Propylene Glycol Alginate

[sibelman]

PGA. Excited to try it next brew.

What style will you be brewing with this?

 

[doug293cz]

The chart at upper rightd (copied below) looks impressive, until you take a close look at the vertical scale. According to the chart, 100 ppm increases foam retention from ~88 seconds to ~108 seconds, which works out to (108 - 88) / 88 = 22 - 23% increase in head retention time.

That doesn't seem like it's worth the trouble of a separate addition. Have any of you that have tried it seen what appears to be more impressive performance?

Brew on

 

[Broothru]

Just received my pouch of PGA. Excited to try it next brew.
View attachment 883813

I’m away from my home PC for a couple of days, but when I get back I’ll look at my brewing notes and let you know my dosing rates. My batch volumes are usually 6.3 USG, and my basic formula for PGA additions was the same methodology that @passedpawn used. My experience was improved lacing and much improved head, and could have actually added more but didn’t want to go overboard like a bimbo on Botox.

I was pleased with the aesthetic improvement in appearance, slight change in mouthfeel (in a positive way), and very happy that there was no perceptual alteration to taste or aroma.

 

[MaxStout]

What style will you be brewing with this?

I think my next brew will be some kind of red ale.

 

[MaxStout]

I’m away from my home PC for a couple of days, but when I get back I’ll look at my brewing notes and let you know my dosing rates. My batch volumes are usually 6.3 USG, and my basic formula for PGA additions was the same methodology that @passedpawn used. My experience was improved lacing and much improved head, and could have actually added more but didn’t want to go overboard like a bimbo on Botox.

I was pleased with the aesthetic improvement in appearance, slight change in mouthfeel (in a positive way), and very happy that there was no perceptual alteration to taste or aroma.

The mfr stated a range of 100-300 ppm. I might lean toward the high end of that.

 

[Broothru]

The mfr stated a range of 100-300 ppm. I might lean toward the high end of that.

As I recall, I split the difference and went closer to 150 ppm. I agree, you could err on the high side of that value.

 

[AzOr]

The chart at upper rightd (copied below) looks impressive, until you take a close look at the vertical scale. According to the chart, 100 ppm increases foam retention from ~88 seconds to ~108 seconds, which works out to (108 - 88) / 88 = 22 - 23% increase in head retention time.

View attachment 883819That doesn't seem like it's worth the trouble of a separate addition. Have any of you that have tried it seen what appears to be more impressive performance?

Brew on

It fixed my big issue which was the head turning splotchy after a few sips or letting it sit for a few minutes.
Yup my head was balding (wait a minute).
I can’t say if it was 28% or not but definitely a noticeable improvement on the amount, quality and consistency.

And it’s so easy to add. My one and only batch I simply added with my dose of K-meta.

 

[ClaudiusB]

It fixed my big issue which was the head turning splotchy after a few sips or letting it sit for a few minutes.
Yup my head was balding (wait a minute).
I can’t say if it was 28% or not but definitely a noticeable improvement on the amount, quality and consistency.

And it’s so easy to add. My one and only batch I simply added with my dose of K-meta.

Why don't you try to identify the root cause of your poor foam performance?

 

[day_trippr]

 

[Snuffy]

Not trying to be a buzzkill or anything. You guys know what you're doing and can brew circles around me, but I feel this needs to be said. I think this whole situation could have been avoided with a rubber chicken back at the first mention of terpenes wrecking head retention. Sticking to hops and maybe a wheat addition as suggested early on would have sufficed. I know the shortcuts are out there, but why go to all the trouble of creating a head retention issue with an add that needs remediation with another add?

And always keep in mind, I love each of you guys like a brother. That red-headed little step brother that steals your cigarettes because he knows you can't tell on him, but still...

 

[Miraculix]

All the Germanism in me wants to shout "Learn how to brew instead of dumping forbidden stuff into your failed attempts!".

Instead I say nothing.


Wait.... Inside voice! You tricked me again!!!!

 

[MaxStout]

Far from forbidden, it's been FDA-approved since the '80s. It's long been deemed safe and used extensively in the food industry in things like sauces, dairy products, salad dressings, and so forth. If you've consumed prepared food, you've consumed PGA.

I do take to heart the point that it would be optimal to just "learn how to brew" and avoid this problem. In a perfect world, we'd all brew beers that bear a rocky, long-lasting head. Life would be all burritos and strippers, and we'd have ponies and rainbows. We try to achieve better head retention, but there's always some fly in the ointment, and it's not often apparent. Isolating every variable, time after time, brew after brew, going back to the drawing board, is tedious and not practical for some of us, when there is a safe and easy hack.

We use many hacks in home brewing. LODO trifecta, fining agents, stabilizers, etc. This is just one more.

 

[Miraculix]

Far from forbidden, it's been FDA-approved since the '80s. It's long been deemed safe and used extensively in the food industry in things like sauces, dairy products, salad dressings, and so forth. If you've consumed prepared food, you've consumed PGA.

I do take to heart the point that it would be optimal to just "learn how to brew" and avoid this problem. In a perfect world, we'd all brew beers that bear a rocky, long-lasting head. Life would be all burritos and strippers, and we'd have ponies and rainbows. We try to achieve better head retention, but there's always some fly in the ointment, and it's not often apparent. Isolating every variable, time after time, brew after brew, going back to the drawing board, is tedious and not practical for some of us, when there is a safe and easy hack.

We use many hacks in home brewing. LODO trifecta, fining agents, stabilizers, etc. This is just one more.

I not talking about forbidden. I'm talking about VERBOTEN!

 

[MaxStout]

I not talking about forbidden. I'm talking about VERBOTEN!

All the Germanism in me wants to shout "Learn how to brew instead of dumping forbidden stuff into your failed attempts!".

Instead I say nothing.


Wait.... Inside voice! You tricked me again!!!!

Ummm...

 

[Snuffy]

I've used hop shots before. My first attempt at Pliny the Elder came with like 8 oz of pellets and a hop shot to boot. It was an extract kit with steeping grains - probably included for head retention. That was a good beer. Better than the all-grain version I brewed later with no hop shot.

 

[Broothru]

Not trying to be a buzzkill or anything. You guys know what you're doing and can brew circles around me, but I feel this needs to be said. I think this whole situation could have been avoided with a rubber chicken back at the first mention of terpenes wrecking head retention. Sticking to hops and maybe a wheat addition as suggested early on would have sufficed. I know the shortcuts are out there, but why go to all the trouble of creating a head retention issue with an add that needs remediation with another add?

And always keep in mind, I love each of you guys like a brother. That red-headed little step brother that steals your cigarettes because he knows you can't tell on him, but still...

I don’t disagree, and in fact added chit malt in place of wheat malt in two beers. One I added both chit and PGA. Still haven’t tapped those beers, other to bottle samples for a comp. Haven’t received brew sheet scores yet, nor opened any bottles I held in reserve. It’ll be interesting to see how well they’ve held up, as well as any comments the judges might have.

 

[passedpawn]

I not talking about forbidden. I'm talking about VERBOTEN!

lol. I 100% hear you and somewhat agree with you. On the other had, I don't recognize any boundaries or rules. If I can make a better beer, in spite of my lack of skills and equipment, I'm gonna do it. A 500 yr old german purity law from some small european country, that was problably a political stunt, doesn't affect me at all.

Heck, I even add yeast to my beer.

 

[Miraculix]

lol. I 100% hear you and somewhat agree with you. On the other had, I don't recognize any boundaries or rules. If I can make a better beer, in spite of my lack of skills and equipment, I'm gonna do it. A 500 yr old german purity law from some small european country, that was problably a political stunt, doesn't affect me at all.

Heck, I even add yeast to my beer.

Noooooooooo!!! How dare you exercising free will and stuff?!

 

[mac_1103]

We try to achieve better head retention, but there's always some fly in the ointment

I've never heard of flies having a negative impact on head retention, but the ointment might be a problem.

 

[MaxStout]

I've never heard of flies having a negative impact on head retention, but the ointment might be a problem.