Ever been drinking a beer and the head just seems to dwindle into nothing? I’m sure this has happened. The head on a beer is a good source to release the aromas (and by proxy the flavors of the beer, since smell is indispensable to taste). If you’re drinking a beer that lacks aroma and character, say an American macro-lager, then it probably matters very little to you because it doesn’t have what might be called flavor or aroma. But if you’re drinking a wonderfully floral or malty beer, you might want to keep your head. In addition to aroma, there is great aesthetic value to a nice head on beer.

First, let me assure you that there are situations where a head will be impossible to keep no matter what you do. Sometimes it’s just not your fault. If you have an inherent desire for self-deprecating, masochistic, self-hatred to make you feel better, then go ahead and blame yourself. For those of us who are only mildly abnormal, let’s consider what might cause a beer have no head, even when you do everything right.

Well, the beer could be old. Some beers can be kept for quite a long time, but even they go flat, as beer tends to deteriorate over time. Even with a good seal, some carbonation leakage could happen, too. There is also the possibility that the beer is either under-carbonated or under-primed (the difference between adding CO2 or sugars to carbonate is the essential difference between the two) to begin with.

It is also possible that the brewing process had some flaws. I’m not going to go into it too much here, but various amino acids, proteins, and other variables can create and stabilize the head on a beer. If the brewing process is off at some points, the generation of these factors can be inadequate, resulting in a weak head retention. The type of beer and its density can also play a part in head retention. There is much more that could be said here, but the point I’m making is that factors must be right in order to have a nice head on a beer. Extended lagering can have positive effects on head retention and stabilization, so many brewers might do this to aid in the process.

Last of all, wicked goat children could have snuck into the brewery at night and sabotaged the whole thing. This is a relatively rare occurrence, but you might hear of a brewer using a scapegoat; this is what they mean when they say those words.

Now that we’ve blamed other people, let’s see what you could have done to destroy the head on your beer. First of all, make sure that you don’t live near a goat farm so that you can put some blame on yourself. The first thing to consider is your glassware. Is it shaped in a manner that is appropriate for the style of beer? Glasses are often style specific and are meant to maximize aroma, head, and flavor. Now that you have the right glass, is it clean? Okay, it’s clean! Is it too clean? What I mean by that is could it have traces of detergent on it? Even minor amounts of detergent can kill a head quickly. So, be careful about the glass and the towel that you dry with because detergent might be an issue.

Are you eating pork rinds with your beer? Salty and oily foods that are on your lips contact the head of the beer and flatten it immediately. I’ve seen more than once the transfer of oil from the head via the finger of a college student in order to intentionally kill a foamy beer. The point that I’m making is that oil is bad for a beer. Beer is great paired with all sorts of food, so I’m not militant against eating and drinking, but try to wipe your lips if you can (if you can’t wipe your lips, you might not be using a fork either. In fact, you probably can’t read this. Just wipe your lips, Neanderthal).

If you’re wearing Chapstick, Vaseline, or any other petroleum products, you’re going to kill the head of your beer. Here is the point: just be aware of the various ways that you can introduce foreign, head-killing material into your beer.

How did you pour this beer you are drinking? You should start your pour at a 45 degree angle and pour more of a 90 at the end to agitate the beer a little in order to get the sort of head that you want. Well, that’s all I got right now. It’s not really that complicated. Like many things in life, a little information can go a long way. Cheers!

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