Lacing... who cares?

So after a few homebrewing escapades, my friend and I were just wondering what the importance of lacing was. We searched on Google and found numerous results on how to judge beer as well as how to improve lacing, but didn't find anything on why it's actually important. The closest reason we found was that lacing determines how clean the glass is and how much care was taken while brewing the beer, but this didn't really answer our questions.

We wanted a more scientific reason as to why lacing is important. Does lacing indicate that certain chemical compounds are present in the beer that improve flavor or something like that? Or is it just for aesthetics?

It's not important, it's simply more stupidity being promoted by beer rating websites. And you are right that it has more to do with the cleanliness of the glass than the beer itself.

It's totally aesthetic. I have noticed that my beers that have a decent amount of head retention also have good lacing. The ones I've made with poor head retention generally don't lace much.

It's not purely aesthetic. While lacing is not of utmost importance, it does indicate the presence of foam-friendly proteins, which contribute to head retention and body in a beer. Good head retention can be indicative of a well constructed beer, but it is only one of many factors that can help determine a beer's quality.

I think in general, good lacing is an indication that the beer is well made. Nothing more. I have on the other hand had many well made beers that have little to no head retention, and no lacing. Many Barleywines are barely carbonated.

It's not purely aesthetic. While lacing is not of utmost importance, it does indicate the presence of foam-friendly proteins, which contribute to head retention and body in a beer. Good head retention can be indicative of a well constructed beer, but it is only one of many factors that can help determine a beer's quality.

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+1

Quality made beers generally have good lacing. Plus it's pretty to look at.

You drink with your eyes, not just your mouth. Sure, taste is probably the most important thing to consider, but a good looking beer completes the whole beer drinking experience. There are few things that get my mouth watering as much as nice thick head atop a cold mug of beer. Plus, as previously stated, appearance is an indication of quality.

s3n8 said:

I have on the other hand had many well made beers that have little to no head retention, and no lacing.

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Exactly, you can't say that it's a sign of a well made beer because I have had plenty of lousy beers where the head sticks around all day and other great beers that had no laving to speak of. Saying that lacing alone is an indication of a good beer is a straw man statement. Sure you drink with your eyes but you also have to use your brain to determine what style the beer is and what grains/type of mash/hops/a thousand other things went into this beer that will effect it.

Of course lacing, alone, is not the indication of a good beer, and I saw no one writing that. It certainly is among the indicators, though. If I'm handed a beer that is supposed to have a good head but does not, I can bet that there is more wrong with that beer than the head.

Besides, it's pretty. Pretty counts, even with beer.


TL

Yuri_Rage said:

It's not purely aesthetic. While lacing is not of utmost importance, it does indicate the presence of foam-friendly proteins, which contribute to head retention and body in a beer. Good head retention can be indicative of a well constructed beer, but it is only one of many factors that can help determine a beer's quality.

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I'll agree with almost everything Yuri said here except his claim that it's not purely aesthetic. I'll say it is purely aesthetic and that's OK, even a good thing and the reason we brew beer!

If all you're looking for is an alcohol delivery system, you'll get much more bang for your buck going to the liquor store and getting the cheapest 1.5 liter bottle of vodka. Presumably the reason we brew & drink all these different kinds of beers is mostly about aesthetics! And our sense of pleasure at the taste of the beer, as others have pointed out, comes from taste, smell, and sight. Color, clarity, head retention, lacing are all important to the taste experience and actually change how the brain responds to taste.

So to the OP, heck yeah lacing is a lot about aesthetics, and isn't that what beer drinking is all about!

I think when most people use the term aestehics, they're thinking visual. But yes aesthetics does mean taste as well.

IMHO, a nice beer, presented well is like a good meal presented properly. Lacing is part of that for me. For me, is like saying that is isn't important that a prime rib be juicy.

As you can tell, I like lacing better than photography:


Now doesn't that look just a little bit extra yummy?

Clarity is another one of those aesthetic issues. Most of my beers are pretty cloudy, but i don't care.

I'll get run out of town here, but I don't particularly like lacing. I don't find it all that aesthetically pleasing. I would prefer a pint with good head retention & body, but no lace is fine. All that scum on the glass is distracting. There, I said it.

I've never had a beer that i enjoyed that did not have a head and without lacing..... I have enjoyed many beers with an appropriate head and lacing.

Whatever the science may be, I am sure this cannot be purely coincidence.

IrregularPulse said:

I think when most people use the term aestehics, they're thinking visual. But yes aesthetics does mean taste as well.

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I think that might be your personal opinion.

I've always considered it to be a visual thing, so after seeing your comment I had to go and look the definition up, and it all talks about beauty. I did see a reference to "sense of taste", but that was not really talking about the sensory input provided by your physical taste buds. It was using that term to describe "personal preference" (like "Your taste in women is aweful.")

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

I've never had a beer that i enjoyed that did not have a head and without lacing.....

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The wording is confusing me. Are you saying that you've never enjoed a beer that did not have both good head and good lacing?

I thought lacing was about an inventory of how many sips it took to finish off the glass.

Well, duh, might as, might as well ask why is a tree good? Why is the sunset good? Why are boobs good? Man, firecrackers, ya stick 'em in mailboxes, you drop 'em in toilets, shove 'em up bullfrogs asses.

Just is.

RDWHAHB said:

The wording is confusing me. Are you saying that you've never enjoed a beer that did not have both good head and good lacing?

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I meant that a decent head and good lacing is an indicator that the beer will be good. Sorry for my poor wording.

Ok, ok.... wow, I wasn't expecting this kind of response and debate. We were just wondering. We bottled our very first homebrew a little while ago, and after some taste tests we realized that we had really good had but not much lacing. I generally drink one every three days or so to check bottle conditioning and where exactly the beer is at. Will it improve with age, or does progress get pretty stagnant after a few weeks?

if it means anything, i drank a Sierra Nevada Celebration ale hours ago, and lacing is still on the glass!

Lacing. If that's the foam left on the glass, I've never had much. Does' t matter if it's commercial or mine. I try to pour to get the least amount off head possible. Don't care for the foam.
oldtrucker