Better Head with age???

[dummkauf]

Just curious if the rest of you see better head on your beers when they age? I just cracked open 1 of the last 2 bombers of my first brew, a NB Kolsch extract kit that I made last January. A lot of the imperfections are now gone, and it does taste better, but I've also noticed that it now has a nice light fluffy head that doesn't fade. When I was first drinking this I had to pour it staight down the middle of the glass from as high of a distance as possible to get a decent head on the beer. Now I pour it like a normal beer and it gets great head.

Is this normal? and if so, can anyone explain the reason why this happens?

 

[Revvy]

Because the beer fully carbed up.

 

[skyebrewing]

Nevermind, the title of this post made me you were talking about something else..

 

[CoalCracker]

It's because they can take their teeth out..

And what Revvy said. A mature beer will form good head. A clean glass helps.

 

[lumpher]

it does take a couple to a few weeks for bottled beers to fully carb. how long did you let the other beers age before you poured then with a weak head (the beers, not you )?

 

[AKbrewer]

Its fully carbed plus most of the sediment has settled out which helps the head.

 

[jgardner6]

It depends if she gets a lot of practice.

 

[dummkauf]

it does take a couple to a few weeks for bottled beers to fully carb. how long did you let the other beers age before you poured then with a weak head (the beers, not you )?

Well it was brewed last January and I've been cracking bottles open at random ever since and it hasn't had any head, or very little, until the other night. Now I don't think I've had any in the last 2 to 3 months or so, but 9 months seems a bit excessive for a low gravity ale to carb up....though I suppose it could have just been a super slow carbing beer too :/

 

[Teromous]

I always see a better head with age. The color of the head improves as well, with a much lighter colored head at first...then maturing into a deeper color over a few weeks depending on style and respective lovibond that you brewed. Normally I'll see it in 3 phases...1 being a large head that dissipates quickly with light beer carbonation, 2 being a decent colored head that dissipates slowly and leaves a decent lacing, and 3 being the ideal head with perfect *chug* lacing with a good color and the best overall carbonation levels.

 

[bullinachinashop]

Or maybe considering it was your first beer, you didn't get the priming solution equally distributed through out your batch.

 

[NorCalAngler]

Did you cold condition the beer? I've found as the beer is in the fridge longer hop and protein sediment falls out, clears the beer and the beer has fluffy, longer lasting head. I assume these particles reduce head retention, but I have no idea why.

 

[dummkauf]

Did you cold condition the beer? I've found as the beer is in the fridge longer hop and protein sediment falls out, clears the beer and the beer has fluffy, longer lasting head. I assume these particles reduce head retention, but I have no idea why.

Nope, it's been sitting downstairs in the "beer closet" since it was bottled, it went in the fridge about 2 days before I drank it.