What happened????

We recently brewed a Hefeweizen. We got the ingredient kit from Austin home brew. Today is tasting day and we have ran into a problem. There is zero head retention..... I'm completely stumped as to why this is. This was a mini-mash/BIAB recipe. We followed the steps exactly
except one. We did not transfer into a second fermenter as the directions called for. We were told that this was uncalled for. When we opened them there was good carbonation. Any suggestions or help will be appreciated. Thank you

 

could be a problem with the glasses/mugs. was there residual soap in them? were they rinsed really good?

 

I rinsed my glass out and the second one was a lil but better but not as good a head as our last batch. Maybe I'm just being too anal retentive or picky.....

 

How long have they been in the bottles? Could just be that they need a bit more time to fully carb. Also, how cold was the beer when you poured it? Super cold beer tends not to form a great head since less co2 will come out of solution. Maybe try warming it up a bit beforehand?

 

Try refrigerating for two weeks and report back. Suspended solids in beer function as nucleation sites, causing the carbonation to form and dissipate almost immediately, forming no head. Think of the same principle as a laser etched glass, only throughout the entire beer. When you refrigerate, you may see chill haze form within a day, then dissipate within a week or two. Then, when the beer is bright, head retention will be greatly improved.

 

There is a good % of CO2 in the headspace of the bottle at room temp. Your situation sounds to me like you are just chilling the beers long enough to get them cold, then opening. In this case, there would not be time for that CO2 in the headspace of the bottle to dissolve into the beer, so all of that CO2 just dissipates when you open the bottle, giving you a good head initially, but an undercarbed beer and a head that dissipates quickly.

Make sure you are leaving each bottle at fridge temps for at least 48 hours before you open them to allow all of the CO2 to dissolve into the beer.

Also remember with a Hefe to rack over some of the yeast cake. The wheat proteins and yeast are a big contributor to head retention as well as the proper flavor of a Hefeweizen.

Good luck!

 

Thank you! I sort of jumped ahead and forgot to mention this. CO2 will go into solution at room temp, it just takes a lot longer, so drop it in the fridge and you should see an immediate improvement in a day or two.

 

Yep, what Yoop says. I have read that beer glasses(as well as wine glasses) aren't suppose to be used for anything other than those purposes. Also they are to be washed separately...as the food/grease from other dishes will cling to the glass and transfer off flavors/aromas.

Fast foreword to the real world. I used to work in a restaurant when I was young. The salt trick Yooper states was used all of the time...and it works great. Mix in a little crushed ice, cover and shake vigorously. It's kindov' a gentle sand blasting effect.

Another reason for poor head may be incomplete carbonation. Give them another week or so....I am sure it will help.

 

Ive noticed my beers seem nicely carbed after 2 weeks, but 3 or 4 weeks the head and head retention is way different than at 2 weeks. It will improve with time.