the head of my beer

[momodig]

As someone indicated to me in another thread... soap (that not rinsed well enough from the bottle) will cause the head to disapate.

Tested it out today. A bottle of store bought Sol, and with my home brew. The head was much thicker with the Sol and lasted much longer. My home brew head is not that thick, and dispates fast -- probably due to soap?

Let me tell you though my home brew tastes way better then Sol and Sol was my favorite beer.

Only problem with my beer is it has a bad after taste... I thought it might have been soap... so I decided to crack open a plastic 500 ml pop bottle that had my brew in it (was not cleaned with soap) -- the plastic bottle had the same after taste... but the head was much much much thicker, and lasted longer, but not as long as the sol head.

any thought on this?
thanks

 

[Yooper]

Hmmmm, usually the head would be the same whether bottled in glass or plastic.

The aftertaste could be a variety of things, but I'm going to bet that it's because of too-high fermentation temperatures since you probably brewed in the summer and might have had problems with temperature control. (Although this summer in the UP, I know I haven't had any issues with that!)

Sometimes it's the recipe's fault when you don't get a nice head or nice head retention. Using carapils, flaked wheat, flaked barley, etc in the steep can help with that.

If you post the recipe, maybe we can spot a reason for not having good head.

 

[Tripod]

To add to this question of soap vs. head retention: is there something other than soap we should be using to wash bottles and glasses? I sanitize my bottles in the dish washer without soap...but the glasses need to be washed after mouths have been all over them.

-Tripod

 

[JLem]

To add to this question of soap vs. head retention: is there something other than soap we should be using to wash bottles and glasses? I sanitize my bottles in the dish washer without soap...but the glasses need to be washed after mouths have been all over them.

-Tripod

As long as they are well rinsed you should be OK. I wash my glasses in the dishwasher and have no problem with head retention. Be sure not to use a "drying aid" like Jet Dry though.

I rinse my bottles thoroughly as soon as I pour the beer into a glass. At bottling time, I sanitize them using the sanitize feature on my dishwasher. I never use soap on my bottles.

 

[BubbaK]

Are you turning off the jet dry? I was doing the same thing in the dishwasher, and mine didn't have a good head either. I wash in the dishwasher as they get used, then put them into storage until I need it. At brew time, dip them in starsan and set on the dishwasher rack for filling. The head retention has been much better.

 

[Tripod]

I rinse my bottles thoroughly as soon as I pour the beer into a glass. At bottling time, I sanitize them using the sanitize feature on my dishwasher. I never use soap on my bottles.

Precisely my technique with the bottles...and with good results!

 

[LordHedgie]

I clean glasses by hand without soap or detergent immediately after drinking, and have no problems. If I glass gets set aside and gunk dries in it, I'll wash it with baking soda, works great. I never let any soaps touch my beer glasses.

 

[momodig]

This is the malt extract I used:

http://www.muntons.com/homebeer/countries/canada_usa/prem_canadian_ale.htm

The only reason I used soap on my bottles (oxy clean) was to get rid of the mold... as people gave me bottles with mold on them.

Would I see a soapy film in the beer?

I live in northern ontario, my temperature is usually pretty constant and not to hot... perhaps it's best to brew in a colder basement? or storage room? (only a few days this year that I actually put on a swet because it was to hot in the house)

I don't remember the exact hyrdometer, but my 2nd batch I'm recording it all 1.040 I believe my reading was.... when I added the yeast and sugar, into primary

I'm watching that video where the fellow open's his beers at various weeks and show's the head -- I'm disapointed in my beer... mine a month old doesn't even produce the amount of head when he opens up his first bottle in the video Very discouraged now.


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/in...e-you-get-beer-head-while-pouring-beer-103985
the beer does taste carbonated.... carbonation is perfect, just worried about the no head issue, and the strong after taste... on his day 31 I don't compare to my 30 day I don't even have that much carbination

 

[LarryC]

I also use Oxy Clean on my bottles then rinse with Star San on bottling day. I have noticed an after taste occasionally but I didn't think it was "soapy". I thought Oxy Clean was supposed to be OK for cleaning any of my beer equipment with, no?

 

[Tripod]

Very discouraged now.

... carbonation is perfect, just worried about the no head issue, and the strong after taste... on his day 31 I don't compare to my 30 day I don't even have that much carbination

Whatever you do, DON'T let it get you down. My first batch was almost the exact same thing. I always got the "pssst" sound when I opened the bottle. The bubbles were there and the taste was heaven but no real head and lacing was non-existant...

Just keep brewing and take really good notes on everything. That way you can tweak your recipes and try different things and get a feel for what you like and don't like.

I have batch-sheets that I designed in Excel so it formulates a lot of things for me based on the amounts of ingredients I plug in. It will calculate IBUs and Starting Gravity, for example. That way I can look back at my notes and improve the next batches.

-Tripod