About The Beer Foam

What Is Foam, And How Does It Take Place?

You can simply put a foam as a two-phase system that allows gas to dispense into a small amount of liquid through a continuous process. If you didn’t know, the life span of beer foam starts with bubble formation, then creaming, disproportion follows, and lastly drainage.

After pouring your beer into a glass; the first thing you see is bubble formation, right? What happens when the gas becomes insoluble and hydrophobic in the beer? Since the beer contains some proteins, which are the vital foaming agents, they produce a hydrophobic end that attracts the gas to form a bubble.

The second thing that takes place in your beer is creaming as it turns foamy at the glass head.  At this phase, you won’t see things split in seconds. The bubbles here will continue replenishing as the bubbles rise further, and you’ll slowly see the foam collapse. As we have mentioned, beer contains some proteins, and the surface-active proteins hold the foam structure together.

In the disproportion phase, gas bubbles in your beer change from small to large by joining together. At this point, the foam is almost turning into a liquid through gravity. So, with no time the foam formed at the top of your beer disappears completely.

What Are The Factors That Cause More/Less Foam In A Beer?

Sometimes, the foam of your beer might be different, probably much more compared to your friend’s beer. Curious to know why? Here are a few common and interesting elements that could be the cause:

• Temperature

This affects how you perceive the beer’s taste and its overall attractiveness. Remember when we talked about disproportionation earlier on? While the process takes places when larger bubbles absorb smaller ones to create a spotty effect, it happens during higher temperatures.

As a result, there are more foams in kegs and poorer foam in glasses. Notwithstanding what has just been said, you can consider checking temperature tips for serving a beer.

• Alcohol Content

The more the alcohol content in your beer, the more the amount of foam. The reason behind that narrative is that beer contains alcohol (ethanol), an excellent foam deterrent. So, if your beer is 1% ABV higher than your pal’s beer, then it will create a more significant amount of foam.

• Nitrogen

Beer drinkers should highly appreciate nitrogen because it is the key contributor to a rich, creamy head. It gives you a fantastic mouthfeel while having a delightfully drinkable enticing experience.

As we mentioned above that disproportionation links with temperature, in some way, it also affects the solubility of gas via liquid. Since nitrogen gas is a bit insoluble, it produces plenty of small bubbles, creating a super creamy, stable fizz.

• Carved Glassware

A glassware that is carved at the bottom creates another nucleation site. Therefore, bubbles tend to stick to the carving and amass until they are buoyant enough to become free and move to the top layer of your beer, replenishing the foam.

• Cleaning Agents

If the glassware is not rinsed thoroughly, your glassware might be left with invisible detergent or any other cleaning agents, hence decreasing the formation of foam. Always pour your beer into a sparkling clean glass to get the ideal head at the topmost layer. To wash a standard beer glass, use warm, sudsy water, rinse with clean water, and place on the rack upside down for it to dry.

• Lipstick

A lipstick contains certain compounds and waxes that can hinder protein interactions, or even stab the bubbles’ protective protein skin, clearing off the beer foam. So, ladies that could be the reason your beer does not sustain a fizzy head.

• Fatty Or Greasy Foods

just like with the lipstick, if you eat fatty foods while taking a beer, your oily lips can damage the stability of your foam and its overall longevity.

The Effects Of Foam On A Beer Flavor

The layer of foam formed at the top of your beer makes it taste different due to the presence of surface-active compounds. Besides, a foam carries a massive trigeminal sensation, which means that you can only physically perceive the “taste” effects.

Let’s say the “hot” sensation of chili peppers or that “cool” sensation of mint you feel when taking your drink. How do you perceive the whole experience? Basically, it causes a physical sensitivity rather than an actual thermal load. Isn’t that true? That fluffy and creamy foam can dramatically change the sensation of your beer by moderating the overall taste.

Not forgetting, we have intimately interwoven senses of smell and taste, making us confuse specific beer characteristics. For instance, you might detect a specific character in your nasal passage, but describe it as “taste” and that’s how complicated it can turn out to be.

All in all, what we are trying to say is that foam opens up a wide range of flavors because it comes with more odor compounds that are new to your sense of smell.