I am having problems with my brews retaining a head. They are well carbonated, taste good and are certainly not flat. They just won't hold a head!
I primary ferment in a barrel, then bottle off for secondary ferment. I don't have room or a second barrel to rack for bulk priming or cold conditioning. I use PET bottles, as decent glass is unavailable here - I used to break 1 in three bottles while capping.
So far I have tried Coopers Lager, draught, bitter and real ale (glass of which is in front of me now) from the "Original" series. The Coopers site suggests using their brew enhancer 1 or 2 - no difference. I have also tried coopers dextrose instead of brewer's sugar. The current brew is Cooper's real ale, Cooper's brew enhancer 1 (Dextrose & Maltodextrin) and light dry malt. The flavour is just what I was after, but head free beer is not good for presentation. Nor am I quite satisfied by it.
Other than the fact that every brew so far has been Coopers, the only common factor is that I use carbonation drops for bottle priming. Is that a likely cause? Next brew I intend to try a dark ale and use some corn syrup in the primary blend. I will also try some safale yeast, as so far I have been using the kit yeast sachets. Local kit availability is limited to Coopers or Tooheys.
Any other suggestions? I have no interest in mashing or other brew-from-scratch methods. It's a hobby, not a lifestyle!
Red