Adding a penny during boil to stop hops boiling over?

wgentzel · 03-27-2009, 02:30 PM

So I read somewhere on these forums that it would be a good idea to add a penny to your brew after you add the hops as it will help to stop the hops from boiling over.

I did so on my last batch of beer and now I am fairly certain that it reeks of and tastes like copper. Was I just supposed to dip the penny in for a second? Has anyone else tried this and what is your experience with it?

Chello · 03-27-2009, 02:33 PM

I'v never heard of this before, it sounds like a bad idea to me.

FlyGuy · 03-27-2009, 02:34 PM

Your brew didn't pick up off flavours from the penny. That's certain. A lot of older commercial breweries actually have copper boil kettles. I think a commercial brewer would pick up off flavours from an entirely copper kettle before you would detect the effect of a penny!

And the penny in the kettle isn't a bad idea. It provides nucleation points for the boiling liquid. You need to toss in a bunch to make it effective, and even then, it doesn't help a great deal.

However, getting some copper in your wort is a very good thing for the yeast. That's another (perhaps better?) reason to put in the (clean) pennies. A piece of real copper pipe would be even better.

TelemarkBrew · 03-27-2009, 02:35 PM

did you clean it first? when people use a immersion chiller they put the copper coil in the pot for the last 15 min or so of the boil and even as some copper comes off as a result of the acidic wort adding some nutrients to the wort, I haven't experienced it adding copper taste. just a penny for your thoughts. (stupid pun i know)

**HenryHill** · 03-27-2009, 02:36 PM

Pennies after 1982 have .0005", half a thou, of copper. If you broke thru that plating, you were dissolving ZINC.

I thought that was a cooking trick-I would not use that for brewing. Just watch the BK.

FlyGuy · 03-27-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henry Hill

Pennies after 1982 have .0005", half a thou, of copper. If you broke thru that plating, you were dissolving ZINC.

I thought that was a cooking trick-I would not use that for brewing. Just watch the BK.

Zinc does leach an off-flavour into beer. Good call.

jmulligan · 03-27-2009, 02:38 PM

Keep a cup of ice cubes next to your boil pot, chucking one in as it approaches boil over, and it will do the same thing without getting years of dirt into your wort.

Ballistic · 03-27-2009, 02:43 PM

Just imagine if you'd stumbled upon some alchemist's secret of propogating precious metals? You can bet your bottom dollar I'd be throwing my gold in there!

Displaced MassHole · 03-27-2009, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmulligan

Keep a cup of ice cubes next to your boil pot, chucking one in as it approaches boil over, and it will do the same thing without getting years of dirt into your wort.

No wonder I never thought of that; Makes WAY too much sense

flyangler18 · 03-27-2009, 02:57 PM

There are two things that I've done to prevent boilovers:

- Use FermcapS. One of the best products EVAH.
- Aim a small desk-sized fan at the surface of the boiling wort. Works a mint.