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We have always loved beer as the go-to alcohol beverage when we want to have a good time in our life. But there is always that one thought that we often have about our beer, about the foam that comes with it. All good and popular Indian beer brands give out a good amount of foam when poured into a glass. But with the foam present at the top of the glass, is it true that there is less beer in the glass? Are you being cheated of your precious beer because of the foam?
The truth cannot be any far from that. The beer’s foam or the head of the beer is an important part of the beer and the experience of drinking it, believe it or not. Without the head, the beer will taste very different and may not actually be the same fun as you remember. But what is behind the foam, if not some trickery by the server? And how does it protect the beer’s experience in any way? Let’s take a look at the science behind it.
The Science of the Beer Foam
The foam on a beer is formed by a scientific phenomenon called nucleation, which causes the proteins in the beer to come out on the top in the form of bubbles. This protein then gets collected on the top of the beer and forms a coating on top of the bubbles in the beer, which is then known as the beer head.
What happens is that the protein and the polypeptide in the beer that comes through the fermentation and addition of hops are hydrophobic in nature, meaning that they don’t like water. When a beer is opened, the bubbles of carbon dioxide begin to rush upwards, taking advantage of these bubbles, the proteins and polypeptide ride them to the top of the beer.
Effect of Foam
The foam has a number of advantages in a beer. The first and foremost advantage is that it tops off the beer and protects the flavours, the texture, and the carbonation in the drink, thus preserving the experience of drinking it. Think of the most popular beer brand in India and think how the foam looks when it is freshly poured into your glass. The foam looks thick, alive, and bubbling at the very bottom. When you drink the beer through the foam, it feels the same even to the last sip.
But when you take the foam away from a beer, it suddenly does not feel the same fresh and tasty. In addition, the foam creates the sensation of a physical feel of the flavour. Much like how chilli makes the feel of a hotness and mint makes up for a cool feel, the light, creamy foam on a beer actually softens the texture of the beer for your palette, letting you enjoy it more.
Third, but the most important feature of the beer head is that it makes up a good portion of the aroma of the beer. As we know that our sense of smell is actually an important part of our sense of taste, the aroma of the foam actively makes up for a great drinking experience. It opens up the nasal connection to your taste, actually activating a full range of flavours for you to detect and enjoy on.
So there you go, the science and importance of the foam on the beer. Next time when you see about an inch or an inch and a half of foam on your beer, be thankful that someone took your experience in consideration before pouring it for you.