Homebrew head

[Ztp]

Forgive me if I missed this but I have searched and have failed to find an answer that fully answered my question. I have just recently started homebrewing, and only have a couple of brews under my belt, but I am curious on how to improve the head on my beer. I just poured a sam Adams ipa and the amount of lacing and frothy head this particular brew has is ridiculous... Kinda made me jealous now that I think about it lol. But anyone that can help provide me with some answers would greatly be appreciated. All of my brews pour a nice head, but are just not as dense as I would like, with minimal lacing.

 

[sidboswell]

I was just comparing my beer's head to my wife's ... If only it would last as long....

More caramel/crystal malt. Maybe a tad more carbonation as well.

 

[cfonnes]

Add a little carapils/dextrin (.5 lbs) to your mash, or steeping grains if you are an extract brewer.

 

[Ztp]

Both recipes already included 1/2 lb of carapils.

 

[JonM]

Flaked barley can provide awesome head retention and lacing but also can make a beer kinda hazy.

 

[Yooper]

Several things go into head retention/head formation. If you post a recipe, we can critique it to help you fix any issues.

A couple of other things that really influence the head is not quite so apparent. Once is glassware. That seems fine in your case, since a different beer has head retention, but some people don't realize it and put their glassware in the dishwasher. Additives such as Jet-Dry can totally kill any head. If that's the case, a saltwater scrub (just mix up a paste of salt and water and scrub the glass inside, and rinse well) can make a world of difference. In homebrew, just leaving the bottles at room temperature to carbonate and condition for 4 weeks or longer can fix the problem, too.

So I'd ask how long the bottles have been conditioning at room temperature, before diagnosing any issues.

 

[Ztp]

Well the only kit that I have brewed that is fully conditioned is the Midwest supplies honey weizen that came out pretty high in alcohol content because I added and extra bit of local honey to the mix. And yes, all of my glasses that beer is served in are hand washed and given a salt bath periodically. I'm sure that the fact my kits are lme kits probably are part to blame(?)

 

[Jamminjoenapo]

How long are you leaving the bottles in the fridge? I've noticed a week or more in the fridge helps. Also if you leave them at room temperature to carbonate for a 3 or so weeks it helps. My last little thing I have picked up and it may be a coincidence but full boils helps with the retention.

 

[Ztp]

Well normally I just throw a couple in the fridge in the afternoon so I have a couple chilled at night, and so I don't wipe out a large portion of my stock haha. But they have been in bottle a little over three weeks right now. I also did a full boil. Does abv % have anything to do with the head? This wound up being roughly 9.6%.

 

[fat_al33]

Flaked barley can provide awesome head retention and lacing but also can make a beer kinda hazy.

But must be mashed. I transitioned from extract/steeping grains to partial mash so I make a stout that called for it. Haven't used it since, but I'm glad it gave me the push.

 

[Jamminjoenapo]

Well normally I just throw a couple in the fridge in the afternoon so I have a couple chilled at night, and so I don't wipe out a large portion of my stock haha. But they have been in bottle a little over three weeks right now. I also did a full boil. Does abv % have anything to do with the head? This wound up being roughly 9.6%.

I don't really know about abv but my 7.2% India brown ale gas great coronation. Try leaving the bottles in the fridge for a week before opening. That allows the co2 to go into solution better which should help with retention.

 

[Ztp]

Ok I will give it a try and see what happens. Curiosity got the best of me so I thought I would ask. Thanks for all the replies and the help.