heading liquid question

[ipbr21054]

Hi,
Each beer or lager i had made does not keep its head very long.
I wash the bottles,bins etc in clean tap water then use the steralising powder also.
I give everything a real good clean before & after use.
I pour 3/4 of a pint onto the side of the glass then stand the glass upright and fill to the top thus having a nice 1/4 inch head.
Within 5 minutes i have a 2mm head ?????
When the pint has been consumed the sides of the glass a clean,i mean no head stuck to the walls of the glass.

I have been told about Heading liquid but has anybody used it and does it work.
Failing that any help why i have no head retension and advice on how to keep a head.

Thanks

 

[MNBugeater]

A 2mm head from 1/4" head after 5 Minutes isnt all that bad ?!?!

Can you elaborate on brewing a little? Extract? All grain? Sanitizing of fermentors, bottles, etc.

 

[davesrose]

Also, head retention is very dependant on your recipe. Certain grains are known to have better head retention then others (crystal malt being the main one)....though as MNBugeater says, you do have head retention now.

Head Retention - BrewWiki

 

[ipbr21054]

Ok it might be 1mm in 2 minutes ?
I can say much about the brew side of it as i make it from a kit,ie can of syrup and a sachet of yeast,not sure what the ingredients are but either way head dissapears.
Sterilise both bins.
Brew in Primary bin for about 2 weeks or until gravity around the reccomended mark/stable for 2 days.
Add 4oz sugar diluted with a little water then put in secondary bin.
Syphon from primary into secondary.
Bottle brew and leave in warm room for 2 weeks around 22 degrees c.
Them move to cold garage for at least 3 weeks.
This is when i try a pint and noticed head problem,had another 2 weeks later and then another 2 weeks after that and still the same.
Somewhere done the line i must be doing something wrong for all of them to have no head,they all look like a pint of pepsi after 2 minutes.

 

[ipbr21054]

Also, head retention is very dependant on your recipe. Certain grains are known to have better head retention then others (crystal malt being the main one)....though as MNBugeater says, you do have head retention now.

Head Retention - BrewWiki

If my tin does not have any of this crystal malt in it or not enough of it can i buy it and pop it in just before i bottle it,just a thought ?
I assume you make proper beer etc,i mean not out of the tin ?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

It's probly your indescript tin of syrups that are the culprit.

To eliminate the question of the glassware once and for all, wet the glass, and coat with NaCl (Sodium Chloride = Table Salt) inside and out. Rub gently throughout. Rinse with warm water and DO NOT touch the inside of the glass.

If the heading is the same, it isn;t cause your glass isn't "Brewery Clean".

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

If my tin does not have any of this crystal malt in it or not enough of it can i buy it and pop it in just before i bottle it,just a thought ?
I assume you make proper beer etc,i mean not out of the tin ?

You could rolling pin batter the crystal, pop it in some "naked color" stockings, and steep it in the water with the tin syrup.

Proper beer is only proper in the context of what the individual considers good. If your tin beer is good to you, it's proper beer mate.

 

[davesrose]

If my tin does not have any of this crystal malt in it or not enough of it can i buy it and pop it in just before i bottle it,just a thought ?
I assume you make proper beer etc,i mean not out of the tin ?

Yeah, I'm mainly brewing all grain these days....but if you're using a kit that doesn't have specialty grains, that could be a culprit. A tin only kit is not bad if it gets you a beer that you really like....the difference I find about doing an extract kit vs my own all grain is that I can tweak ingredients. It's like cake mix vs making your own cake from scratch: cake mix can get you some really good cake....only you can say if making cake from scratch is worth the extra work. If you want something different, you can try getting a kit that has a steeping bag with specialty grains. Most all these kits have crystal malt as one of the specialty grains. Steep your specialty grains for around 20-30 mins, take them out, then do your normal boil.

 

[COLObrewer]

This is one of the many reasons we head towards steeping real grain, then move toward mashing all grain. If you can find a way to steep some crystal it would be good, flaked barley I believe will also work, maybe 4-8 oz. of flaked barley per 5gal batch?

 

[viking999]

My first batch was extract only with no steeping grains, and the head retention is awful. My second batch which is similar but with steeping grains has good head retention. It's not necessarily your problem, but it made a difference in my case.

 

[ImCowman]

Okay, so I know next to nothing about what might be wrong with the beer, but I have a TON of experience with beer glasses.

I personally know that I have two glasses I drink beer from. One retains a head and the other doesn't at ALL. They're made by the same company, and I bought them at the same time. (They're Sam Adams perfect pints)

The only difference is that one of them has been through the dishwasher. The one that hasn't retains a head.

Some say its a myth that glasses you only rinse with water hold a better head, and I used to be one of those people. But I've seen waaaay too many glasses that've been washed with soap not retain a head at all.

I might sound like an idiot seeing as I'm new here, but thats my personal experience. Don't kill me, please.

 

[davesrose]

I personally know that I have two glasses I drink beer from. One retains a head and the other doesn't at ALL. They're made by the same company, and I bought them at the same time. (They're Sam Adams perfect pints)

Well household soap is an element in head retention. Your experience with beer glass is not questioned!

Limit Use of Household Soaps
Household soaps such as common dish soap and dishwashing soap have a significant detrimental effect on head retention in beer. You should not use household soaps on either your brewing equipment or your main bar drinkware. Detergent washed glasses in particular will quickly reduce the head on even a well constructed beer. Instead use a beer-friendly cleaning agent from your local homebrew supplier.

Having said and quoted that, I really think the particular recipe you're using is the #1 factor. Even if I use glasses that have just gone through the normal dishwasher, if I pour an American style beer (that has lots of crystal malt), I'm practically having to fight off the head!

 

[ipbr21054]

I have been looking at my suppliers stock online and he sales crystal malt as mentioned in previous posts here.
His title is crystal malt WHOLE 500 gram

If i buy this item i have no idea what to do with it.
I do not know how much to use & when to add etc etc .
I am making 40 pints.
If you can explain what i need to do i assume them my head retension will be ok.
I do not use the dishwasher to clean any of my bottles or brew items etc.