - seemed more appropriate.
 
Ok, so here is what I did. I took the bottles and shook them a bit to re rouse the yeast, left them for a week and then placed one bottle in the fridge for 24 hours, cleaned a glass by hand using cold water, and voilà! A beautiful beer with an even better looking head

image-2871104145.jpg


image-191841292.jpg
 
Just listen to Revvy and give it time. Shaking the bottles is not necessary (and not a good idea), leave them alone at room temperature and let them do their thing. Sometimes when I crack my first couple open I have carbonation and it tastes fine, but the head hasn't developed. Few weeks later it's there, just be patient.
 
BlackGoat said:
Just listen to Revvy and give it time. Shaking the bottles is not necessary (and not a good idea), leave them alone at room temperature and let them do their thing. Sometimes when I crack my first couple open I have carbonation and it tastes fine, but the head hasn't developed. Few weeks later it's there, just be patient.

Sorry, meant to say swirl. Definitely didn't shake them
 
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