# Nose grease and beer foam

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-grease-and-beer-foam/99608>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 22, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-grease-and-beer-foam/99608 "2002-03-22T21:00:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![daveman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@daveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daveman)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-grease-and-beer-foam/99608/1 "2002-03-22T21:00:42Z")

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Does anyone have any clue as to why nose grease can get rid of beer foam?

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**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-grease-and-beer-foam/99608/2 "2002-03-22T21:22:12Z")

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I would imagine that nose grease has some oils in it that break down the foam. That would be my WAG.

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**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-grease-and-beer-foam/99608/3 "2002-03-22T21:55:11Z")

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Just about any oil/fat will kill the foam – I’ve heard of people rubbing butter on the inside of a glass/pitcher so they’ll get the full measure.

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**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2002, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-grease-and-beer-foam/99608/4 "2002-03-23T03:29:03Z")

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Or lipstick for that matter.

[http://www.ifrn.bbsrc.ac.uk/public/FoodInfoSheets/EDPBeer.html](http://www.ifrn.bbsrc.ac.uk/public/FoodInfoSheets/EDPBeer.html)

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**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-grease-and-beer-foam/99608/5 "2002-03-23T21:36:07Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by daveman \*  
> \*\*Does anyone have any clue as to why nose grease can get rid of beer foam? \*\*

Well, when I put an oily dish in the dishpan, it kills the suds pretty quickly and I have to add more detergent.

I’d imagine that the foam in beer is aided by something akin to a soap molecule, and soap molecules have a “hydrophobic” end which prefers to attach to lipids. Maybe the oily surfaces in your beer will bind to all the foam-causing molecules?

Hmmm. If the police used a foam machine to disperse a big riot, the rioters would just have to bring along many cans of that “Pam” spray-on oil?