Recently, I’ve been told that my beer does not have enough foam. I’ve also been told that my beer has too much foam. In both cases, the arguments were linked to products that could either add to a beer’s head, or reduce it greatly.
I first learned of my potential foam problem last autumn at a trade show in Las Vegas when I was introduced to the Sonic Foamer—a plastic device that is shaped like and resembles one of those doohickeys you get at restaurants while you’re waiting for a table.
You know, the kind that lights up and buzzes when the host is ready to seat you.
The Sonic Foamer
The Sonic Foamer has a circle-shaped impression on the top that you are supposed to fill with water and set your beer upon. When the beer you’re drinking loses its attractive head you simply push a button and “a finely calibrated, ultrasonic vibration which invisibly passes through the water and into the beer,” is released, according to the company. “The vibration activates the gases to create consistent sized bubbles for the perfect foam head.”
It’s a fine device and occasionally fun to push a button and watch carbonation rocket upwards. The only downside—aside from the occasional battery change—is the water droplets that fall from the bottom of the glass onto your shirt as you drink.
But, why should we care about foam? Do we really need a device that foams up our beers? I asked Grant McCracken, a brewer with the Boston Beer Co., makers of Samuel Adams, to weigh in.
“Primarily, foam delivers and releases the aromatic compounds of the hops, malt and yeast from the beer into the drinkers olfactory glands, inside the nose,” he said. “Each bubble of foam is in essence an aroma balloon, which pops and releases the wonderful aromas in beer over time.”
A good head atop a beer can also be important in the flavor and texture of the beer, he said. “It’s also alluring from a visual perspective.”
That’s exactly what the makers of another foam enhancing device want you to think of when it comes to their product, the Menu Beer Foamer.
It resembles a milk frother without the heating element, and just asks the user to pour up to ½ inch of beer into the device, let the whisk do its thing for a minute or so, and then pour the dense foam atop the rest of your already poured beer. A video of the product in action may be found here.
As a brewer, these gadgets are infuriating. If you can’t get a good, persistent head from your beer when poured properly into the correct glassware, the problem lies in your brewhouse. And if your taproom staff or wholesale accounts aren’t presenting your beer correctly, fix it through training, not geegaws. The alternative is just lazy.
With the Sonic Foamer, I think it’s cool because when are half way down your glass, you can put a nice perfect head back onto your beer.
Also think that anything that promotes drinking good beer to the masses is a good thing as it pushes brewers to push the limits.
Yummm! Flat beer!
more foam , less gas you drink , more room for beer !
As a certified cicerone I completely agree with Scott Petrovitz. A properly balanced draft system and a beer brewed half way decently will have and retain head just fine. These are nifty novelty items, no more.
This whole article is a joke, right?
The one approach you didn’t address is nitrogenation. A nitro head retains its form longer, and the small, uniform bubbles do delightful things on the palate. It used to only be available via special taps or cans (like Guinness), but a new product called NitroBrew can turn any beer into nitro beer at the point of service. nitrobrew.com