No Head on my Tripel

[allynlyon]

Ok Ok before the joke start I know how dirty that title sounds.

Now on to the problem. I finally moved my tripel into the fridge today. I brewed the Tripel on Oct 10th, let it sit in primary until Nov 1(at 65-60degrees) until I racked it to bottles and just today moved it into the fridge. Of course I couldn't wait and I wanted to try one. I poured it into a glass and there is no head.

Does the head come more once it's left in the fridge longer? This was a kit, because it was only my second brew, so i'm relatively sure I didn't screw anything up. When I added the corn sugar I added 5oz (this was before I read that most of the time this is too much sugar.)

Thanks in advance.

I just wasn't sure if it was a time thing or if something else happened.

 

[causeimthesquid]

More info would be helpful.

Was it carbonated? If so, how clean was you glassware? Oil or detergent residue can kill a beer's head. I'd give it more time and see if that helps

 

[BlackGoat]

This is a hobby that involves lube, sticking things into bungs and complaining about the quality of head, so none of us are going to think a forum subject is dirty.

so its only been in the bottle about 12 days? Was it carbonated? It is wayyyyyy too early to be concerned about carbonation and the head. I'm assuming that it was relatively high gravity, often higher gravity beers (i.e. 7% AB or higher) need much longer to carb up than typical beers, sometimes many months. I would take your bottles back out of the fridge and put them somewhere around 70 degrees and leave them for several more weeks before trying them again. I know its hard to be patient when you are just getting started and you certainly want to try them to see how they came out, but the minimum time you should wait to start drinking them is at about 3 weeks after letting them carb up at 70 degrees, and as I said before when you have higher alcohol levels this time table really extends much longer.

 

[duboman]

Did you see bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass? Did it taste fully carbonated? What was the OG? Trippels are usually big beers and if they were only in the bottle at 60-65 for a couple weeks my guess is they are not fully carbonated yet and need more time, perhaps up to a month or more ideally at 70-75 degrees, not colder.

If they are in the fridge take them out, let them warm up and give them more time in a warmer area.

 

[LakesideBrewing]

Way too early.

 

[Backyardbrewing]

This is a hobby that involves lube, sticking things into bungs and complaining about the quality of head, so none of us are going to think a forum subject is dirty

Don't forget about yeast infections!!

 

[BlackGoat]

Don't forget about yeast infections!!

haha can't forget about all the yeast jokes.

 

[allynlyon]

More info would be helpful.

Was it carbonated? If so, how clean was you glassware? Oil or detergent residue can kill a beer's head. I'd give it more time and see if that helps

I would say it was about half way there. I hadn't thought about that. Maybe I should open another one and inspect it further. For being so young it wasn't half bad, I can't wait for a few more weeks.

I'm a pretty clean person that being said I have kids that do the dishes sometimes and it is quite possible they did a crappy job rinsing. More time is fine with me, I was just curious if more of a head should have been visible at this point.

 

[NewWestBrewer]

I would say it was about half way there. I hadn't thought about that. Maybe I should open another one and inspect it further. For being so young it wasn't half bad, I can't wait for a few more weeks.

I'm a pretty clean person that being said I have kids that do the dishes sometimes and it is quite possible they did a crappy job rinsing. More time is fine with me, I was just curious if more of a head should have been visible at this point.

As others have stated it is way to earlier. Keep them in bottles for another month or so and then try them. Trippels are big beers and can take a lot of time.

 

[allynlyon]

This is a hobby that involves lube, sticking things into bungs and complaining about the quality of head, so none of us are going to think a forum subject is dirty.

so its only been in the bottle about 12 days? Was it carbonated? It is wayyyyyy too early to be concerned about carbonation and the head. I'm assuming that it was relatively high gravity, often higher gravity beers (i.e. 7% AB or higher) need much longer to carb up than typical beers, sometimes many months. I would take your bottles back out of the fridge and put them somewhere around 70 degrees and leave them for several more weeks before trying them again. I know its hard to be patient when you are just getting started and you certainly want to try them to see how they came out, but the minimum time you should wait to start drinking them is at about 3 weeks after letting them carb up at 70 degrees, and as I said before when you have higher alcohol levels this time table really extends much longer.

I married a man stuck in a 12 year olds body, so everything I say I feel like I need to justify. Old habits die hard.

I'll have to go dig up my notes on this beer. The beer was in early carbonation stage, so I think what I am reading is probably accurate, bring it up from the basement and let it warm up a bit and try in a few days. Thanks for the help.

 

[allynlyon]

Thanks for the help. Everything you said is making sense. I'll grab it out of the fridge let it warm up a bit and see where we go from there.

 

[allynlyon]

I opened a second.. just because and this one had a more typical head on it, this one is much more cloudy though and carbonation still isn't what it should be so I did take them all out of the fridge and they are warming up.

So odd how the same batch can be so different in two different bottles.

 

[beergolf]

So odd how the same batch can be so different in two different bottles

Early in the carb process it is quite normal for different bottles to have different carb levels. Let them warm up and give them some more time and they will be more uniform.

 

[allynlyon]

Early in the carb process it is quite normal for different bottles to have different carb levels. Let them warm up and give them some more time and they will be more uniform.

Good information to know. I swear I learn something new on here every day.

 

[NZLunchie]

My tripel took 2 months to fully carb up. Thats an 11% tripel though. I would let it sit warm and forget about it. The longer the better IMHO for the style.

I also prefer Belgian beers at room temperature, so they haven't seen the fridge.

 

[NTXBrauer]

I opened a second.. just because and this one had a more typical head on it, this one is much more cloudy though and carbonation still isn't what it should be so I did take them all out of the fridge and they are warming up.

So odd how the same batch can be so different in two different bottles.

You can attribute the cloudiness to chill haze from cooling your beer down for a short period of time in the fridge. Assuming the 1st one you opened was warm, it would have been a bit clearer.

Also, the advice given is very solid on aging/conditioning in the bottles a little longer at room temp. I would go another week and the try one. Good luck.

 

[stonecutter2]

I married a man stuck in a 12 year olds body, so everything I say I feel like I need to justify. Old habits die hard.

I'll have to go dig up my notes on this beer. The beer was in early carbonation stage, so I think what I am reading is probably accurate, bring it up from the basement and let it warm up a bit and try in a few days. Thanks for the help.

I think bringing it up out of the basement is a great idea.

I had some ale and porter that had no head and little carbonation after 3 weeks in the basement around 65 degrees. Brought it upstairs into 70ish degree temps, and within a week I popped open a bottle with excellent carbonation and head.

Admittedly I shot low on the priming sugar...was too paranoid about bottle bombs.