Damn, first boilover, or "F&^% DME is sticky"

[HerotBrewer]

So I haven't had a boiler....
That is until tonight. Was making a starter for my washed American Ale Wyeast. Poured .5 cups DME into .5 L boiling water in my 2.0 L Starter Flask.

Instant boilover. That was fun. Managed to soak up most of the liquid off the stove top. Hope SWMBO doesn't notice. Have my starter wort chilling in the fridge after topping up to 800 ml with boiled water. Got plenty of carmalized wort down the side of the flask. That was fun. Good thing SWMBO likes the smell of malt.

 

[kgfitz]

i bet that thing went off like a valcano. that is the same reason that i boil in a pot then poor the boiling wort in the flask then chill it down. i would rather clean an extra pot then the kitchen stove

 

[HerotBrewer]

Good idea.

My daughter (11 yrs old) asked me if we were going to brew today. So even though I'm slightly intoxicated I thought I should get the starter going so I don't disappoint her when she wants to brew later today.

 

[krisagon]

Yeah, I've been there 3 times now.
Go to your local homebrew shop, and ask for FermcapS, also known as a foam control agent.

I do a drop of it in my starter when it's time to boil, and do another 2 in the boil kettle.
Never had anything close to a boilover since!!!

 

[pikledbill]

So I haven't had a boiler....
That is until tonight. Was making a starter for my washed American Ale Wyeast. Poured .5 cups DME into .5 L boiling water in my 2.0 L Starter Flask.

Instant boilover. That was fun. Managed to soak up most of the liquid off the stove top. Hope SWMBO doesn't notice. Have my starter wort chilling in the fridge after topping up to 800 ml with boiled water. Got plenty of carmalized wort down the side of the flask. That was fun. Good thing SWMBO likes the smell of malt.

welcome to the post-boilover club!! Did it run down the side of the stove? I still have sticky wort that I can see in the cracks of my lower cabinet door...been nearly five years now - impossible to get out.

 

[Justibone]

+1 FermcapS

 

[Praiodan]

Yeah, I've been there 3 times now.
Go to your local homebrew shop, and ask for FermcapS, also known as a foam control agent.

I do a drop of it in my starter when it's time to boil, and do another 2 in the boil kettle.
Never had anything close to a boilover since!!!

+1 for Fermcap - I use a drop when making my starters, and the recommended drops just before boil in the kettle. No boilover issues since.

It's nice to be able to walk away and do other things like cleaning the mash tun instead of watching for the boilovers.

Fermcap = time and headache saver! (well, and I guess wort too, since it doesn't boil over anymore)

 

[Hannable1975]

Kinda OT, but not really regarding FermCap -

Does it effect future head retention of the beer if used in the boil?

 

[SourHopHead]

Kinda OT, but not really regarding FermCap -

Does it effect future head retention of the beer if used in the boil?

Nope. I use it on my starter, boil kettle, and fermenter with no problems pouring a draft.

 

[HerotBrewer]

Didn't run down the stove. Did have burnt on DME on the outside of my flask. Started turned out fine though.

And the kitchen smelt of marshmallows all day.

 

[trufleshufle13]

i have a cabinet beneath my stove that lost the knob. so u have to use ur fingers to pry it open. not to hard... until my first boil over that basically sealed that thing shut like a safe. it stayed that way for a good few months until my girlfriend finally got fed up and did a full cleaning. still sticks a little bit but its kinda just a reminder now to always keep a close eye on the pot.

 

[pikledbill]

i have a cabinet beneath my stove that lost the knob. so u have to use ur fingers to pry it open. not to hard... until my first boil over that basically sealed that thing shut like a safe. it stayed that way for a good few months until my girlfriend finally got fed up and did a full cleaning. still sticks a little bit but its kinda just a reminder now to always keep a close eye on the pot.

LOL After my boilover, my wife has had no objection at all to stirring wort for me if I have something to do for a couple of minutes.

 

[Justibone]

Fermcap-S, people! It's beer magic, srsly.

 

[Seabee John]

A boil over is what vaulted me into this insane hobby! I was on my second batch, when the kitchen got a little sticky... wort wasn't the only thing that boiled over... SWMBO declared in a commanding voice "no more brewing in the house!" So I moved out to my detached heated garage, purchased two refrigerators, built a 10 gal all grain PID controlled RiMS system, a fermentation cabinet, installed directv and two tv's .... now I rarely go inside! Life in the brewshack is good!

 

[slinky0390]

I brewed this passed wednesday, and I usually am able to control boil overs by misting water from a sanitized sprayer on the foam as it rises up (a tip I got from the book, "how to brew") But this time I brewed with DME, (I started out all grain, I guess I worked backwards, and had 2 ****ty first batches till I got the hang of mashing) But I mixed my 6lb bill of DME pre boil and right at the 60min hop addition, the wort rose faster than I could turn to grab my spray bottle. Thank god I was outside on the patio.

 

[HerotBrewer]

Slinky, I also found that my wort is most at risk of a boilover when I'm adding hops (I use pellets and they seem to seed the boil). Do you use a hopbag? Since I started I haven't had any problems.

 

[elproducto]

I love my Fermcaps. Once I'm happy that the boil has settled down, I can walk away and no more boilovers. That's 6.5 gal. in a 7 gal.

 

[slinky0390]

Slinky, I also found that my wort is most at risk of a boilover when I'm adding hops (I use pellets and they seem to seed the boil). Do you use a hopbag? Since I started I haven't had any problems.

Yeah, my home brew shop only sells pellets, and it does seem like you drop them in and then BOOM! boil over. I will try a hopbag, and I really want to try fermcaps. Next batch I'll see if my shop stocks them.

 

[Justibone]

It might not be brand-name "Fermcap-S"... it might be silicone boilover preventer. Some shops buy the big bucket and then portion it out for resale themselves, to make more money. Depends on local regulations, their facilities, etc., I'd imagine.

 

[slinky0390]

It might not be brand-name "Fermcap-S"... it might be silicone boilover preventer. Some shops buy the big bucket and then portion it out for resale themselves, to make more money. Depends on local regulations, their facilities, etc., I'd imagine.

Yeah I know it might not be brand name, they have a whole shelf full of dropper vials of stuff for various things. I'm sure there is an anti foaming agent among that shelf

 

[HerotBrewer]

whatever it is, if it keeps your kettle from boiling over, more power to it.

 

[3ofakind]

One thing I do to control boil overs after adding DME is running a fan over the kettle. It keeps the cap off the top of the boil and I've never had a problem. The only time I've had a boil over is when I first add the DME. I might give Fermcaps a shot.

 

[Justibone]

One thing I do to control boil overs after adding DME is running a fan over the kettle. It keeps the cap off the top of the boil and I've never had a problem. The only time I've had a boil over is when I first add the DME. I might give Fermcaps a shot.

Fermcap-S, as you could guess from the name, is also helpful preventing kreusen explosions out of your airlock during fermentation.