First boil over

[Turlian]

So, last night was my first boil over. Fortunately, it was also my first batch using my new SQ14, so it just made a mess on the cement porch rather than ruining my stove.

This was also the first time I've used DME vs. LME. I'm thinking that has to be the reason, but was looking for some confirmation.

 

[pdbreen]

I'd put money on the higher heat output from the new burner as the cause.

 

[corvax13]

DME or LME can both cause a boil over, or they can both not cause a boil over if one is careful. My guess is also the higher heat.

 

[cabledawg]

I agree with pbdreen. My first brew with a new burner, I cranked the that sucker wide open and before you know it my porch was a sticky mess.

 

[Gremlyn]

Pouring DME into boiling water gives billions of new nucleation points for bubbles before it all dissolves into solution... and boom, boil over.

 

[Homercidal]

Maybe a higher gravity wort? FWIW - I tried using fermcap to control the foaming and it worked well. I had heard that placing a couple of hops pellets in the wort just before it boils can help. I tried that the last time I brewed and I'll be damned, it worked! I made a 1.050 Belgian Pale Ale, so it was pretty much middle of the road on gravity. I also used a bunch of whole hops for the flavor and aroma additions, so that might have helped too. I don't know, but I'll be trying it again next time!

 

[Weizenheimer]

I'm having the same problem with the upgrade I just made to a better burner. I think my answer is going to be a bigger brew pot.

 

[Turlian]

Ok, so would taking the pot off the heat during the DME addition take care of this? I added pellet hops right before the boil over, so that didn't seem to work for me.

I don't think the wort was any higher than normal, as I ended up @ 1.057 - about average for all the other brews I've done.

I'll definitely look into fermcap. Hadn't heard of it before, but a quick search on HBT make's it look pretty decent.

 

[shortyjacobs]

Fermcap is the bee's knees!

YES, take the pot off the heat, (or turn the heat off under the pot), before adding DME or LME. You can get nasty scorching if you don't, besides the boilover risk.

Also, pellet hops can cause nasty boilovers too. Every time I had a boilover, (my first 3 or 4 brews), it happened 10 seconds after a hop addition....tricksy little bastards...

The "pellet hop boilover solution" is to add just a few pellets before the wort boils, not before it boils over.

 

[Gremlyn]

Ok, so would taking the pot off the heat during the DME addition take care of this? I added pellet hops right before the boil over, so that didn't seem to work for me.

I don't think the wort was any higher than normal, as I ended up @ 1.057 - about average for all the other brews I've done.

I'll definitely look into fermcap. Hadn't heard of it before, but a quick search on HBT make's it look pretty decent.

It'll starting boiling over again as soon as you put it back on the heat. You just need to turn the heat down and gradually crank it back up. or just use the Fermcaps everyone keeps talking about (no personal experience with them)

 

[headfullahops]

I've not had a boilover since I quit using a lid on the brew pot and turned the flame off to add extracts. Also, I run the wort in the pot up to about and inch and a half from the top.