Soda-like head, after long storage...

sbaclimber · Jan 5, 2015

I am currently drinking the last couple bottles of my best beer yet, a Mandarina Bavaria IPA that has been in storage for 3 months. After storage the beer has cleared up really really well and tastes nice and clean.

What I am curious about, is why the CO2 is coming out in big bubbles now. The beer never had much carbonation or a big head, but while it was "younger" (1-2 months into storage) it would still produce some nice lacing. Now it just bubbles like soda (though the carbonation is still fairly low) and doesn't really have any lacing at all.
Why would the bubble size / head formation change so much? fyi, I store my beer fairly warm (~19°C).
(I am fairly sure I read an explanation of this somewhere at some time, but I can't recall the details...)

sbaclimber · Jan 5, 2015

Partial correction!
I just opened the last bottle, and the head was fine, at least what I would have expected...
I must have just grabbed a bottle with less priming sugar. :?

The Brew Mentor · Jan 6, 2015

Or maybe some of your bottles weren't perfectly cleaned?

sbaclimber · Jan 6, 2015

The Brew Mentor said:
Or maybe some of your bottles weren't perfectly cleaned?

That is also a definite possibility. :?

UgliestLemming · Jan 6, 2015

Well, at 19 C the beer wouldn't absorb as much CO2 since it's pretty warm, which could be an issue, but then again since one was fine that probably isn't really a problem overall.

Nosybear · Jan 6, 2015

A bug in the one bottle that destroyed the proteins that form head? Any other off-flavors or indicators like haze in that bottle?

sbaclimber · Jan 6, 2015

Nosybear said:
A bug in the one bottle that destroyed the proteins that form head? Any other off-flavors or indicators like haze in that bottle?

Nope, clear as a bell and tasted as clean as the others. I am thinking TBM may be on the right track. I probably just didn't rinse that bottle as much as I should have.