Does extract flavors ruin head retention?

I made 10 gallons based on Rogues Haselnut NB Ale clone. I put 5 gallons into a keg which drinks nicely and pours a nice thick head. The other 5 gallons was bottled with 4 oz of priming sugar and 2oz of hazelnut flavor extract.

The bottle with the extract comes out with no head at all. Is this a result of oils in the extract?

Did you put the hazel nut extract in the keg too?

Another thought is, did you apply more the same amount of C02 to the keg to get the same amount of Pounds per Square Inch of pressure as 4oz of priming sugar would have added to the bottles? I'm wondering if you just got more carbonation into the keg, as I know the brews I've bottled with 4oz of sugar always come up lightly carbonated(usually with less head too), which is why I usually use 5oz now unless I'm brewing a Kolsch or some other beer that the style calls for less carbonation.

No extract in the keg. I also think the bottles are a little flat but they are carbonated. It was hard to tell as pouring without any head forming leaves an impression of flatness before I even drink it.

I have only tried 2 samples so far and It has been about 3 weeks since bottling. I will chill another bottle and pour it more aggressively to see what happens.

I am still working out the details on the keg, my newer keezer is still in the trouble shooting stage. During my initial pour it shows 8" of head with 1" of beer, which makes it hard to compare with no head.

Nuts are oily, so I wonder if there might have been some nut fats in the extract that might be having an effect? Just a guess.

Another thought. Just brew that recipe again, and add the extract to the keg and not the bottles. See what happens

I added blackberry extract to one keg of my witbier from a 10 gal batch. Both kegs have the same head retention and lacing. I would assume it has more to do with the nut oils as others have said.

k, I will ask the bonehead question...Did you use dish soap when you washed the bottles?

dummkauf said:

Another thought. Just brew that recipe again, and add the extract to the keg and not the bottles. See what happens

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I have more beer than I can drink in the next year as it is. Not that, that is stopping me from brewing but it will prevent me from repeating a recipe I have 8 gallons of remaining.

No soap in the bottles. My bottling technique is well founded with out any issues ever up till now. I soak in Oxy, rinse 2x let dry until needed, spray with star-san using a vinator then bottle.

Next time I pour one of these I will pour it aggressively into the glass and pour from the keg to see how they compare. Photo to follow.

I figured that was the case, but I have done dumber things in the past.