Agreed. I’m not disputing that barley has proteins, just that wheat has a different type of protein with a higher molecular weight called gluten that barley does not. It changes the game in regards to foam stability in a way that CP can not because it lacks gluten. Check it out…
Dave
Yes, wheat has gluten. Can you explain to me why it makes a difference?
Maybe he’s going gluten free?
After reflecting on using carapils (haven’t for years, thought about going back to it) I recognize that I don’t need it in my beers for head retention as they’re doing just fine.
So, as a tool, what other use would you have for it? My recollection over the past many years has always been that it was advised for head retention.
Denny - are you suggesting that as a tool you might use it for minor flavor contributions? Or simply to help add body? I’ve pretty much disregarded it for years.
Nope. Not a chemist. But since it has a higher molecular weight than the proteins in barley it stands to reason that it will have a different effect on the foam stability of the beer. Therefore, and to my only point, wheat will have a different effect on foam stability than CP.
I have some time this afternoon so I’ll research this further and round back.
Dave
barley also has gluten. Those that suffer from Gluten intolerance or celiac disease are not able to safely consume and all barley beer any more than one with wheat it in. Malted grain, whether barley or wheat, has LESS gluten than unmalted grain.
However, the brewers clarex product that reduced gluten so that GI and celiac folks can drink it totally eliminates all gluten from the beer or at least makes the level so low as to be undetectable and has zero effect on head retention as far as I could tell and I actually split a 10 gallon batch with 5 getting the clarex and the other not.
There may be proteins in wheat that are not in barley but it’s not gluten. and the question is not whether wheat aids head retention but whether it is needed in an IPA with lots of hops. On this I actually have no opinion except to say that I don’t bother and do not have a problem with head retention.
I think of it as a way to add body. Secondarily, you get a bit of flavor (depending on how much you use) and like any maly addition it will add protein that could possibly aid foam formation and retention. But as this points out http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/35-head-retention/697-getting-good-beer-foam-techniques if you have other problems, adding carapils or wheat won’t help.
No offense, Dave, but “stands to reason” isn’t the evidence I was looking for! 
Haven’t thought about using it just to add body. Maybe it’s the ingredient I need to help make the perfect Belgian Blonde. I’ve just not been happy with the one’s I’ve made and one of the issues has been that they don’t have enough body. Mashing higher helped a bit, but still didn’t get me what I want.
The article is old but here is the excerpt…
Barley and Wheat
The most striking physical difference between barley and wheat is that wheat lacks barley’s familiar husk. The kernel is also a different shape — more rounded than barley, with a pronounced groove. Chart 1 illustrates the essential differences in composition. Wheat is significantly lower in cellulose and lipids, and higher in protein and starch than barley.
The varying protein level is the most significant difference. For one thing, wheat offers higher yields. Typical pale malt extracts run from 80 to 83 percent, while wheat malt extracts run from 84 to 88 percent.
The higher protein levels of wheat greatly enhance its contribution to foam stability - which means a better, longer-lasting head on the beer - and increase the beer’s mouthfeel (its sensation of fullness in the drinker’s mouth). The downside, and there always seems to be a downside, is that the higher protein levels can create problems in the brewhouse and make the beer hazy. Filtering out the haze can lessen the finished beer’s stability.
Not only are the levels of proteins different between barley and wheat, but the proteins themselves are different. Glutens, which are so critical to the formation of a good bread loaf, are virtually non-existent in barley yet make up 80 percent of wheat proteins. These high-molecular-weight proteins, which allow a loaf to stretch and then hold its shape, are the same proteins that can build a dense head in beer.
No offense taken. And to be fair, you are not always correct either… 
I propose that this be settled with feats of strength.
It is, after all, the season for Festivus.
Are you holding the Festivus pole? Denny would kick my ■■■, no fair…
Love a good Seinfeld reference. I think you have to start with the airing of grievances, then go 'til somebody gets pinned.
This chart would support my position that the amount of protein and type of gluten is different in Wheat and Barley. Now to find out if there is something that can relate each specifically to foam stability…
Type and Percentage of Gluten In Different Grains (in order)
Grain-Type of Gluten-% Total Protein
Wheat-Gliadin-69%
Corn-Zien-55%
Sorghum-Kafirin-52%
Barley-Hordein-46-52%
Rye-Secalin-30-50%
Millet-Panicin-40%
Oats-Avenin-16%
Teff-Penniseiten-11%
Rice-Orzenin-5%
Based on information supplied in ‘Glutenology’, Dr Peter Osborne-2011
“I have seen people gradually progress through this table, becoming intolerant to one after another grain almost in order of the level of gluten found.”
EDIT: Link to article-http://www.coeliacsmatter.com/digestive_conditions_coeliac/gluten_intolerance/glut_int_articles/gluten_no_grain_no_pain_rose.html
Aye. My wife never lets me forget that…
I don’t believe this table is accurate. Specifically, I don’t believe that gliadin is 69% of the total protein in wheat. What about glutenin? Maybe glutenin + gliadin gets you to 69%.
Tom, I read that as Gliadin is the name of the Gluten in wheat and that there is 69% total protein in wheat. They are mutually exclusive…
Dave
I take back my “stands to reason” and offer the following. This should help my cause: From Beer: A Quality Perspective
Therefore Wheat and CaraPils will have different effects on foam stability. Fun exercise.
Time for a frothy IPA which I made without Wheat or CaraPils… ;D
Good thread. People should go on a rant on a regular basis - we’d all learn a lot!
Is it OK to use Carapils in an IPA just to get rid of it? You know it’s taking up space in the brew closet…