New World Saison

TheMoodieBrews

Hello everyone,

can anyone offer some advice please..... Recently brewed the Young's New World Saison, I have tried a few of the Young's range and have been VERY happy with all of them. I followed the instructions to a T, and the taste of the Saison is very good, but there is zero head retention. Has anyone else experienced this? After bottling I kept the bottles in a warm place for a week or so, then moved to a dark place, as per normal, and after month or so tried the beer. Like I say, tastes very good and obvious fizz in the glass and on the tongue but absolutely no head. I have tried a couple to make sure it couldn't be any soapy liquid residue in the glass killing the head but still no joy. All tips, thoughts, advice gratefully received!

BUDFORCE

I dont know about that, but can I ask a question if you don't mind?

I am also a massive fan of the Young's range but I have yet to try the Saison, is it true you gotta brew this one at a higher temperature than normal?

TheMoodieBrews

Maybe thats where I went wrong, I don't have a heater but kept it in a warm spot, like I say, it tastes fine but just concerned by the lack of head.

HBO_Staff

Here are some possible reasons that the manufacturers Muntons give:

Polluted glassware is by far the most common cause. Grease, salt, soap residue and detergent etc will kill the head on the beer. The beer glass may be dirty, or may not have been rinsed thoroughly after washing. Ensure glassware is spotlessly clean.

Also, if the beer is being drunk with greasy or salty food or snacks (chips, crisps, peanuts etc), the grease or salt will make its way from the food to your lips to the beer, and the head will suffer its effects.

The beer may not be fully carbonated - it can take quite a while for a brew to carbonate, keeping it warm for around a week can help the priming sugar to dissolve and get the carbonation off to a good start. There must also have be enough priming sugar added to create the carbonation. If you have managed to leave much of the sediment behind and there is not much yeast left suspended in the liquid then this means there is not much to work on the priming sugar so it can take a while - your brew will be nice and clear with little sediment in the bottles/barrel but the downside is that carbonation time can be much increased.

Residual sterilant or detergent in the bottles/barrel will have the same effect as polluted glassware (above). Ensure these are thoroughly rinsed with cold tap water prior to filling.

Beer with a high alcohol content is usually the result of adding an excess (more than 1kg) of ordinary sugar to the wort. This has the effect of ‘thinning down’ the ‘body’ of the final beer by diluting the proteins and complex carbohydrates that are responsible for head retention (ordinary sugar is too pure and doesn’t contain these). If a high alcohol beer is required it is best to use a malt extract powder instead of ordinary sugar. Malt extract will give more body and aid head retention.

To increase the head when pouring, raise the bottle away from the glass and pour ‘high’.

TheMoodieBrews

thanks for the tips guys, will just keep fingers crossed that things improve. have tried a couple of the bottles from this brew and both have been the same, lets hope the rest are better!

HBO_Staff

If in doubt leave them for a few more weeks and try again, try to keep them away from light or covered over, and try them again in a few weeks as it can make a big difference