Bubble question

Here’s my problem: My beers are good- meaning they taste great, they are clear they have gas in them but: My head always looks like coca cola bubbles- meaning large and disappearing. This happens in all types of bears I make (well at least Belgian ales Mexican style ales and wheat beers) What’s my problem? All beers are brewed from powdered malts, and at relatively high temperatures (above 25 C) Thanks in advance, Michael

I concur with Michael, doing a "mini mash" with some real grains should help out. Two of the best & most recommended grains for head retention are CaraPils (also called Dextrine) Malt & Wheat Malt. Very small amounts will greatly improve head retention & stability. (As a side note, you can also use a light colored Caramel, Vienna, Munich & Flaked Barley Malts as well.)

Another thing you may want to consider is how clean your drinking wares are, a mug or glass with the slightest amount of soap residue or oils on it will greatly reduce head stability. This can be solved by rinsing the inside of your mug or glass well before pouring your beverage.

Hope that helps.

Kent

Carapils have worked wonders for my beers. Nothing like a nice bishop's collar on your pint. I use about 0.5# per 5 Gal batch. I also clean my pint glasses out with baking soda to remove soap resins with a dedicated sponge.

Hello,

I'm very new to beer making (I've actually just put on my first batch or Cream Ale) and I'd like to know if there is any way to get a nice head prior to bottling. I have about 1-2 weeks left before I bottle. Is there anything I can add with the sugar?

Thank you in advance,

Chris

If you're seriously interested in getting a "nice" head on your beer, then I have two ideas for you:

1) Add just a little extra priming sugar when bottling. If the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of corn sugar, add one extra tablespoon. This should result in a bigger, "rocky" head (large bubbles). 2) Boil a half pound of dry wheat malt extract in a little water to dissolve, cool to 70 F, and add to your fermenter right now. Let it ferment out. This would normally be done when adding the extracts in the beginning, so this is a little late, and may extend your fermentation by a couple of days, but wheat is a well known head enhancer and it shouldn't hurt to add a little at this stage. Prime as normal when bottling (I assume it's around 3/4 cup corn sugar for 5 gallons). This should result in smaller bubbles that cling to the sides of the glass, also known as "Belgian lace". You can do this for any recipe that doesn't already include wheat.

Other than that, make sure your glassware is absolutely spotless clean with no trace of fingerprints or soap residue when you are ready to pour yourself a glass. This will ensure the head is as good as possible. And monitor the head during the pour to ensure you don't get too much or too little. Practice makes perfect. Good luck.