Don't Be Fobbed Off: The Substance of Beer Foam—A Review

Abstract

A suitable head on a beer is one of the first characteristics by which consumers judge the quality of their beer; thus it is of vital importance to brewers. Beer foam quality is characterized by its stability, adherence to glass, and texture, which are inherently determined by the quality of the barley and hop raw materials used for beer production. In addition, beer production processes, addition of foam palliatives, packaging and method of dispense influence the basic foam quality determined by the raw materials. Elevated levels of key malt proteins and hop acids generally influence foam quality positively, while the inclusion of excessive levels of lipids, protein modification, and ethanol generally reduce foam quality. The primary objective of this review is to identify malt components that can be manipulated to produce beer foam of superior quality.