Do sweeter and bigger beers have more special and unique heads? Just poured a Brown shugga into a glass and there a funny circular heady clump floating in the middle. just curious about the root of dynamic head formations.
Was it an aggressive pour? Did it gush up on you? Does the beer seem extra tart? Is it fresh? If you've had the beer before does anything besides the head seem different? Over-carbonation is the logical answer to your question, but the reason for that condition will be more difficult to pin down without some additional information from you.
In general, hoppier beers have a bigger, and generally more persistent head. Darker beers often have more persistent heads, but alcohol is generally held to inhibit head retention. More generally, residual sugar lowers head retention. That is why strong Belgians still have big head retention, even if it dissipates quickly, but similarly strong old ales or barleywines have essentially no head retention.
Ok someone explain why I can open a bottle, pour a brew into 2 identical glasses, with the same pour method, and one beer might have a huge head, and the other...nadda. Only thing I can think of is that one glass isn't clean as the other??
my second Celebration tonight gave me a marshmellow cloud, my first on the other hand did not. Must have to do with the pour.
Typically it will be related to either yeast content or a dirty glass. (Yeast eats sugar and turns it into alcohol ---> byproduct CO2) duh
It's commonly the result of adjuncts ; high grade brewing malt has poor head retention qualities (perhaps low nitrogen) and it's not uncommon for wheat flour or barley flakes to be added to rectify this. I personally prefer a small tight-knit head with lacing that lasts all the way down.This glass of 4% ABV bitter is from a cask without any extra carbonation and not using a sparkler.
Cleanliness, specifically any soap residue left over from washing, can kill a head quickly. Rinse well.
Yes I agree. I always make sure to buy a neutral soap. In other words, avoid lemon or lavender. You want as few things as possible to influence how the product is supposed to be presented.
