Can I Bottle?

[jeffpn]

There are many homebrewers who don’t use soap or detergent to clean their hardware or glasses. It can lead to the issue you are having. I believe they use OneStep or PBW instead of Dawn or dishwashing detergent. How does a commercial beer do for you in your glass?

 

[GFHomebrew]

Ive actually got a brew atm that throws a beautiful creamy head then deflates a minute or two later into white floaties it was first time using oats in my beer and think a little oil maybe is the cause of my problem maybe yours too?

Observe below photo one looks gorgeous. Then 5 minutes later look again weird eh?

Tis my Eureka Pale ale.

 

[J A]

Blocky head like that^^ that separates into "islands" isn't a bad thing and is stylistically correct in some beers. Head should break down in any beer, but when it disappears completely and leaves no trace, there's most likely a problem.

 

[Nosybear]

I cracked one open yesterday. It had the distinct hiss as I popped the cap and had a decent head after I poured it. Carbonation is a bit lacking but its probably still working on that. One thing I found odd was that the head was gone within a minute of the pour. Is that something that might get better as it ages a bit or do I need to think about other things I may have done wrong? Thanks!

As with all the above posters, I suspect soap. Either you washed your bottles with some kind of surfactant - dish detergent or some other "soap' - or some of your equipment might have been soapy. The other possibility is oil, either from an ingredient or from an outside source. There are some more technical reasons you could destroy the head on your beer but if you didn't do a protein rest, long multi-step rest or decoction, you're unlikely to have done so.

 

[BlaineHomebrew]

As with all the above posters, I suspect soap. Either you washed your bottles with some kind of surfactant - dish detergent or some other "soap' - or some of your equipment might have been soapy. The other possibility is oil, either from an ingredient or from an outside source. There are some more technical reasons you could destroy the head on your beer but if you didn't do a protein rest, long multi-step rest or decoction, you're unlikely to have done so.

I don't use soap but I'm not wondering if the blue rinse aid in my dishwasher could be the culprit. I turned it down to the minimum setting hoping that would be off but I'm reading some people put electrical tape over the dispensing hole to make sure none gets in the water.

 

[Nosybear]

Blue rinse aid is, wait for it, soap. More precisely, it's a surfactant and any surfactant will inhibit head formation. I'd go with the electrical tape.

 

[J A]

Just rinse the glasses with clean water and dry before you pour beer.