Torrefied Wheat / Head

[alwilson]

Hi Guys,

My last brew was delicious, so much so, we drank the majority of the 5 gallons whilst making our Christmas brew last weekend. So thanks to all of you have who have helped me get this far.

My only complaint with it was it had no head - so my question, how much torrefied wheat do I need to use? I know the general rule is 10% of the total grist, whcih is going to be just shy of 500g - what happens if I use more? (out of interest), say 1 kilo?

And how much to get a thick foamy head?

as always, your answers are much appreciated.


Alex

[Capped]

200g should do the trick,much more than that and you run the risk of haze - is that right guys? I think the most I've ever used is 150g with no problems,but it imparts a taste which I personally don't like. Wheat malt apparently does the same trick and has a better flavour according to popular opinion ( or from what I can gather on here!). I'd agree with that.

[dave-o]

My recommendation is 500g of wheat malt.

How long has your ale had to condition? I wouldn't expect a proper creamy head for 3-4 weeks.

[alwilson]

Cheers for that Capped!

How long has your ale had to condition? I wouldn't expect a proper creamy head for 3-4 weeks.

Dave-0, its had 6 weeks in bottles and is flat, no head whatsoever. It has carbonation. But not head at all.

[mat69]

this may be a bold statement from someone who is relatively inexperienced,but i dont think torriffied wheat is a great head retainer,where as wheat malt(in my experience)is perfect for the job.500g in the grain bill works wonders.imo

[alwilson]

cool, cheers guys!
Looks like wheat malt, has won!

Now, its 500g in a 5 gallon batch? Presumably, I can scale up as required 1kg in a 10 gallon, and so forth?

[mat69]

your presumption is correct al

[boingy]

I've use both torrified wheat and wheat malt for head retention. They both help but they are not magic wands so I think your lack of a head may have other causes. Traces of detergents are real head killers as is dishwasher rinse aid. Take a look at your washing, sanitising and bottling regime.

[Dr. Dextrin]

Plenty of hops, especially late hops, also help head retention quit a bit.

[floydmeddler]

100g per 25L gives me excellent head and lacing. Very little priming sugar is the magic wand - 35g per 40 pints. Idea is to pour the beer from a height and splash it into the glass as much as possible. You'll end up with a dense foamy head that sticks to the glass - just like a cask pint!

Try it.

[mat69]

am i right in thinking this technique works better with darker maltier brews and not so much with paler ales..by the way what al,what was the brew in question

[alwilson]

Mat69, my brew is a Hogs Back Tea Clone - and bloody nice it is too. It weird since brewing my tastes have changed ever so slightly, and I now find commercial TEA a bit too sweet.

Floydmeddler, thats a good point, currently im pouring these with such delicate care as the Windsor yeast is a bit fluffy in the bottles and easily clouds, I reckon my trickling it down the side of the glass isnt helping the head much, but until I get this yeast problem sorted I'm stuck with another 15 bottles of either cloudy beer with head or clear beer thats flat. Either way, its a nice problem to have

Admittedly though I've made no effort (yet again!) to fine it except for protafloc - the next beer is going to go into secondary with gelatin to see how that effects it.

Whilst the beer tastes nice, im still getting some 'homebrew' smirks from people when they pour a cloudy beer.


Alex

[floydmeddler]

Mat69, my brew is a Hogs Back Tea Clone - and bloody nice it is too. It weird since brewing my tastes have changed ever so slightly, and I now find commercial TEA a bit too sweet.

Floydmeddler, thats a good point, currently im pouring these with such delicate care as the Windsor yeast is a bit fluffy in the bottles and easily clouds, I reckon my trickling it down the side of the glass isnt helping the head much, but until I get this yeast problem sorted I'm stuck with another 15 bottles of either cloudy beer with head or clear beer thats flat. Either way, its a nice problem to have

Admittedly though I've made no effort (yet again!) to fine it except for protafloc - the next beer is going to go into secondary with gelatin to see how that effects it.

Whilst the beer tastes nice, im still getting some 'homebrew' smirks from people when they pour a cloudy beer.


Alex

Those smirks will vanish if you go for gelatin. It is fantastic stuff. Allow it to sit for around 5-7 days to ensure it leaves the beer crystal clear. Use 35g-40g of priming sugar too and and there won't be much yeast in the bottles. You'll end up with a lovely foamy head on top of a crystal clear pint. Less sugar = smaller co2 bubbles. Smaller co2 bubbles = dense head.

Let me know if you'd like instructions for using gelatin.

[crookedeyeboy]

Ive given up on TW as it just added a boring flavour to all my beers. Ive removed it and given the beer more time to condition and the head is better than ever. Definately more late hops as well.
From commercial experience i would agree with the people on here about Wheat being better than TW.

[alwilson]

are late hops those thrown in at flame-out?

Alex