I have been at all grain for about a year now. I started with BIAB, but just made a mash tun. All the beers have been great so far but the all grain beers do not have the head retention that my extract beers had. I have seen some say carapilis or wheat to help with head retention. Can I add these in to a recipe without changing the taste? How much do you typically add to a 5 gallon recipe?
head retention
- Thread starter mfraier
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If you don't have something like carapils, wheat of flakes oats in a recipe, then yeah, you won't usually get good head. *snicker*
A half to a pound of carapils or the same amount of flaked oats or wheat in the grainbill will usually be sufficient.
A half to a pound of carapils or the same amount of flaked oats or wheat in the grainbill will usually be sufficient.
tonyolympia
Well-Known Member
Revvy said:
I'm trying to formulate a Saison recipe that excludes wheat--the worst grain for my gluten-averse wife. What would you substitute for that style in particular, to provide its copious head?
flaked barley? not sure about the gluten in barley i think it's not the same as wheat gluten.
tonyolympia
Well-Known Member
eastoak said:
Oh, my wife does fine with barley malt--THANK GOD, so I don't have to mess with true gluten-free brewing.
I know the gluten free brewers don't use barley either.
Tony go into the gluten free section of the forum and look at the threads in there, or if there's not one start a thread asking about Head Retention and Gluten Free Brewing. It's a great question.
I wonder about using heading powder or maltodextrine. But they might not be GF either......
tonyolympia
Well-Known Member
Revvy said:
Thanks, Revvy. I'll look into those options. Any solution that's not wheat would work. Doesn't have to be completely gluten-free.
From what I understand, Saison is a style that allows for some creativity with ingredients, so this is kind of a fun puzzle to solve.
I would substitute Carapils for wheat, but I haven't seen too many Saison recipes with much crystal malt in them, and I was concerned about adding unfermentable sugars. Maybe flaked oats would be a better bet. Or a mix of both?
tonyolympia
Well-Known Member
BTW, sorry for the thread jack! Hopefully this discussion is useful to the OP.
HomebrewMTB
Well-Known Member
No need for concern. 1/2 pound of carapils will be undetectable flavor wise in any recipe.
tonyolympia
Well-Known Member
HomebrewMTB said:
Thanks, HBMTB.
Try spelt in place of wheat.
For the OP: I used to have crappy head retention. I don't think the answer is as simple adding carapils or wheat. There's something you're doing that is killing the foam. Ever since I started using bottled water (my tap water is incredibly hard and heavily chlorinated) my head retention VASTLY improved. I also pay close attention to mash pH (final pH of beer can have an impact on the head retention) and I just handle the beer as little as possible. So between the water, proper pH, and leaving the beer alone now my beer foam is good and it sticks to glasses.
That actually makes sense. When I was partial mash/extract brewing Ii was using bottled water.....since I started all grain I have used my well water form the outside spigot which does not go through the water softner. I will try spring water on the next batch and see if it helps.
I tried filtering my water but it didn't help which is why I went to RO water from the super market vending machine. It helped a lot.
Usually the head retention issue with all grain batches is the PH of the mash and not with the grain bill, wheat and pilsner malts will lend a helping hand with head rentention and is an opition, also thickness of the mash, like water to grain ratio, lighter malts create softer PH and dark malts create my harder PH, also your water will also play a role as well if your using city water with no prior treatment then head retention suffer. Test your water and mash PH before adding extra malts to create a disired Generous head!!!!
Usually the head retention issue with all grain batches is the PH of the mash and not with the grain bill, wheat and pilsner malts will lend a helping hand with head rentention and is an opition, also thickness of the mash, like water to grain ratio, lighter malts create softer PH and dark malts create my harder PH, also your water will also play a role as well if your using city water with no prior treatment then head retention suffer. Test your water and mash PH before adding extra malts to create a disired Generous head!!!!
what type of treatment? i filter through an RV filter and nothing else, so do all of the local breweries, most of my beers have great head retention. recently i made an american wheat that tastes great but has no head, same water as all my other beer.
asterix404
Well-Known Member
So I will say, head retention is also about the amount of protein still in the beer. I do decoction heffs and the head is rocky and foamy without the need for cara anything. You are basically adding dexitrins into your beer which can't be fermented. You might try raising your mash temp as well. You will get a lower FG but should have more unfermentables and an increased body with improved head retention.
most city water tends to be softer to begin with, and filtering will not change this. Gypsum, or Sodium bicarbonite will change your water hardness, without getting to complicated, stick with filtered water and get some PH strips to see if that is the problem, step elimination process, then look to the grain bill this is a process ive used many times IMO
i'm happy with my water, i filter for chlorine. i was wondering what adding minerals would do for beer foam, especially in the hands on a new brewer like the original poster.
