Head Retention for an IPA

[petrolSpice]

When it comes to malts I don't know a whole lot. However, I'd like to start coming up with my own recipes. West Coast IPA's are my favorite, with hoppy citrus and floral notes, but not too in-your-face hoppy.

To achieve good head retention for this style of beer, how much of what malt should I be adding to my mash, assuming a 6 gal brew? I have heard that both flaked barley and carapils are good, but don't know when you would use one or the other.

My last IPA had 1/2lb of carapils and 1/4lb of flaked barley and I think it's head was pretty ideal. Easy to pour and it stuck around for several minutes.

I brew BIAB if that makes any difference.

 

[Singletrack]

Have you made an IPA that did not have good head retention? I have found that I do not need to use any special head retention malts to get satisfactory head retention -- especially for IPAs -- since a little head and dispersed lacing is all I need. (That's what he said.)

 

[Stillraining]

Not an expert but: you might look at your water... I do nothing to my well water and I always have tons of head and it laces the glass the whole beer. The head is quite diminished by 10 min or so but there is always a thin film of head no mater what style I brew. So are you sure you have a issue?
FWIW My IPA has NW pale, Munich, C60 and Wheat malt . it is also one of the few of mine to receive the wheat so that's not the reason.

The picture is a simple Smash with NW pale malt...it will lace the whole glass even at the 20 or 30 min mark.

 

[filthyastronaut]

Flaked wheat is my go to adjunct for head retention and lacing, as well as mouthfeel. I often use a little bit even in styles where it wouldn't be the usual, like porters and such.

 

[Queequeg]

You shouldn't need adjuncts to get good head retention. Base malt and a good amount if ibu's produce good head retention alone.

Good yeast health is vital, unhappy yeast produce higher molecular weight alcohols and other compounds which negatively effect head retention.

That said, an addition of flaked adjunct particularly barley or wheat can produce an extra level of head retention otherwise unattainable especially in terms of it's lacing and stability/rocky qualities.