Head Retension

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AlkiBrewing

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The last couple of batches have not had a nice creamy head which would like. I've never used flaked oats and am wondering if adding some to the recipe would do the trick?
 
It might help if you post the recipe that gave you problems so people can see if anything needs adjusting
 
I know flaked oats add body and mouthfeel but I'm not positive on head retention. Crystal or wheat add head retention. Mash temp is also an important factor.
 
I have seen improved head with two different approaches.
1.) flaked oats (oatmeal the Quaker kind) or wheat (malted or unmalted)
2.) protein rest below 130, and/or decoctions (spelling)
Then again I'm brewing partial mash BIAB and I can't say what works beyond that.
 
Since brewing with all-grain I find my head retention is incredible. Of course all of my recipes include ~20% of a specialty grain including crystal malt.
 
Wheat, Carapils/dextrin, and/or Crystal Malts each make up 5-10% of my grain bills, and I get a nice, lasting head with every pour. My recipes with 5-10% Crystal and 5-10% Carapils get very good lacing as well. I do a single infusion mash at 152 degrees for 60 minutes and a 60 minute boil.

Dish washing detergents and some sanitizers kill head retention, so that's something to check. Wash and rinse your glasses well, preferably by hand. Also rinse your bottles, fermenters, hoses, and anything else that contacts the wort/beer. I rinse everything with tap water and try not to get any sanitizer to ever touch my beer. I get a great head with every pour and I've never had an infection.

My last suggestion is to give it a good pour. Pour straight into the bottom of the glass, don't tilt the glass. Let the foam get to the top, even if you only pour half the bottle or less. Let the foam go down on its own and pour some more. Besides making a great head this will let your beer warm up to a more proper drinking temperature, if you had the bottle in a food fridge in the first place.

This is assuming you're bottling of course. Perhaps there are some tips from keggers.
 
I just stopped tipping the glass, I cut the shuck and jive and just pour the beer.
The ultimate solution is just to drink it straight from the bottle, no worries about foam that way.
 
Thanks for all the info! I didn't know that some sanitizers and dish washing detergent could impact the head retention. I'll start rinsing the glasses with tap water from now on. I recently bought an Vinator bottle washer and have used it on these past two batches. One batch I used Starsan, the other, Iodophor. I didn't rinse either with water, just let the bottles drain on the bottle tree. This was done just prior to bottling. Also, I didn't know that carapils and crystal malts contribute to head retention. I'll start adding 5% of one of these to my grain bills and see what happens. Below is the grain bill for the last batch I brewed.

Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Clone:

13 lbs Briess 2-row. 60 min
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt 40L. 60 min
14 oz. Caramel/Crystal Malt 80L. 60 min

1 oz Northern Brewer
2 pkgs Wyeast California Lager

Batch Sparge: 60 min @ 152
 
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