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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!

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Sounds ideal. Can you post a picture? – baka Oct 20 '11 at 2:09
Yeah post a picture. – Poshpaws Oct 24 '11 at 19:41

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up vote -1 down vote accepted

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!

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How come this got down voted? – Ryan Shdo Dec 2 '11 at 14:23
up vote 7 down vote

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.

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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

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