PseudoChef
08-15-2008, 08:27 PM
Ok, I've just about fucking had it with head retention. As you may have guessed by now, I brew 90% Belgians...in fact, I think the last time I brewed something non-Belgian was a Smoked Dunkelweizen back in April! (and even before then, I had three Belgians in carboys...but I digress...)
First, I want to address why this is important to me. Aesthetics....mmmm, maybe, it does give that beer a rustic touch (which if you just look at Belgium itself, embodies rusticity in my opinion). But more important is the effect on the palette. Belgian beers (and most beers should, again...in my opinion) are drunk out of open faced goblets or curvaceous "tulip" style glasses for a reason. It is a vehicle for delivering the character of the beer to the olfactory in a precise manner. Drink a dark strong out of a goblet because it's going to assault your senses with its rich, malty, chocolaty, sweet, fruit-like character. The open surface area allows you to take this all in.
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1864/dsc02273xp0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
More subtle, but still assertive character? Perhaps more spice/hops/light fruit than malty/dark fruit and a tulip does wonders. The tapered body capturing the essence of the aromatic qualities and foam and then the flared lip re-distributing them to your nasal area as you sip to somewhat concentrate the beer to you.
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/915/glassduveljz3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Moreover, the fizz: the continued release of CO2, and yes, that foam all serve to excite your senses. Let's not forget mouthfeel. Having that pillowy head creates a more desirable mouthfeel, gulping the bubbles in as you take a drink coats the tongue which actually helps deliver more of the flavor and satin-like texture that, I believe is desired.
But, there's more than just "retention" to this particular property: there's the actual structure of the bubble matrix itself, and if you're lucky, a brilliant cascade of leftover bubbles sticking to the sides of the drinking vessel, giving way to the trademark "Belgian Lace."
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6326/20070730emptyglassqf6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Now, about that structure I was referring to. Rocky. Pillowy. Billowing.
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7750/alemary2wl6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
· In beer, CO2 is dissolved under tension in the liquid. While the cap is in place, equilibrium exists between dissolved gas and any bubbles that may be have formed. As soon as the bottle is opened, equilibrium is disrupted due to the reduction of pressure (Boyle's Law) and the flow of CO2 from solution into bubbles (diffusion).
Before a bubble can grow, it must form a nucleate. In beer, bubbles nuclei form at imperfections on surfaces such as scratches on the glass. After a bubble is released from its nucleation site, it grows as it makes its way to the surface. Bubble enlargement during ascent is caused by a continuous diffusion of dissolved carbon dioxide through the bubble's gas/liquid interface.
· The beer foam consists predominantly of a disperion of CO2 in beer. The CO2 bubbles rising through the liquid to the surface accumulate on their way high molecular proteins. These foam active substances cling to the bubbles and coat them with a thin elastic skin.
Lipid transfer protein 1 originating from barley stands out as the most important component relevant for the formation of foam. In malt, LTP1 is present in a foam inactive folded form. During the wort boiling LTP1 loses its 3D structure. The denaturated unfolded form is surface active.
· The head of foam is formed when the beer is poured and mix with air. An abundant head shows the quality of the beer. A beer with a good head of foam is a good beer; it is the bloom of a beer. The foam prevents the carbon dioxide from escaping the liquid. The mouthfeel and the creamy sensation of the beer is preserved.
· As soon as it is formed, the nicest beer foam will begin to disappear. This occurs for three reasons. On the one hand the liquid surrounding the bubbles flow through and out of the foam ("foam drainage"). On the other hand a gas exhange takes place between adjacent bubbles. Gas diffuses from smaller bubbles to bigger ones ("coarsening"). Last but not least small bubbles join to become large bubbles ("coalescence"). All these processes are responsible for the decrease in the volume of the beer foam.
· Soap, detergent, grease and wax residues will kill foam formation and retention actually attack the foam on a head of beer. Fatty substances are attached to the surface on the bubbles. The surface tension on the bubbles is lowered. They will burst. As a result the foamy head disappears, causing the beer to look and taste "flat". For these reasons, do not use regular liquid household dish washing detergents for glassware. They are fat-based and will leave a slight oily film on the glass. This causes beer to go flat quickly. Use a detergent designed specifically for beer glass cleaning. It must be low-suds, odor-free and non-fat. After washing, thoroughly rinse beer glasses and, if possible, air-dry them.
http://www.uni-r.de/Fakultaeten/nat_Fak_IV/Organische_Chemie/Didaktik/Keusch/D-beer_foam-e.htm
(Ok, I know this is long winded, but what the fuck else am I supposed to do on a Friday afternoon when I have structure calculations running for the next 8 hours and all the FPLCs are in use in the lab?)
The moral of this post is: I have no retention. Shit, I really have no head to begin with. Yes, my beer is carbed...I usually carbonate upwards around 2.8 or so volumes of CO2 when I bottle condition. Even when I kegged a Smoked Dunkel for NHC to a higher volume, it still didn't retain a bubble matrix worth two shits.
No, I don't put my glassware in the dishwasher. I don't use Jet Dry or any of that kind of stuff. No, I'm not rubbing lard or butter or bacon fat inside the glass to destroy the head (although that latter option might go well with a Rauch...dry-baconed, anyone?)
Also, those other things: Wheat. Tried it. That dunkel definitely had wheat in it...over 50% (malted). My last Wit? 40% of flaked. Nothing. Fuck that shit.
Carapils/Carafoam? Meh, a touch perhaps, but it doesn't give that rocky character I desire. The bubbles are so open, they're not really serving their purpose. I added some to this last Saison, but I erred on the side of caution and didn't add that much for fear of putting too much body back into the brew - something I really don't want with a lot of Belgian styles that need high attenuation and low gravity on the finish.
Really, I think the only beer that I've had great head with was my IIPA...and I'm attributing that to the hops. Can't really over hop most Belgians.
15 minute protein rest? Tried it on my Dubbel with no such luck. This beer is the worst out of the bunch (with the sole exception of my not-yet-carbed-all-the-way 12.5% Dark Strong).
What's the secret? Are you guys getting good head retention? Is the matrix tight and dense or are the bubbles spaced out and thin? What about that pillowy/cloud-like appearance? How do you achieve this?
I've only been so drawn out because this is one thing that I'm really falling short in. I want to make the jump from "good" to "great" homebrewer so I can get on the road to "exceptional." Unless I'm missing something from what I've tried, I've utilized all the common "solutions" to no avail.
Help a brotha' out. Share your success and stories.
First, I want to address why this is important to me. Aesthetics....mmmm, maybe, it does give that beer a rustic touch (which if you just look at Belgium itself, embodies rusticity in my opinion). But more important is the effect on the palette. Belgian beers (and most beers should, again...in my opinion) are drunk out of open faced goblets or curvaceous "tulip" style glasses for a reason. It is a vehicle for delivering the character of the beer to the olfactory in a precise manner. Drink a dark strong out of a goblet because it's going to assault your senses with its rich, malty, chocolaty, sweet, fruit-like character. The open surface area allows you to take this all in.
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1864/dsc02273xp0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
More subtle, but still assertive character? Perhaps more spice/hops/light fruit than malty/dark fruit and a tulip does wonders. The tapered body capturing the essence of the aromatic qualities and foam and then the flared lip re-distributing them to your nasal area as you sip to somewhat concentrate the beer to you.
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/915/glassduveljz3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Moreover, the fizz: the continued release of CO2, and yes, that foam all serve to excite your senses. Let's not forget mouthfeel. Having that pillowy head creates a more desirable mouthfeel, gulping the bubbles in as you take a drink coats the tongue which actually helps deliver more of the flavor and satin-like texture that, I believe is desired.
But, there's more than just "retention" to this particular property: there's the actual structure of the bubble matrix itself, and if you're lucky, a brilliant cascade of leftover bubbles sticking to the sides of the drinking vessel, giving way to the trademark "Belgian Lace."
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6326/20070730emptyglassqf6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Now, about that structure I was referring to. Rocky. Pillowy. Billowing.
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7750/alemary2wl6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
· In beer, CO2 is dissolved under tension in the liquid. While the cap is in place, equilibrium exists between dissolved gas and any bubbles that may be have formed. As soon as the bottle is opened, equilibrium is disrupted due to the reduction of pressure (Boyle's Law) and the flow of CO2 from solution into bubbles (diffusion).
Before a bubble can grow, it must form a nucleate. In beer, bubbles nuclei form at imperfections on surfaces such as scratches on the glass. After a bubble is released from its nucleation site, it grows as it makes its way to the surface. Bubble enlargement during ascent is caused by a continuous diffusion of dissolved carbon dioxide through the bubble's gas/liquid interface.
· The beer foam consists predominantly of a disperion of CO2 in beer. The CO2 bubbles rising through the liquid to the surface accumulate on their way high molecular proteins. These foam active substances cling to the bubbles and coat them with a thin elastic skin.
Lipid transfer protein 1 originating from barley stands out as the most important component relevant for the formation of foam. In malt, LTP1 is present in a foam inactive folded form. During the wort boiling LTP1 loses its 3D structure. The denaturated unfolded form is surface active.
· The head of foam is formed when the beer is poured and mix with air. An abundant head shows the quality of the beer. A beer with a good head of foam is a good beer; it is the bloom of a beer. The foam prevents the carbon dioxide from escaping the liquid. The mouthfeel and the creamy sensation of the beer is preserved.
· As soon as it is formed, the nicest beer foam will begin to disappear. This occurs for three reasons. On the one hand the liquid surrounding the bubbles flow through and out of the foam ("foam drainage"). On the other hand a gas exhange takes place between adjacent bubbles. Gas diffuses from smaller bubbles to bigger ones ("coarsening"). Last but not least small bubbles join to become large bubbles ("coalescence"). All these processes are responsible for the decrease in the volume of the beer foam.
· Soap, detergent, grease and wax residues will kill foam formation and retention actually attack the foam on a head of beer. Fatty substances are attached to the surface on the bubbles. The surface tension on the bubbles is lowered. They will burst. As a result the foamy head disappears, causing the beer to look and taste "flat". For these reasons, do not use regular liquid household dish washing detergents for glassware. They are fat-based and will leave a slight oily film on the glass. This causes beer to go flat quickly. Use a detergent designed specifically for beer glass cleaning. It must be low-suds, odor-free and non-fat. After washing, thoroughly rinse beer glasses and, if possible, air-dry them.
http://www.uni-r.de/Fakultaeten/nat_Fak_IV/Organische_Chemie/Didaktik/Keusch/D-beer_foam-e.htm
(Ok, I know this is long winded, but what the fuck else am I supposed to do on a Friday afternoon when I have structure calculations running for the next 8 hours and all the FPLCs are in use in the lab?)
The moral of this post is: I have no retention. Shit, I really have no head to begin with. Yes, my beer is carbed...I usually carbonate upwards around 2.8 or so volumes of CO2 when I bottle condition. Even when I kegged a Smoked Dunkel for NHC to a higher volume, it still didn't retain a bubble matrix worth two shits.
No, I don't put my glassware in the dishwasher. I don't use Jet Dry or any of that kind of stuff. No, I'm not rubbing lard or butter or bacon fat inside the glass to destroy the head (although that latter option might go well with a Rauch...dry-baconed, anyone?)
Also, those other things: Wheat. Tried it. That dunkel definitely had wheat in it...over 50% (malted). My last Wit? 40% of flaked. Nothing. Fuck that shit.
Carapils/Carafoam? Meh, a touch perhaps, but it doesn't give that rocky character I desire. The bubbles are so open, they're not really serving their purpose. I added some to this last Saison, but I erred on the side of caution and didn't add that much for fear of putting too much body back into the brew - something I really don't want with a lot of Belgian styles that need high attenuation and low gravity on the finish.
Really, I think the only beer that I've had great head with was my IIPA...and I'm attributing that to the hops. Can't really over hop most Belgians.
15 minute protein rest? Tried it on my Dubbel with no such luck. This beer is the worst out of the bunch (with the sole exception of my not-yet-carbed-all-the-way 12.5% Dark Strong).
What's the secret? Are you guys getting good head retention? Is the matrix tight and dense or are the bubbles spaced out and thin? What about that pillowy/cloud-like appearance? How do you achieve this?
I've only been so drawn out because this is one thing that I'm really falling short in. I want to make the jump from "good" to "great" homebrewer so I can get on the road to "exceptional." Unless I'm missing something from what I've tried, I've utilized all the common "solutions" to no avail.
Help a brotha' out. Share your success and stories.