No Head!

[Benny Blanco]

Hi all. New brewer here and I'm addicted. This forum has been very helpful.

Right when I had my first sip, I knew this was the first batch of many many more. Problem was...no head! When I was done comparing my first homebrewed IPA to my ex-girlfriend, I sat back and thought about what went wrong. I sanitized everything(probably too obsessively). I didn't transfer to a secondary but I let it age for over 2 weeks in the primary. The bottles were as clean as a preachers sheets. Any ideas? Many thanks.

Also, I did spill a very small amount of the priming sugar. I thought is was not enough to mess up the batch.

P.S. Couple bonus questions.

I'm on the 2nd day of my second batch now and after crazy activity in the airlock for about 12 hrs or so..it's down to one bubble every 30 seconds. Should I worry? It's an oatmeal stout and I sprinkled the yeast over the wort as the directions said.

My first IPA batch was very good but tasted a bit on the "light" side and kinda fruity. Almost like a quality beer watered down just a touch. Any way to avoid this next time?

 

[johnsmith098]

123
1 week primary
2 weeks in secondary( or 2 weeks in primary if thats all you have)
2-3 weeks minimen keg or bottles



Most people here will tell you get a hydromiter reading

 

[Benny Blanco]

So your saying that I had no head because I didn't give it only 2 weeks fermenting instead of 3? The bottle aging was fine.

 

[johnsmith098]

how long did you bottle/condition I keg soo I think that takes less time. All in All, try it in a few more weeks and see how it is!

 

[shafferpilot]

dishwasher detergent?? Go ahead and clean with that, but you better do a couple of rinse cycles to ensure that ALL of the detergent is gone. I've heard that the anti-spotting stuff that's in it can be a real head killer.... I don't specifically know that that is true, it's just what I've heard.

 

[Kayos]

ANY soap and the head will be gone.
Let is sit at least 3 weeks before judging.
Agitate (roll) bottles once every other day after bottling to get the yeast aroused
Use this next time instead of the rule of thumb (3/4 cup or whatever)

It will carb over time.

Bonus answers: stout: NO! It is just fine.

IPA: Boil down to less next time. Get a hydrometer reading. Add more *ME and hops.

 

[malkore]

don't make any judgements on the finished product until its been in the bottle at least 3 weeks.

 

[Benny Blanco]

Thanks guys. I did let the bottles age for over 3 weeks and still no head. Maybe it was a priming problem.

This may be a dumb question, but where can I get a cheap hydrometer? I've spent so much money on all my other equipment...

 

[Yuri_Rage]

A hydrometer probably wouldn't help your head retention issues. However, they are handy. You can get one at any homebrew supply shop - there are plenty online and likely one in your neigborhood.

Priming wasn't the issue if the beer was carbonated properly.

Poor sanitation is not a likely cause, either.

The two biggest culprits: traces of soap/oil and your recipe. Speaking of which...what was your recipe?

 

[Benny Blanco]

Yuri, it was my first batch, an extract IPA. Did you want me to list the ingredients?

I wonder how I got soap in there...

 

[sause]

They mean on the glass you are pouring it into. And yes please list all of the ingrediants so we can trouble shoot a little better on taste and such.

 

[Benny Blanco]

Gotcha.

IPA

2 cans unhopped amber malt extract
1lb crystal grain
2oz hop pellets (chinook/cascades)
1/2 oz heavy toast oak chips

 

[Yooper]

The basic recipe seems ok. I'm betting that there were traces of soap residue on your glass and/or bottles, or worse, Jet Dry if you used the dishwasher.

I'm assuming carbonation was good, just no head? If you had a lack of carbonation, it might have to do with the priming solution spilling a little or a capping problem. But if it was carbed up with no head, I'd bet on the soap residue.

I never use soap or detergent on any of my brewing gear, bottles, glasses, tubing, etc. Good head is never a problem for me.

Edit- I just re-read that last line. Get your mind out of the gutter!

 

[joebou4860]

Look at your left ring finger. If there is a golden band around it this is the reason...

Are you getting any carbonation at all or is it just lacking a nice dense frothy head?

Damn it I just saw Yoop asked the same question...F it! I am leaving it in

 

[Benny Blanco]

Crap, Yooper I think you're right. I think I know what I did wrong.

I took a handsoap bottle, rinsed it out and put a sanitizer solution in it to shoot the sanitizer into my bottles. Guess I didn't rinse it out good enough. I used that same bottle for my next 2 cases of empties that I'm going to used on my currently fermenting stout. Wonderful, more work for me...

Whats the best way of getting rid of the soap residue?

And yeah, Joe, the carbonation is fine it's just the head thats the issue.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

...I took a handsoap bottle, rinsed it out and put a sanitizer solution in it to shoot the sanitizer into my bottles...

Wow, way to propogate that problem, eh? I think you'll just have to give those bottles a good washing (no soap!) and resanitize them...

...it's just the head thats the issue.

It's always the issue...

.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I took a handsoap bottle, rinsed it out and put a sanitizer solution in it to shoot the sanitizer into my bottles.

Whats the best way of getting rid of the soap residue?

Now there's your problem!

First, stop using that hand soap bottle and get yourself a new spray bottle from the dollar store.

To fix the residue issue on your existing bottles, rinse them REALLY well in hot water. When you think you're done, do it again.

A quick rinse with some alcohol (ethyl, methyl, or isopropyl) might help as well - alcohol is n excellent solvent for most soaps. Just be sure to rinse them well with water after the alcohol.

 

[houndhome1]

How well do u clean the glass or mug you are using,if there is residue this will also retard the head retention

 

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, nice screw up on my part. What the hell is wrong with me thinking soap would be a GOOD thing for cleaning...

The alcohol rinse is a good idea. I think I'm gonna try that.

Wouldn't it be difficult to use a spray bottle to squirt inside bottles? Maybe if it has the stream function on there.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

The alcohol rinse is a good idea. I think I'm gonna try that.

Don't put the alcohol in a soap squirter....

 

[Yooper]

Yeah, nice screw up on my part. What the hell is wrong with me thinking soap would be a GOOD thing for cleaning...

The alcohol rinse is a good idea. I think I'm gonna try that.

Wouldn't it be difficult to use a spray bottle to squirt inside bottles? Maybe if it has the stream function on there.

Yeah, it sounds crazy to not use soap to clean things that you want clean. Believe me, we've all been there.

If you have a dishwasher and no Jet dry in it, you can put the bottles in there to rinse them at hot temperature and that will help. Otherwise, just rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse. I actually have a carboy washer/ jet washer thing that hooks onto my faucet and does a great job of rinsing out bottles. You can also use that sprayer on your kitchen faucet to rinse the heck out of them.

Or get new bottles to use. And this time, no soap!