A good head

[data790|]

Hi, I am just starting to get my head around AG brewing - having made some mistakes and learned from them. Now the problem I have come against in all my bottling is the failure in the beer forming a head. I know because they are in bottles they won't get the same head look as a barrel, but there must be something I can add to a recipe that will give at least some head (not doing a Rik Mayall there honest)? I was looking into flaked malts, wheat ect... I am aiming at brewing Belgiens, stouts and dark ales at the moment and tweeking recipe ideas. Any help regardless would be great chaps.

Cheers

[TC2642]

A small percentage of wheat can help and giving your beer enough time in bottle to condition and you should be fine. I've never really had a problem with stouts in bottle since the amount of flaked barley will also give a decent foam, and it goes without saying that Proper priming is of importance and if I don't have any additional malts like wheat etc this is what I rely on.

[booldawg]

Serving temperature also has an effect on head formation. Room temperature seems to produce a beer head than chilled ones straight from the garage.

I've often opened bottles from the same brew at the same temperature and been greeted with varying amounts from non-existant to quite well formed. Not sure how or why!

[Jerry Cornelius]

I've often opened bottles from the same brew at the same temperature and been greeted with varying amounts from non-existant to quite well formed. Not sure how or why!

Same thing happens to me . Do you use a bottling bucket (I do) or prime each one individually?

I also wonder if the caps are all equally tight on the bottles, was thinking of getting a bench capper to see if that improved things - I've got one of those two handed cappers at the moment, and sometimes it seems that they don't like certain bottles...

[data790|]

This is great advice thank you. I do tend to prime in the fermemter, leave for two or three days and then bottle. But I think because I have had some bad AG mashing in the past - still learning and still making adjustments to my setup - that full extraction of all the goodness hasn't occured. I m about ready to prime my hobgoblin clone - which is awsome as I have sampled a few times from the fermetnter tut tut - and that went well but not great in the mashing. Hope it turns out well in the bottle.

I will try ordering some flaked stuff and trying my BMW stout again and see.

Thanks again chaps... good health

[JackA]

I do tend to prime in the fermemter, leave for two or three days and then bottle.

I'm no expert, but if you prime and then leave it for a few days, I'd imagine the yeast will have already munched through most of the extra sugar before you actually bottle. If you bottle as soon as you prime, you ensure all the CO2 produced as a result of the priming sugar goes into carbonating your beer.

[data790|]

I only prime and leave for a few days as I was following a kit beer guide. However, I have to try new things hence why I am asking for ideas so I will prime the Hobgoblin on the day and see how that turns out.

Thanks again

[booldawg]

I've often opened bottles from the same brew at the same temperature and been greeted with varying amounts from non-existant to quite well formed. Not sure how or why!

Same thing happens to me . Do you use a bottling bucket (I do) or prime each one individually?

I also wonder if the caps are all equally tight on the bottles, was thinking of getting a bench capper to see if that improved things - I've got one of those two handed cappers at the moment, and sometimes it seems that they don't like certain bottles...

Usually I prime each bottle individually. As I use a measuring half-teaspoon I doubt the difference in sugar is that much from bottle to bottle. Didnt think about how good the seal is on the cap. Some bottles can be well carbonated but not producing a decent head.

The last batch I mixed the sugar in the FV and bottled from there. Will see how that goes.