Let's talk about Foam Control drops (aka Fermcap)

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What do you think of Foam Control/Fermcap Drops?

  • I've tried it -- love the stuff!

  • I've tried it -- meh.

  • I haven't tried it, but mean to.

  • I haven't even heard of this before.

  • Don't put that in my beer -- Reinheitsgebot baby!


Results are only viewable after voting.

FlyGuy

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Foam control, or Fermcap drops are a product designed to prevent boil-overs in the brew kettle, and to prevent blow-offs in the starter/fermenter. The product will not harm head retention or produce off-flavours in the final beer.

My recent experience with this product confirms these claims. I love this stuff. It means you DON'T need a massive pot for a boil kettle (e.g., a 30 qt turkey fryer pot is more than adequate for 5 gal batches), and messy blow-offs and/or difficult-to-clean blow-off tubes are a thing of the past.

Interestingly, few people seem to use this product. Have people had mixed success, or is this stuff just still too new and not widely known about? Or are people just unconvinced about the claims and reluctant to use it? Let's see what people think.
 
don't have an option for me:

from what i've heard they work great, but i've never needed them...don't plan to use them...I guess i'll go with Reinheitsgebot :D
 
I have used it until the last 4 or so brews. Worked great when I did use it so no real complaints. I just wanted to go without to see if any difference would be found in the final product. And with a keggle it makes it a little harder to boil over although not impossible when not using it.

Anyhow, I still have it and will use it again, as no difference was found in my brews.
 
One drop of foam control, need I say more?
Starter_FoamControl_Boil.JPG

It also eliminates any foam overs during yeast growth as well.

Works just as well boiling a batch - such as boiling wort with only around 2 inches of headspace in a 30qt turkey fryer pot without issue.

And, of course, it's also great during fermentation. I fermented about 6 gallons of 1.070 OG beer in my 6.5g better bottle. The wort was about halfway up the slanted/conical part at the top, leaving VERY little headspace for krausen, and yet the krausen never climbed into the airlock (though it made a valiant effort)

Not that you really NEED to push the limits this far in most cases, but it's sort of nice to know that you never have to worry if a batch unexpectedly forces you to do so.
 
I used it on my first AG batch on sunday it worked pretty well and then went away after a while. I didnt want to use any more because I didnt know the amount that should be used.

How much of this stuff do you guys use on your boil when doing a 5 gal batch? A few drops? A whole eye dropper full?
 
Yea its great stuff, I use it in everything and have been for probably the last 8 or 10 batches.
 
It is genuinely needed in a starter if you're boiling in an Erlenmeyer flask, as I do. Those things go off like volcano otherwise.
In a batch of beer, I will use it if needed. I did a 10 gallon batch recently, so that one was only about an inch and a half from the top of my keggle. Saved the day, I swear.

Still,
I am just a bit less enthusiastic than Lonnie up above is...;)
 
I really want to know what's in it as well as what's in a product we have around the lab that's simply labeled, "Foam Control." But there's no real MSDS available on it (it's a Sigma Aldrich product), so I'm not about to put it in my beer.

Wish they were the same so I could have free foam control :)
 
:)

I forgot to add Carfa II to that list!

I rarely would have a blow-over fermenting in my pots like I do, but on the occasion that I did, it was a BIG mess... One time my SS lid was floating 3" above the pot! Now without fail, I use foam control in every fermentation. I have just recently used it in the boil. Gawd's miracle elixir this stuff is!
 
how much does everyone use of this stuff in the boil?
 
PseudoChef said:
I really want to know what's in it as well as what's in a product we have around the lab that's simply labeled, "Foam Control." But there's no real MSDS available on it (it's a Sigma Aldrich product), so I'm not about to put it in my beer.

Wish they were the same so I could have free foam control :)

All of the anti foaming agents are Dimethylpolysiloxane (aka BENO)

MSDS

Interesting testing :drunk:
 
In case people weren't aware, the main ingredient in Fermcap or other Foam Control drops is dimethylpolysiloxane, which actually goes by many names. It is the same stuff that they use in anti-gas tablets (not the enzyme-active ones like Beano). It is an antisurfactant, which simply means it helps to prevent the formation of bubbles and foam.

It is actually designed to NOT make it into your beer. This is clever stuff. On its own, it is relatively heavy and does not carry a charge, meaning that it won't dissolve in water. However, with a bit of agitation (e.g., a rolling boil or active fermentation), it gets stirred up and suspends in the wort/beer. That's when it does its magic. When activity calms down, it drops out. When you siphon or rack off your beer or wort, it stays behind in the trub.

Some are often hesitant to use foam control because they are worried that it will ruin head retention in the final beer. From what I have explained above, you can see that this won't happen. In fact, it can be argued that foam control will actually IMPROVE head retention in a side-by-side comparison to beers where a blow-off tube was used to manage a large blow-off. Many of the proteins responsible for head retention get 'stuck' in the krausen during active fermentation. If much of these proteins is blown-off into a blow-off jug outside the fermenter, they are no longer able to aid in head retention in the finished beer.

I haven't done enough batches yet to confirm this benefit, but I expect to see it. Curiously to me, my only beers that had poor head retention were AG batches with lots of wheat and rye in them. However, these are well known 'head builders' because those grains contain a lot of protein (particularly the flaked varieties that I am fond of using). So why were these beers the worst for head retention? Well, these were also the ones that had monster krausens (likely because of all those proteins) and massive blow-offs. My theory is that when I do these recipes again with foam control drops, the massive blow-off will be abated, and I will see fabulous, persistent head again in these beers.

BTW, it has been asked above how much I use in the boil -- I use two drops per gallon as per the manufacturers directions. I have actually used less in some recent batches, and it seemed to have worked just fine.

:mug:
 
I should have been more clear. I know what is in Fermcap-S, but I want to know what the stuff in my lab is.

According to Sigma, it hasn't been thoroughly tested yet.
 
I used it for the first time this weekend on a 13 gal boil (in a keggle). It worked as I expected it to to prevent a boilover, but a great side-effect was that i didn't have to keep scraping the hops off the side of the kettle back into the wort! I'm convinced. I'll be using it on all of my batches.
 
I also used it for the first time last weekend and am thrilled. I boil about 12-13g in my keggle and have always had to stand and watch it like a hawk for boil overs. Now I just let the thing rip. I ot a harder boil because I could put more heat in without boil over and could do other things for my hour boil instead of watch a pot boil with a spray bottle in hand. I can't talk enough about this stuff, I think it is awesome!!! :ban:
 
I love the stuff too - I think. I've been using it on all of my recent brews. Unfortunately, they are all lagers and are aging away as we speak so I can't yet comment on any affect on head retention. I do like not having to mess with a blow off.
 
I have used Fermcap, Fermcap S, Birko's Anti-Foam, 5-Star's Kettle Defoamer (10% Silicone) and 5-Star's Fermentation Defoamer.

They are all good and all work well for their intended purpose.

The 5-Star Kettle Defoamer is perfect for use in the kettle to brevent boilers. The silicone increases the surface tension and pretty much just rides on the surface of the wort. It stays behind when you transfer the beer to fermenters.

The Fermentation Defoamer is veg. oil based and works fantastic in blow off buckets.

Someone should give Charlie a call and see if they can package these items in small enough containers that homebrewers can use them.
 
Ok, so now ya'll have sparked my interest. So, this stuff goes in the boiling kettle and it'll work all the way through to the fermenter or do you have to add more to the fermenter? I'll be brewing a Oatmeal Stout on a yeast cake this week and I'd be interested in experimenting with the stuff.
 
When I have added it to my boil, I have not had to add it to my fermenter. But YMMV. If you leave a lot of break material behind in the kettle, you will probably leave the foam control behind, too. You could always add a bit more to the fermenter, especially if you see that it is starting to krausen up and a blow-off is imminent.
 
Brewing Clamper said:
So, this stuff goes in the boiling kettle and it'll work all the way through to the fermenter or do you have to add more to the fermenter?
In my experience, it doesn't seem to carry over from boil to fermentation, at least not fully. Generally if I want its effect in both places, I have to add it in both places separately.

With that said, I suspect the carry-over has to do with it getting stuck in the cold break. I have recently upgraded to a keggle with a dip tube that lets me get every last drop out after the boil, including cold break, whereas previously cold break was left behind, and I have not used foam control with it enough times yet to judge if the effect is carrying over now or not - so maybe (depending on your setup) you only need to add it once, as FlyGuy says.
 
I only used it in the boil (so far) and I still had a 1 inch krausen but that is way less than I normally have so I think it had an effect. This is the first brew I will not be soaking and struggling to clean a blowoff tube in a long time. I am vary happy with Fermcap-S!
 
my LHBS has never heard of it. He's got some powdered crap you can add to primary, but no liquids.

what's a good online vendor to order it from??
 
so this has been asked a few times so far with no response, but how much do you add to a 5 gal batch? 1 drop? 1 oz?
 
malkore said:
my LHBS has never heard of it. He's got some powdered crap you can add to primary, but no liquids.

what's a good online vendor to order it from??

I know NB carries it, I think Midwest does as well.
 
I bought mine from morebeer.com. Austin homebrew has it to. Pretty much any large HBS seems to carry it now.
 
You said that, when used for fermentation control, it stays in the trub. Does this affect yeast washing, or will it settle out then as well?
 
midwest does have it i live about 20 minutes from there and picked some up last time I was there
 
Kai said:
You said that, when used for fermentation control, it stays in the trub. Does this affect yeast washing, or will it settle out then as well?
It should mostly settle out. Even if it didn't I can't see how it would hurt anything. The stuff is quite inert, so it shouldn't harm your stored yeast.
 
So I wanted to see how expensive this would be. For the $6.99 fermcap stuff (4 fl oz) at NB:

(1 batch/10 drops) x (1 drop/0.05 mL) x (1 mL/0.03381 fl oz) x (4 fl oz/1 bottle) =

236.6 batches per bottle. Sounds good to me.
 
So, it was suggested earlier that head-building proteins get stuck in the krausen, and can be lost through blow-off. I don't think I can get fermcap quickly enough for the weizen I want to brew today, but 3068 is a notorious blower-off (and I'll be fermenting 5G+ in a 6G BB :eek:). So basically, as I watch the krausen fly out the blowoff tube, should I be kissing my head retention goodbye on this batch? Or is the difference between blown-off and not-~ negligible?

Kai
 
You'll still get good head retention, even with the blowoff. Been there, done that. Keep your ferm temp low and it will help. I think it also makes a better beer fermenting at 62 f.
 
mr x said:
You'll still get good head retention, even with the blowoff. Been there, done that. Keep your ferm temp low and it will help. I think it also makes a better beer fermenting at 62 f.

Yeah, I just listened to the Jamil Show on Bavarian Weizen, and he was really pushing the cool fermentation for this. 62˚. I'm also stoked because he convinced me to try a decoction, although I think I'm going to just decoct for the mashout. I'm really excited for this beer.
 
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