Author: Dave Pickersgill

The tendency to foam and the stability of the head of a beer is often seen as an indicator of successful fermentation. A very detailed research paper on the stability of such foam has recently been published by the American Institute of Physics in their Journal, ‘Physics of Fluids.’ The authors compared the stability of the head produced by six beers: four Belgian: Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet (8.4%), Westmalle Triple (9.5%), Westmalle Dubble (7%) and Westmalle Extra (4.8%) and two Swiss Lagers: Chopfab (4.7%) and Feldschlösschen (4.8%).

The conclusion is that Triple fermented beers have the most stable foams, while the froth rim created by single fermentation beers, including lagers, are more likely to collapse.

Like any other foam, a beer-head is made of small air bubbles, separated by thin films of liquid. Under the pull of gravity and the pressure exerted by surrounding bubbles, over time, the bubbles burst and the foam collapses. The rate at which this occurs depends on the form of a barley-derived protein: Liquid Transfer Protein 1 (LTP1).

In single fermentation beers, LPT1 proteins have a globular form and arrange themselves densely as small, spherical particles on the surface of the bubbles. “It’s not a very stable foam,” said Prof Jan Vermant, a chemical engineer at ETH Zurich, who led the study.

During the second fermentation, the proteins become slightly unravelled and form a net-like structure that acts as a stretchy elastic skin on the surface of bubbles. This makes the liquid more viscous and the bubbles more stable.

During the third fermentation, the LPT1 proteins become broken down into fragments. These protein fragments stabilise foams in many everyday applications such as detergents. Some of the triple fermented beers had foams that were stable for 15 minutes.

As Vermont says: “We now know the mechanism exactly and are able to help the brewery improve the foam of their beers.”

Abstract:

A recent academic study indicates that Triple fermented beers have the most stable foams, while the froth rim created by single fermentation beers, including lagers, are more likely to collapse.

Photos: Westmalle, taken by Dave Pickersgill

Link:

https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pof/article/37/8/082139/3360405/The-hidden-subtlety-of-beer-foam-stability-A The hidden subtlety of beer foam stability: A blueprint for advanced foam formulations | Physics of Fluids | AIP Publishing

Fifty years ago, in the summer of 1974, a new publication, ‘Parish Pump’ joined the printed material which jostled for space in our local pubs and clubs. This was the first edition of the new Sheffield and District CAMRA magazine: a few sides of A4 stapled together – very different from to-days professionally produced 32-page, full colour ‘Beer Matters.’ 

The intervening fifty years tell a tale of major changes in the Sheffield beer/pub scene, of large breweries closing, and, later, small breweries taking their place … of Sheffield becoming the cask beer capital of the world. Over fifty years, almost 600 editions of our free magazine have included month-by-month reporting of these many changes.

Parish Pump No.2 (6 September 1975) mentions that; ‘at least 25 of the 61 pubs in central Sheffield sell real ale although one’s choice is limited to our local Big Three.’ At that time, Sheffield had four large and long-established breweries; Stones Cannon Brewery (established: 1865), Wards Sheaf (1896), Whitbread Exchange (1851) and the often-forgotten Hope Brewery on Claywheels Lane (1939).

Fifty years later, none of these remain. However, the city now has 17 breweries. The oldest is Abbeydale, now an Employee Owned Trust, who celebrate their 30^th anniversary next year. In 1975, when Abbeydale commenced, no-one would have predicted that, fifty years later, the 2025 Sheffield Beer Census would count almost 400 cask beers available on a single day: mostly on handpump.

From edition 33, September 1978, the format became A5 and the name changed to ‘Beer Matters.’ As stated at the time: ‘This month your local newsletter has a new name and format. The former is an attempt to get rid of the ecclesiastical connotations of the old name “Parish Pump”: the latter is in order to make the publication more convenient to handle and easier to read. We hope that you agree that an improvement has been made in both these respects.’

Over the years quality has improved: from four typed and stapled A4 sheets to a stapled A5 booklet to glossy publications and today’s excellent full-colour publication. The 1980s booklets required a ‘Beer Matters stapling social’ to put together the four A4 sheets (16 pages) in the correct order. I recall attending these monthly meetings in the Sheaf View (Bramall Lane). Here, lots of paper was delivered from the printer and large staplers were put to good effect. Since then, the branch has aimed to produce eleven issues annually: monthly with a winter double issue. Issue 500 was in September 2019. There has also been the occasional hiatus: for example, Covid saw a gap from April 2020 until our return in September 2021.

Local CAMRA meetings were the original information conduit to the editor. Today, in addition to the various meetings, internet resources are extensively utilised. Over the years, ‘Beer Matters’ has included innumerable stories. For example:

11: 1976: includes the news that ‘a beer exhibition venue has been found’ : this was the second Sheffield Beer Festival – next year will see the 50^th.

190: November 1991: ’21 Not Out,’ CAMRA was 21 years old

281: August 1999: ‘Wards laid to Rest,’ the closure of Wards Brewery

399: July 2010: the first colour cover

500: September 2019: includes several retrospective contributions

520: February 2023: Tom and Barbara retire after over 37 years at Fagan’s

Beer Matters has had hundreds of contributors and many editors. Their roll of honour is listed. In addition to these editors, thanks also need to be given to Robin Lunnon for linking the magazine to our website and bringing design forward into the digital era. 

Thanks to all who have contributed over the last fifty years: let’s all drink to the next fifty!

Editors of the Sheffield & District CAMRA magazine:

Parish Pump:

1 – 14: Colin Walker, Tony Scholes

15- 27: John Kidd, Geoff Jenkins

28 – 32: Geoff Jenkins, David Grey

Beer Matters:

33 – 40: Geoff Jenkins, David Grey

41 – 54: David Grey, Terry Fellows

55: Terry Fellows, Norman Spalding

56: Terry Fellows

57 – 59: Terry Fellows, Mike & Joanne Taylor

60: Terry Fellows

61 – 64: Terry Fellows, Carole Ware

65 – 79: Carole Ware

80 – 112: Iain Colquhoun

113 – 148: Adrian Staton

149 -175: Lis Colquhoun (Lis Hensman from 155) 

176 – 220: Mike Hensman

221 – 237: Adrian Staton

238 – 265: David Staves

266 – 276: Richard Hough & Kathryn Page

277 – 282: David Staves

283 – 284: Linda Hutton

285 – 292: Ieuan Willis

293 – 295: Tim Stillman

296 – 330: Paul Goddard

331 – 474: Andy Cullen

475 – 495: Dom.Nelson

496 – to date: Andy Cullen

On 6 June we enjoyed the launch of the University of Sheffield, Place, Craft and Alcohol Exhibition and the Five and Half Moments When Alcohol Changed the World podcast at Locksley Distilling, Portland Works. 

This project explores the history of alcohol in Sheffield and its post-industry present and future. The research has involved oral histories and the development of a map which maps the alcohol topography from the 19th century onwards. For more information: https://tinyurl.com/3pp5ze53