Thick head on Double IPA

Question

My double IPA when poured into a glass has a thick foamy head that remains there the entire time I drink it. Is this good or bad? The beer tastes great!

Sounds ideal. Can you post a picture? – baka Oct 20 '11 at 02:09 — baka, Oct 20 '11 at 02:09

score 9 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 20 '11 at 15:37

9

Very hoppy beers often have increased foam and retention. The polyphenols in the hops bind the proteins in the beer to create fantastic foam. It's generally considered a very good thing.

answered Oct 20 '11 at 15:37

Denny Conn

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It's not the polyphenols which promote foam formation/stability. When polyphenols interact with barley hordeins (proline-rich proteins) they form trub in the kettle and chill-haze in the package. When polyphenols interact with proline-rich proteins in the mouth, it creates astringency. These are weak interactions, not "binding". What promotes foam formation and stability is proteins (MW > 5000), gums like b-glucan and arabinoxylan, metal ions, and iso-alpha acids. In this beer, it's likely due to more protein (high gravity) and more iso's (more hops). – BeerSensor Nov 23 '11 at 13:05
BeerSensor, plus one for intense science. – colin.t.welch Nov 23 '11 at 19:14

score -1 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 23 '11 at 03:09

-1

I had this problem with multiple styles of beer when i didn't quite have a handle on carbonation (over carb)

something to think about!

answered Nov 23 '11 at 03:09

Ryan Shdo

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How come this got down voted? – Ryan Shdo Dec 02 '11 at 14:23

Thick head on Double IPA

2 Answers2