Defoamers that work??

[ClayHenry]

I tried the Five Star silicone based defoamer. It works great in the kettle, but had no effect when I added it to the fermenter. I've seen a few other reviews saying the same thing.

I know that Fermcap S is also silicone based, but is it any different or work any better? I've also seen some mention of Patcote 376 but no reviews of its effectiveness in the fermenter. I'm getting tired of losing up to a gallon of beer to blow off. Anyone have any better experience with these defoamers or know of any others that work in the fermenter?

 

[glick]

I have always used Fermcap S with good results in the kettle. I haven't used it in the fermenter.

 

[kh54s10]

I always wonder how people are losing so much beer to blow off. I have stopped using Fermcap and the worst blow off I have ever had took me from bottling 56 down to 52 bottles. So 48 ounces. Or .375 gallons.

I had blow offs when using Fermcap though they did seem less vigorous.

I have no advice on alternatives.

 

[duboman]

A gallon? Are you not leaving any head space? I fill my primary(6.5gallon ale pail) to 6.25 gallons and lose maybe a pint if that.

Are you sure your initial volume measurements are correct and are you trying to primary in a 5 gallon vessel?

Also, don't just assume the volume markings are always correct on your pre-printed vessels, quality control is not what it used to be

 

[ClayHenry]

5.5 gallons in a 6 gallon better bottle. I marked the volumes myself by adding water at 0.5 gallon intervals. I always lose a little to blow off, but is the worst with my porter and Russian imperial stout. My RIS that is fermenting now is down to about 4.5 gallons and still going strong. I've already changed the blowoff bucket twice and cleaned up one big mess from the blow off bucket overflowing into my fermentation fridge.

 

[Calder]

I use FermCapS and it seems to do fine. I do 6.5 gallons in a 7 gallon fermenter and rarely lose any. I always rig up a blow-off just in case. I do have a couple of Belgian yeasts that don't seem to be affected by FermCap, but most yeasts behave.

I also use a swamp cooler, all the water acts as a great heat sink, preventing the fermenting temperature from rising much. This probably helps too.

 

[duboman]

5.5 gallons in a 6 gallon better bottle. I marked the volumes myself by adding water at 0.5 gallon intervals. I always lose a little to blow off, but is the worst with my porter and Russian imperial stout. My RIS that is fermenting now is down to about 4.5 gallons and still going strong. I've already changed the blowoff bucket twice and cleaned up one big mess from the blow off bucket overflowing into my fermentation fridge.

Perhaps begin using a 6.5 gallon bucket for your bigger beers then. IME, the 6 gallon BB is just not adequate when pushing the limit, especially since you lose head space as the neck tapers up and kind of creates a volcano effect as pressure builds.

 

[Yooper]

I've only needed a blow off tube once.

I do usually have quite a bit of headspace, but I noticed that the one time I needed a blow off tube that it was in the summer and the fermentation temperature got pretty warm.

I know that wasn't your question (and I've never used Fermcap in the fermenter), but it did occur to me that if you're getting explosive fermentations, that maybe the beer is getting a bit warmer than desired? A warm fermentation temperature will increase the yeast activity, making it even hotter, and that increases the yeast activity even more. I'd definitely try to keep the fermentation at the lower end of the yeast strain's optimum range, usually 64ish or so.

If you want to use 6 gallon BBs, then I would put no more than 5 gallons into them. 5.5 gallons is always going to be an issue in a 6 gallon carboy, unfortunately.