Head tastes more sharp than a beer?

[Suicid]

Hi folks,

May be a bit strange question, but i'm not a serious beer tasting expert , so....
If I take a sip of its head right after pouring a beer into glass - the head's taste sometimes very strong, sometimes even a bit unpleasant... Beer itself tastes great and if I give head to sit down - it does not change a beer taste at all.

I noticed it with almost all my beers - stouts, different sorts of wheat, saisons and hoppy ales.

So my question is: is it normal if head tastes more "sharp"/hoppy/more tart etc than the beer itself or is it a sign of something wrong with my brewings?

Thanks!

 

[jakenbacon]

Probably just CO2 bite brotha

 

[unionrdr]

I was thinking carbonic acid bite myself. Too much carbonation can do that. The head on my IPA's kinda tastes like citrus meringue pie to me. Maybe you're getting something like that?

 

[rekoob]

I think that's pretty normal... ^ as stated above.

 

[Peruvian802]

I've always disliked the taste of the head on Guinness. Love the beer, though.

 

[Opiate42]

So my question is: is it normal if head tastes more "sharp"/hoppy/more tart etc than the beer itself or is it a sign of something wrong with my brewings?

Thanks!

Yep, totally normal. Can't remember the exact science, a beer judge dude explained it to me once but there is a lot of bitterness in the foam and CO2, you're basically getting a bitterness concentrate foaming up from the beer as it pours.

My explanation is estimated to be at least 57% off the mark