Fermcap Question

Hey guys n gals,

Since I started doing AG and full boils a few months ago, I have discovered the joys of Fermcap foam control drops. Wonderful stuff! No worries about boilover, and I can actually get other things done while my brew is bubbling in the pot.

The question I have is: Do the effects of putting Fermcap in the boil carry over to the fermenter. I brewed on Saturday (Armadillo APA -- can you guess the hops I used?), and I'm fermenting in a 7 gallon carboy. I'm using US-05, which can often result in a very vigorous fermentation process and LOTS of kraeusen. What I've got after 36 hours is a very thin layer of tan foam, and a little brown gunk in spots. Airlock activity (I know, not an indication of fermentation, but frankly it is) is normal, meaning probably 80-100 bubbles a minute. But not much in the way of foam.

Is this because of the Fermcap? I have read that once the wort cools, any Fermcap you put in for the boil will drop out of suspension. Hence my question.

Thoughts?

Typically, Fermcap drops out of solution as the wort cools, so unless you dumped your entire BK into your fermenter, the effects don't transfer over.

Personally, I have not seen any fermcapping in the fermenter if I used it in the boil...only if I also add it to the fermenter.

I have been told that it also controls the foam in fermantation, helping with not having to use blowoffs.

I use fermcaps in the boil only, I would wait until the fermentation is completed and check the gravity to see where it ended at. Who knows, the krausen might rise after the end of the day. Maybe it took a while to begin and its just getting going. Fermcaps can be used in fermentation as well to control blow offs but I do not want to use it during the boil and during fermentation.

Please report on your final results. I'm interested to see if it was the fermcap that kept your krausen down.

How much did you use?

I boil in a 7.5 keggle so I also use a few drops of fermcap and have loved the results.

Interesting question ... I always use Fermcap when I boil (greatest invention ever), and I've still had some huge-ass krausen. So from my experience it hasn't affected krausen at all.

It affects krausen for me, but I have a bottom drain on my kettle so I have very little loss in the boil kettle (keggle).

I use fermcap and have not seen any effects on krausen. Just a few drops tho works perfect. My drain is on the side of the BK.

So far I've still not got a huge head of kraeusen, but that could be caused by any number of factors. I'm not sure I'd attribute it to the fermcap (which is indeed the greatest invention ever), there are too many variables in the mix. More research is needed.

It definitely does not carry over, but it can be used directly in the fermenter to control kraeusen there. It doesn't work nearly as well as it does in the boil though.

The fermcap is there for two things: prevent boil overs when boiling and to prevent the krausen from getting too out of hand and causing a blow-off. It usually semi-transfers over from the boil (if added at the boil) a little bit. I still get krausen, but it's under control. I usually only put in like 5 drops in when I'm boiling, if that.

I was about to start a thread about my weekend until I saw this one. I brewed on Saturday (all-grain). I used fermcap on 7.5 gallons in the boil kettle. It worked great. I was very pleased. Put my Porter in the fermentor and placed it in my swamp cooler. I pitched two packs of S-04. Several hours later, I had a one inch krausen. Same thing when i went to bed. I thought that must be because of the fermcap. The next morning I woke to an overnight beer geyser. I should have added more fermcap....

I've never had a blowoff issue because I almost always ferment with plenty of headspace. Except for the time I did 5 gallons of Orange Hefeweizen in a 5 gallon carboy. I'll never do THAT again!

Im not so sure that it "definitely" doesn't carry over. I currently have two beers fermenting in which I used fermcap in my boil. One has 1388 and the other a wheat with 1010. Neither has as much krausen as usual. I would have to deduce that it carries over and does affect the krausen based on my experience.

I use fermcap in all my boils and have never added it to the fermenter. I still get krausen but I've never had a blowoff in all the time I've been using it. I dump my kettle through a strainer into the fermenter.