I never get any head!

Kencollins

Sorry for the title....

But really, I have made 7 batches of different kits and extracts, and none of the beers ever have any head worth speaking of.

Can anyone suggest why? I have used different sanitizers, from bleach to iodine, same result.

I am in West Limerick and I believe the tap water is quite hard. Could the hard water be causing no head?

Thanks,

Ken

oblivious

Kencollins wrote: »

Sorry for the title....

But really, I have made 7 batches of different kits and extracts, and none of the beers ever have any head worth speaking of.

Can anyone suggest why? I have used different sanitizers, from bleach to iodine, same result.

I am in West Limerick and I believe the tap water is quite hard. Could the hard water be causing no head?

Thanks,

Ken

Its soap that suffers with hard water, it usually good for brewing darker typle of beer (generally)

Things that will effect head retention are high ferment temps, glass wear not full rinsed out as well a your fermentation vessel


Things that will increase head retention are, carbonation, use of hops, steeping some carapill for body.

ian_m

That's interesting about lower temps. I always brew on the low side.

I am far from being an expert but I know you will get better results from using all malt rather than sugars like brewing sugar and table sugar. Addition of hops to kits appears to help with head and lacing in my experience. Head retention is zero from glasses washed in the dishwasher.

um7y1h83ge06nx

When I first saw the title of this thread I thought someone accidentally put this here rather than in Personal Issues! ;-)

Interesting about the use of hops and the lower temperatures though, my last batch was fermenting lower than my usual temperature, be interesting to see the effect.

oblivious

ian_m wrote: »

That's interesting about lower temps. I always brew on the low side.

Higher temps can product excess amounts of fusel oils (higher alchols) or headache beers

Kencollins

Would 22 degrees be too high? Thats what I had the thermostat set for my last wheat beer and old ale.

I only use sugar for priming, the rest of the fermentables are the liquid malt extract pouches.

I don't use a dishwasher, all dishes are washed with fairy liquid and rinsed well. I will try a disposable plastic pint "glass" later and see.

I couldn't let a title opportunity like that pass me by really!

BeerNut

How do you clean your bottles, and how much priming sugar do you use?

Kencollins

The bottles are rinsed in warm water after use, then stored. When it's bottling time I rinse them twice with hot water, then dunk them in 1.5ml/L iodine solution. I rinse twice with fresh tap water, then bottle.

I used to use bleach, and also used the OXI granules.

The head was always missing.

It could be the way I wash the glasses here though, I poured one of my wheat beers into a plastic cup yesterday and there was lovely head!

Carawaystick

Do you get a head as you pour, and it falls away like fizzy pop?

Kencollins

Carawaystick wrote: »

Do you get a head as you pour, and it falls away like fizzy pop?

Sometimes, that happened with my last batch of wheat beer. It's like the bubbles are too big or something.