Always boilover at the hot break!

I say always but i've only done 2 batches...haha. I know that one answer is "get a bigger pot" but alas my electric stove isn't a big fan of bigger pots or bigger volumes of water.

Essentially I am doing a partial mash and ultimately boiling 5-6 quarts in an 8 quart pot. When I first hit full boil and get the hot break, the damn stuff always foams straight up and over. I have to do a quick removal from heat and always have a messy cleanup to do at the end of brewing.

My question is: Can I lower the volume of water drastically at the very beginning and just add in the rest of the water after hot break? i.e. put in 3-4 quarts in the main pot, add the extract, bring to boil, not foam over the edge (hopefully), and THEN add in the other water from the grain steeping?

Or will I get a 2nd hot break when I add in the water with all the grain sugars anyway and still get a boilover?

I can try this for myself if nobody has, but I assume someone has. And I want to make sure i'm not ruining my hop utilization or messing up the chemistry.

Fermcap works for me. No boilovers.

Fermcap-S you must use.

djt17 said:

Fermcap works for me. No boilovers.

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It seriously does. I know it might be annoying that people always propose a product as a solution. Foam control drops single handedly made my brew days easier. I boil in a 30qt pot, which is just barely big enough to hold 7 gallons for a boil. With Fermcap, I can have liquid within 2 inches of the top and take a nap during the boil if I wanted.

Hmmm I must investigate this product. Sounds a lot easier than the cleanup! Thanks!

+1 on the fermcap, or you can get a spray bottle with some plain water and spray the foam as it develops. Depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Use the spray bottle if simply want to stop the boilovers (or just keep removing the pot from the heat until the foam settles). If you want to "set it and walk away", the use the fermcap.

Alright, I'll be the one ******* who suggests a free solution. I had that problem with my smaller pot when I first started brewing, you gotta stand over the pot watching it like a hawk, the instant that you see the foam starting to form, pull it up off the heat, let the foam die out, and then place it back on, do this repeatedly, (usually 3-5 times) until the hot break is over.

gtpro said:

Alright, I'll be the one ******* who suggests a free solution. I had that problem with my smaller pot when I first started brewing, you gotta stand over the pot watching it like a hawk, the instant that you see the foam starting to form, pull it up off the heat, let the foam die out, and then place it back on, do this repeatedly, (usually 3-5 times) until the hot break is over.

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You're not the only a$$hole who suggested a free solution.

gtpro said:

Alright, I'll be the one ******* who suggests a free solution. I had that problem with my smaller pot when I first started brewing, you gotta stand over the pot watching it like a hawk, the instant that you see the foam starting to form, pull it up off the heat, let the foam die out, and then place it back on, do this repeatedly, (usually 3-5 times) until the hot break is over.

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Thats ok when you are doing smaller boils, but try that with 7 gallons of 200F+ wort. Not exactly an exercise in safety.

I will second the foam control additive (I used a generic one from my LHBS, like $1-$2).

keeping a spray bottle of cold water around also helps a lot. Once it begins foaming, spray it down with a light mist, dead foam.

Once the hot-break is done, quit messing with the stove temp, and go do whatever (I usually smoke a cigarette)

That being said, I still try to watch my brew pot like a hawk (or have rotating shifts) until it is removed from heat. I already killed 1 stove element, and I don't think my property managers will replace another one for free ("I don't know what happened, the element just stopped working")

I use a fan to break surface tension

My first quick, free, and "dirty" suggestion is to keep a glass of water handy and watch it closely, if you see it start to foam up then you can just dump in some cold water quick which will knock the temperature down to a safer level, kill the rise in foam, and give you enough time to back off on the heat so you can approach a boil more slowly. Too much water and you run the risk of having too much water in the pot and it will also slow you down since it has to heat back up. I haven't tried a spray bottle myself because that seems like fighting a fire with... well, a spray bottle. I've seen professional brewers hit the boil with a spray hose.

My second suggestion which is also free and still helpful even with Fermcap (which will help alot) is to keep a close eye on the temperature and as you are getting pretty close to a boil (say around 200-205ish), ease way back on the heat and crawl towards the boil. I do this with my propane burner because it will be more than happy to foam up multiple times as I hit boil with too much heat and I find once I am near a boil I only need a little bit of gas to keep the boil steady, with no water added. With an electric stove you will probably not need to turn the heat down nearly as much since it is probably difficult to keep a strong boil anyway.

And Fermcap is good Although while using it and boiling fervently, I still get close to a boil over when I add hops too quick. It helps a lot though, if in doubt of the results, add some more.

I never threw in penny's -- has anyone else??? Is it an urban legend?

I find pissing in the boiling wort helps stop boilover and also gives your beer a great Miller taste.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

I find pissing in the boiling wort helps stop boilover and also gives your beer a great Miller taste.

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I disagree, it tastes more like Corona when ya do that...LOL

Danggone, i find that fermcap is nearly free... almost as free as the other suggestions. Even if you had to order it mailorder it would likely cost you like a dollar a year........ just buy it already, you know you want to!

When the water comes to a boil i usually turn the heat down and that takes me to a rolling boil through 60 min. It works on my stove , Mabey yours?


Cheers

I live to have two people with one stirring like a fiend once it is close to boiling over and the other ready to add ice when it gets really high and adjust the temp at the same time. Ice knocks it down real quick without adding too much water volume.

Ziggybrew said:

I never threw in penny's -- has anyone else??? Is it an urban legend?

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Yes. I throw in a couple pennies and it keeps the foam down. Just my two cents (pun intended).