Super thick Suds

[StraightCs]

My small batches are turning out well. They taste the way they're supposed to taste lately. One funny characteristic of all of them (I'm on my eighth, now) is that the suds are more like a thick, creamy foam and it takes a long time for the head to settle. And this happens regardless if I'm making a Gose, IPA or Pilsner. My water is treated with Campdex. I use One Step (1 tbsp per gallon) and rinse afterward. I have used both cane sugar and honey as my priming sugars. I have used both SafAle 04 and 05. Oh, I used Wyeast 1007 for my Gose. On a few batches, I have used a small amount of quick oats in my mash and dry hopped my IPAs. I have no off flavors or colors (not in the past few batches at least) and FG hits the mark. Some of my fermentation temperatures have been a bit on the high side, but I'm not sure if that would affect the suds.

 

[myndflyte]

Natural carbonation will form smaller bubbles than what you'd see from force carbing like from a commercial brewery. So I think the smaller bubbles make it look like a thick foam, but that is exactly what you'd expect from natural carbonation.

 

[Shwagger]

Ya, pretty normal. Contrary to what most yellow beer drinkers think, foam is a good thing and patience is a virtue.

I love a good head

 

[StraightCs]

Then maybe I'm doing something right . My friends who home brew get minimal carbonation along with big bubbles. I was expecting the same, instead I got not only the creamy foam, but constant bubbling in the glass (like champagne). My wife isn't fond of it, but I like the snap all the extra carbonation brings.

 

[Lefou]

I've found some of the best foam comes from a beer that's bottle carbed, has wheat or oats in the grist, and has a hop with a moderate to high alpha acid to bind with dissolved proteins.
My first extract brews were disappointing. The carbing was ok, but more like soda because there was no thick foam and persistence was short-lived. That changed once my beers became all grain mash. Now it's standard for me to use about 10% malted wheat and a minimum of 20IBU of a moderate to high alpha acid hop in the beer. Practically all of my all grain brews have had this last three point requirement. Not doing that gives me an odd quirky feeling that my hops are being "wasted", but that may just be somewhat obsessive-compulsive ...