Very little head - Irish Red Ale

[stinkydadhomebrew]

Popped open my first bottle of my first batch...Irish Red Ale extract kit. I must say, I was very impressed with the flavor and test of the beer. Had decent carbonation...nice hiss as well when popping the top.

When pouring the beer though I noticed there was little to no head. Maybe it is me being stupid, or not just knowing, but should there be anything substantial? Read through some other posts and saw topics such as oil, or film on glass/bottles...I don't think that is my issue. Maybe it is a non-issue, but want to check with the experts here.

Thanks!

 

[Yooper]

Head retention usually has to do with the amount of carbonation, and the ingredients used. What was the recipe, and when was the beer bottled?

 

[jonmohno]

If your beer bubbles alot from the bottem then is not the glass.If you let it carb for a while it may get better with age,mine have in the past.Also i dont know if refrigeration time has much to do with it,letting it chill a week or so, but really depends what grains you used and how much.
How much time did you give to carb?

 

[Dunerunner]

Great Beer name BTW, "Little Head Irish Red"!!

 

[hudsonj6]

Theres a few things I've noticed about head retention (for my beers anyways).
1) Beers aged longer tend to have a better developed head and retention.
2) Head retention definately depends on the cleanliness of the glass. For example my pitch black ale has an excellent head and remains until the last gulp, but if I use a glass that has some residue on it from the dishwasher or has been hand washed and not rinsed well enough, there can be ZERO head.

 

[stinkydadhomebrew]

So I had a Sam Adams Irish red last night...happy to report it as well had very little head. Maybe it is just this style of beer? Nonetheless I think my home brew takes the win for taste over Sam...sorry Sam

 

[RugerRedhawk]

How long was it in bottles at room temp? Could take over 3 weeks to really get carbed good.

 

[MikeinCT]

I make a simple all grain amber ale and it has a long lasting foamy head. I do belive that the head retention improves with more bottle conditioning. I have not done an extract beer in a long time. Once you do an all grain you will wonder why you didn't try it sooner.