Krausen dropped early - should I add maltodextrin?

[brianpablo]

My last two brews have kicked off fermentation with healthy krausen that dropped of suddenly within about a day. I could see that fermentation continued, as there were enough bubbles coming to the surface that at times it looked almost like boiling liquid. I've tasted neither beer, but I don't per se see why this would mean a serious problem.

My question is - does this signal a potential head retention problem that I would want to address by adding maltodextrin when I bottle?

Both recipes are Belgian ales that I made with smack-packs that had been in the fridge for about a year. I made starters for both, and they both showed signs of active fermentation (the French Saison yeast more so than the Abbey Ale yeast, but they had both certainly taken off before I pitched).

Thanks.

 

[porterpounder]

Head retention has a lot of factors behind it. Maltodextrine is for body, but will not increase head retention as protein stability is much more of a contributor. Check out Dr. Charlie Bamforth's short book "FOAM".