Why a "head" in your glass?

[C-Rider]

OK, why do we desire to have a nice head on our beer? I know my German born dad would send back a beer w/o a head if were were in a restaurant. He always said a beer w/o a head was in a glass not properly cleaned. No one dared put anything in his beer glasses other than BEER.

 

[jonmohno]

Ive noticed commercially that they are pretty short and far and few really. I try a crapload and do rinse my glasses well and all that. As far as bottles, really its not very common to have much head. On average I would say I get half and inch commercially-unless I would pour it violently. Strangely I do notice when I get canned beer,that I get more head from those. Just thought I would share my experience. Its just something I notice commonly.

 

[daksin]

Poorly cleaned glasses can definitely kill your head retention. Recipe and your method of dispensing can affect the formation of head as well. There is no difference between keg/bottle/can as far as head retention goes.

The reason we want head on our beer is that it's basically a billion little bubbles constantly hitting the surface, rising up, and exploding. All those bubbles and explosions mean more beer/air surface area which means more aroma. Since aroma is such a huge component of our flavor perception, we get a much more complete and enjoyable sense of the beer we're drinking.

 

[mattd2]

...There is no difference between keg/bottle/can as far as head retention goes...

I would say that the carb levels would vary between draft and packaged beer. Also you could not discount the differences in serving method, pouring straight out of a can/bottle vs. through keg lines, etc.

 

[C-Rider]

Poorly cleaned glasses can definitely kill your head retention. Recipe and your method of dispensing can affect the formation of head as well. There is no difference between keg/bottle/can as far as head retention goes.

The reason we want head on our beer is that it's basically a billion little bubbles constantly hitting the surface, rising up, and exploding. All those bubbles and explosions mean more beer/air surface area which means more aroma. Since aroma is such a huge component of our flavor perception, we get a much more complete and enjoyable sense of the beer we're drinking.

Thank you. That makes sense. I remember going to a Honky Tonk and when ordering a picher, they would keep pouring off the head till the pitcher was full of been w/o a head. Guess people didn't want to pay for a good head on their pitcher. LOL

 

[daksin]

Thank you. That makes sense. I remember going to a Honky Tonk and when ordering a picher, they would keep pouring off the head till the pitcher was full of been w/o a head. Guess people didn't want to pay for a good head on their pitcher. LOL

And that's fine- foam isn't as good as beer. You'll get plenty of good head when pouring into a glass from a pitcher.

 

[Waynep005]

The head on beer is not only about aroma but also about the looks of the beer.Our taste is also effected by our vision. That is why good chefs spend so much time making food look good. Even the large multi national brewing corprations know this and show beers with "good heads" on them in advertisments.

 

[jtakacs]

agree... site, smell, taste, feel - maybe not so much sound. it's a sensory thing. and obviously who doesn't like head? (apologies to the ladies in the crowd)