dataz722

Recipes 

Has anyone ever used Defoamer in their boil. Here is a link http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=10388

Does it work? Does it cause more problems than good? Im afraid that it would possibly cause problems in the cold break.

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MikeFlynn74

Recipes 

I use the Fermcap-s

Worth every penny

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Arneba28

Recipes 

So worth the money. I do 6.75g boils in a 7gallon pot with no boilovers.
even keeps the krausen to a respectable 4-6in

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My Kegerator Project

newkarian

Recipes 

Ive had similar results to the above. Boil 7 gals in a 7.5 gal pot with no boil over and havent had any blow off during fermentation.

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In process: Belgian Wit
Primary:
Secondary: Berliner Wiesse
On Tap/Bottled: Strong Dark Belgian Ale(bretted),Belgian Imperial Stout (2nd AG), Partigyle Dry Stout, Apfelweinx2, Dont Fear the RIIPA, Cream of three crops
Planning: Roggenbier, Biere de Garde, Golden Strong Ale, Barleywine, Something with Brett

dataz722

Recipes 

So are there any negatives about it?

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dashmatrix

Recipes 

I use Defoamer myself. There are a few things to keep in mind :
They contain Silicone and Surffactants. Whats that mean ? You gotta pay attention to the dosage as there is a toxic limit per FDA regulations. It will add to the bitterness of the brew somewhat but not too much. Just READ the directions and use it sparingly.
The other aspect of the surffactant is that it modifies the surface tension of the wort. For foaming that's great, if your using Whirlfloc don't expect the same results you would normally see. The Whirlfloc will still catch the big goop like hops but as for coagulating the proteins... you will need to filter to get the clarity.

At the end of the day, I use it. I am careful though and I balance the clarity issue. If I want to make stuff that looks as clear as Corona then I know I have to filter. If I'm hopping the hell out of my wort and just intend for the whirlfloc to take care of the hop goop then I'm good without filtering.

Just some observations.

Oh p.s... this could be just my imagination but when the lauter FIRST starts to generate steam off the initial boil and you add the Defoamer... stay clear of the steam for the first 2-3 minutes. It's almost like tear gas or some sort of Mace. it will burn the bejesus out of your eyes and throat. Once it's rolling though your good but you'll still smell a little chemically tint in there through the full 60 minute boil. If you eat organic spinach then I'd just bag it and get get a bigger pot and try to throttle back the gas to prevent boil over.