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  • No foam

    Never had an issue with a beer not producing decent foam. We have single wall grundy serving tanks, without carb stones, so I typically cap and allow 5-6 psi to build naturally in the fermenter prior to crashing. After harvesting yeast, I put the fermenter to 15psi, and allow the beer to begin to carbonate via head pressure prior to transferring. Transfer with head pressure as well. No pumps. Then apply 11-15 psi (depending on the beer style) to the grundy, and within a day or two the beer is ready to serve. One of our more popular beers is carbonated, but little to no foam in the glass. I hate to have our servers spray foam into the glass and then draw it up to the top during the pour, but it is better than all the complaints I am getting. We have been serving this beer for a week or so, and its about 1/3 of the way through a 7bbl batch. Anything I can do? I bled out the head pressure, hooked our O2 stone to the bottom on a CO2 line and took the pressure back to 15psi. Perhaps just slightly better.

    We did have to move this beer earlier than I wanted, so it didn't pick as much CO2 in the fermenter. Still though, it has carbonation. Any advice?

    Thanks

    Adam Orrick
    Grove Street Brewhouse,
    Shelton WA

  • #2
    Any chance of a little cleaning solution left in a tank that got in the beer? Perhaps try filling and over-carbonating a keg to see how even more carbonation would make it behave?
    I am surprised that you get enough carbonation that quickly at that low of a pressure.

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    • #3
      I am thinking it could be some cleaning solution remaining. Most of the carbonation is done in the fermenter over the course of 4-6 days. During transfer, we don't seem to lose much carbonation, I think because we transfer slow, and bleed out the CO2 in the serving tank slowly, so the transfer is done under head pressure on both sides. It seems to be getting just slightly better, so tomorrow I might pull a 5 gallon and boost it way up. Thanks.

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      • #4
        "I put the fermenter to 15psi, and allow the beer to begin to carbonate via head pressure prior to transferring. Transfer with head pressure as well. No pumps. Then apply 11-15 psi (depending on the beer style) to the grundy, and within a day or two the beer is ready to serve."

        So let me get this right: You force carbonate in the fermenter to 15psi. Then transfer and get less pressure in the bright? 11-15 is less pressure than what you started with, no? Rule is never to let pressure drop. Not even a little bit. When you open your bright tank, look for a ring where foam was made. Once you foam a beer, those proteins are lost to make further foam. Next time be sure that every move you make actually increases pressure on the beer.

        "Transfer with head pressure as well."

        Does this mean that you are not pushing the beer with CO2 and just relying on the pressure inside the fermenter to push into the bright? That is a recipe for foaming. Again, you should never allow your beer to see any less pressure than where you carbonated it. If you don't have a VFD controlled pump or other gentle way to push the beer to bright, then use CO2 to increase the pressure beyond where you carbonated it and make sure the bright doesn't drop below the point where you carbonated it. Personally, I like to use a VFD pump and a balance line between tanks to transfer. Either that or having the brights at a lower elevation (like downstairs) will even eliminate the pump. Remember to keep back pressure. Hope this helps!
        Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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        • #5
          I know it seems obvious, but look at the glassware. You may have a dirty glass washer. Take your sample glass from the brewhouse and clean it up with some caustic soda. Rinse well, and check head retention. A little scum in the glass washer will cause it.

          But I'm sure it's only ONE beer that's causing the problem, right? Well remember the foam negatives: oil, surfactants, chelating agents, etc. And Phil is right, foam only happens once, so they say, so if you've made it in a bright tank it might not stick around for a glass. But do people in Shelton care about 90 second head retention??? I bet it's the glass.

          Kevin

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          • #6
            No, I do push the beer with CO2. And yes, it is just the ONE beer. But I hadn't thought of this, so I am glad you brought it to my attention. I try to make a point keeping the pressure going into the fermenter during transfer the same as the pressure in the grundy being filled.

            It isn't a constant 15psi to the fermenter. After pulling yeast, I apply 15psi to the fermenter, and within 3 or 4 days the pressure has dropped to 4-5 psi, as the CO2 has begun to dissolve. Not a fully carbonated beer, but at least a little on its way. Then I transfer. I will keep a closer eye on this, next transfer, but we have been doing it this way for nearly 2 years, and this is only the first beer to have this problem.

            Kevin, you're right that not a lot of people in Shelton pay that close attention to foam retention. And a lot ask for their beer to be filled up (i.e. no foam, please), and the beer is being consumed as quickly as it always is, if not faster, as our pub picks up come spring. I just don't like problems.

            Thanks for the pointers.

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            • #7
              Beer Clean Glassware

              I run into this problem alot on our brewpub, and the collapsing heads are almost always due to glassware not being "beer clean" A great test to see if your glassware is "beer clean" is the salt test. Soak your glass in water, coating the inside. Sprinkle a good amount of salt into the glass, covering as much of the inside surface as you can. Turn the glass upside down and observe, in a "beer clean" glass, the salt will adhere to the inside of the glass. If you see areas within the glass that salt is not sticking to, then there are oils or other compounds in the glass, and that will kill your head.
              Tim Butler

              Empire Brewing Co.
              Syracuse, NY

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