Haze and head retention

[SubjectB]

I have a batch of Amber ale that has been carbonating in a corny keg at 35F/8 psi for a week now. When I pour it in a squeaky clean glass, the beer doesn't form any head. WTF?

Both line and tap are clean and sanitized. It sat in primary for three weeks. The hop charge is at the lower end of the acceptable range for the recipe, but this has never resulted in a head retention issue for me. I brewed a Kölsch with only an ounce of hops and it always formed an inch of dense white foam. Shake test confirms that the beer is capable of producing foam.

The difference between this Amber and the said Kölsch is that the former is hazy. The Kölsch didn't come out clear initially and I had to do a gelatin treatment to gain clarity. Although, I can't remember for the life of me if it initially formed head despite the lack of clarity. I should really keep a journal.

So, I'm asking are haze causing proteins still in suspension detrimental to head retention?

 

[Gavin C]

8 psi at 35F seems very low. I would anticipate a minimally carbonated beer to result particularly after only 1 week.

If your beer has head retention issues or not, if it's not correctly carbonated to begin with it's going to hard to determine that fact.

 

[SubjectB]

Well, according to the carbonation chart for the volume of CO2 that I'd like, 2.3, 8 psi @ 35F is spot on.

 

[Gavin C]

Well, according to the carbonation chart for the volume of CO2 that I'd like, 2.3, 8 psi @ 35F is spot on.

Maybe so but a week at that low a pressure is probably not going to be adequate time. I wasn't casting doubts on your preferences.

With a set and forget approach I don't find 1 week to be sufficient time to reach optimal carbonation.

 

[Conman13]

1 week is not enough time for set-and-forget. Does your carbonation chart also take in to account line diameter, line length, vertical distance between keg post and faucet? These things all affect foaminess as well. You likely need to let it sit at least 1 more week at that temp/PSI to be more confident it's actually reached the desired volume of CO2.

 

[SubjectB]

With a set and forget approach I don't find 1 week to be sufficient time to reach optimal carbonation.

Does your carbonation chart also take in to account line diameter, line length, vertical distance between keg post and faucet? These things all affect foaminess as well.

I did find a Keg Line Balancing Calculator. I'll try that. If it doesn't work, I guess I'll just wait 1 more week.

Still, I'm curious if haze has an impact on head retention.

 

[SubjectB]

So, rather than wait another week, I added gelatin and waited for 2 days. Not only did I get a well-carbonated clear beer with thick, luxurious head, I also got a better tasting beer! Before the gelatin treatment, I detected some mediciny off flavors. I thought I might have to dump it. I guess the gelatin absorbed whatever was imparting the off flavor.

I can't say with confidence that haze proteins inhibit head retention, but I'm going to start adding it to every batch from now on for the other added benefits.