Tricks to kill fermentation "head"

I have a 1.070 foreign extra stout going at 66F in the ferm fridge, the 2x 6-gallon carboys are spewing foam like crazy. I'm using PVC contraption to bring the foam downwards. I have limited space in the ferm fridge (2x 6-gallon fermenter + 4-cornies!) and as such I have just enough room for a 1/2-gallon mason jar.

The foam just won't quit on top of the mason jar. So far I've had mild success by using dishsoap in the mason jar's water, and putting a wet soapy towel over the top of the mason jar.

Any tricks to "kill the head"? There's not much liquid, it's all head, and when it finally reaches the sides of the fridge, it liquifies and makes a helluva mess.

Edit: This is what it looks like:





M_C

~9 drops of fermcap will calm things down. I had a stout do this very thing as well and learned this the hard way.

makomachine said:

~9 drops of fermcap will calm things down. I had a stout do this very thing as well and learned this the hard way.

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I need a common household item. LHBS is closed this week.

M_C

Haha,

I am sorry for getting pleasure in your disfortune but that is one of the funniest and messiest fermentations I have ever seen.

I think your best option is to switch to fermenting in buckets as the solution. I don't know if you could fit one of those 7 gallon buckets in there though.

Misplaced_Canuck said:

I need a common household item. LHBS is closed this week.

M_C

Click to expand...

But I'm sure a drugstore isn't... Ferm Cap Substitute.

beerthirty said:

Walmart brand infant gas drops. $3.50 a bottle, used at 1-2 drops per gallon in the kettle. Ads I have seen say fermcap needs to be kept cool. That aint happening in the desert 10 months out of the year.

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Dude, use a bubbler. Put a plastic hose in your bung instead of a fermentation lock, and put the other end of the hose in a jug or bucket of water. All that mess goes into the jug or bucket.

If you are brave you could try mylicon. It's a non absorbed anti gas liquid you give infants to help the burp/fart. I keep looking at it and thinking, "this stuff really looks like fermcap". You can get it at any pharmacy, target for under $5.

Active ingredient simethicone, an oral anti foaming agent.

Let me know if you try it and if it works.

Revvy said:

But I'm sure a drugstore isn't... Ferm Cap Substitute.

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Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely look into that.

M_C

afraziaaaa said:

Dude, use a bubbler. Put a plastic hose in your bung instead of a fermentation lock, and put the other end of the hose in a jug or bucket of water. All that mess goes into the jug or bucket.

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I'm not using a fermentation lock at all. I'm using a 1" PVC pipe to push the head down to a 1/2-gallon mason jar. Using a hose any less than 1" would be a helluva good way to jam it up good and tight and make things worse.

Here's what I'm using:



M_C

Oh my god, you're blowing through a setup like that? SO is it blowing the tubing out of the carboy, or just flooding the collection vessel?

Man that's one heckofa gusher.

Revvy said:

Oh my god, you're blowing through a setup like that? SO is it blowing the tubing out of the carboy, or just flooding the collection vessel?

Man that's one heckofa gusher.

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The foam is just not de-foaming (i.e. not liquifying) when it reaches the 1/2 gallon mason jar. The amount of liquid blown out is not very high, but the foam gets everywhere and eventually liquifies and makes a mess.

I may have lost 1/2 gallon between the two fermenters, so not horrible, but still a mess!

It looks like I've got things under control at this point, with the soap in the mason jar and the towel with soap too.

I think the high krausen is pretty much down (looks like it took 48 hours total).

Big beer (1.070), limited headspace, and very strong starter of Wyeast 1028 (1L in each carboy, decanted once and re-fed).

Yeehaw!

M_C

I would use something larger than a mason jar. Also, fill the vessel with starsan and run the tube below the liquid level. This should help the foam turn to liquid when it gets into the collection vessel.

IrregularPulse said:

I would use something larger than a mason jar. Also, fill the vessel with starsan and run the tube below the liquid level. This should help the foam turn to liquid when it gets into the collection vessel.

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I'll try Starsan the next time. The space is limited in the ferm fridge, so a 1/2 gallon mason jar is all I could fit in there. (notice the 4 cornies in there). The tips are 1" below the water surface and the foam didn't care.

M_C

Starsan sounds funny!