Variation in Head Longevity

That would be expected with the right variety of soap used in a purpose built glass washer. Some soaps work well for machine wash/rinse of pub glasses, others work less well or poorly at cleaning glassware without a residue from the soap being left behind when done.

 

I do drink at home from time to time and use the dishwasher to clean my pint glasses. I use good quality detergent sachets, not tablets. The beer always keeps its condition throughout so it seems essential to pick the right composition.
I point out again the the beer in the images was cask ale having very low carbonation levels (the casks were, of course, not sealed but open to the atmosphere.

 

Beers brewed with corn does not have to yield poor head stability.

I use corn to brew my Classic American Pilsners (pictured on the right below) and that beer has a HUGE and long lasting head; there is still head when you take the last sip.

Cheers!



https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...als-on-june-3-2017.512344/page-3#post-5476452

 

There seems to be some confusion here between "soap", which is the liquid you use to wash dishes in the sink by hand, and the alkali (normally Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide) that commercial dishwashers use - they are not the same. If you were to use Sodium Hydroxide without gloves you'd most likely have severe burns and lose several layers of skin as these alkali break down proteins. Their pH is around 13 to 14 at the top of the scale. These are the "caustics" that brewers use to clean their vessels, and should most properly be called "detergents".

Your home dishwasher probably uses something like a combination of Sodium Carbonate and Sodium Percarbonate and/or Sodium Silicate which are different still, and not "soap". These are less dangerous and more environmentally friendly than the previously mentioned alkali. Their pH falls in the range of 9 to 11.

Also of note are temperature, time, and the pH of the water that you're using. Dissolved minerals can interfere with the chemicals used to remove soils, and Sodium Carbonate is, in fact, a water softener. If you're getting build-up it's most likely minerals, and not soap residue. That's why I recommended using distilled white vinegar earlier, it's an acid with a pH of 2 to 3 that should remove those deposits. You could use lemon juice as well. I also recommend doing the acid treatment every once in a while for that purpose even if you don't see anything. If left, those mineral deposits can eventually lead to the glass itself actually becoming etched, so you want to keep on top of it.

 

Regarding huge heads,a conversation with a very experienced brewer brought this up. He said he could brew a beer with an immense head by using a cheaper malt or by adding wheat flour.Highly modified malt has poor head retention properties.

 

I think that's why torrified wheat is very popular in a lot of bitter recipes

 

I love PC Pils, but I've also never had the head on it stick around. And I usually don't even get much of a head to form unless I pour extremely vigorously.

 

After reading the thread title, I came here to say the right answer is "depends on the number of years you've been married," but I guess I was thinking of something else.

 

Anyone know what causes these bubbly rashes inside my glasses? I've been trying out the rinse method instead of doing my double hand-wash method, but these bubbly rashes are getting worse and worse. The head retained extremely well on the Southern Tier though.





If there is a way to avoid those bubbly rashes, and keep my beer looking clean with just a rinse, I'm interested. It sure would be nice not to take 5 minutes to clean each glass. Perhaps the water in my faucet is too soft and leaving behind a thin film...?

 

Man, you laid down some seriously clear and succinct knowledge in this thread. Many thanks! I'm definitely going to try that vinegar trick.

 

And, although I resisted the notion for a long time, the shape of the glass itself matters. I recently had a four-pack of some NEIPA or the other, I don't recall which now, something from Exhibit A I think, that I drank out of a succession of different glasses. The imperial pint nonic had a feeble head, the tulip had a decent head, and the spiegelau had an epically spectacular head.

Also, I always get a better head on the second pour into the same glass.

 

I'm not certain, but I think that might be not rinsing well enough. I think I had the same problem recently. After you rinse a beer, fill it halfway with hot water again. If any of the splash bubbles linger, that means there's still trace amount of soap residue. Rinse it until the water becomes still after a few seconds.

 

I just rinsed both of those glasses - no soap. I use hot water as well (if that makes a difference).

I do get some of those bubbles when I wash my glass once with soap and hot water and don't rinse well though!

 

I wash by hand now, but likely will start just doing dishwasher only after a drop or so into each glass of a dye/perfume free soap. Then just place in and do a rinse/steam cycle only with no additional detergent. Tried that out and worked fantastic.

Typically though, use a drop per glass, scrub with a toilet brush inside (not used, of course) and then rinse 3-4 times with warm/hot water and air dry. No residue or carbonation points anywhere on those bad boys.

 

https://www.amazon.com/glass-cleani...F8&page=1&rh=n:1055398,k:glass cleaning brush

 

Hot water, dish washing soap (Palmolive) and a sponge on the outside of the glass. The same on the inside, but only the first inch below the lip of the glass. The whole inside then gets a mild scrubbing with this...


Finish with a good rinse with hot water. Paper towel-dry the outside, shake well while upside down (a paper towel held over the mouth), then dried upside down on a rack for at least a couple hours.

 

No real difference between a toilet brush and bottle brush. Same damn thing lol

 

Except in my head!