Foam on top of wort??

[PashMaddle]

I just finished my mash and was heating my wot to a boil when I looked in my kettle to admire my work and there is almost a soapy foam (suds?) on top of the wort. I’m pretty sure I didn’t leave any cleany stuff in there ( maybe a bit of star san). I tasted it and it doesn’t taste like soap so I’m not really concerned, just curious if this is normal or what.

 

[PashMaddle]

F***ing hell!
Right after I hit “post thread”, I looked up and there was foam everywhere… my first boil over.
yay…

 

[jdauria]

Foam forming as the wort heats to a boil is normal. Key is to watch it and stir it every couple minutes until it starts boiling to prevent boil overs. The foam is just proteins from the wort starting to bond together as the wort starts to reach boiling temps. Their is a product called FermCap S that you can buy, you had a few drops in the wort and it helps reduce foaming.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Fermcap really works, even in the fermenter.

 

[PashMaddle]

Foam forming as the wort heats to a boil is normal. Key is to watch it and stir it every couple minutes until it starts boiling to prevent boil overs. The foam is just proteins from the wort starting to bond together as the wort starts to reach boiling temps. Their is a product called FermCap S that you can buy, you had a few drops in the wort and it helps reduce foaming.

Stirring.
What a great Idea! I really wish I had thought of that instead of having to clean sticky wort off of the floor… and wall. I might look into some fermcap as well. thanks for the info and suggestions

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Welcome to the addiction hobby. Some use a spray bottle of water to spray down the foam also. But I recommend fermcap as well.

 

[RM-MN]

Stirring.
What a great Idea! I really wish I had thought of that instead of having to clean sticky wort off of the floor… and wall. I might look into some
Fermcap, thanks for the info and suggestions

I use a whisk to stir down the foam. I have successfully kept my wort from boiling over even though it filled to within 3/4" of the top. As it approaches boil, watch constantly. Turn you back for a second and you get to clean the floor again.

 

[fluketamer]

yep - thats good -
nice looking foam there

 

[PashMaddle]

yep - thats good -
nice looking foam there

Hahah Thanks. I thought so too …. So I put it all over the wall and floor.

 

[PashMaddle]

I use a whisk to stir down the foam. I have successfully kept my wort from boiling over even though it filled to within 3/4" of the top. As it approaches boil, watch constantly. Turn you back for a second and you get to clean the floor again.

That was the lesson I learned from that brew day: “don’t… no, seriously, do not, under any circumstances turn/look away from 203° water”.
I also blame the boil over for my OG being .005 too low…seems like a good scapegoat, won’t help with any future prevention of missing my OG but it makes me feel better.

 

[Bobby_M]

That looks like aeration bubbles rather than the normal formation of hot break as you near boiling.
What's that tube doing there?

 

[MaxStout]

A watched kettle never boils.
An unwatched kettle boils over.

 

[JAReeves]

Hops also help break the surface tension of the boil, assisting in avoiding boil-overs. But some recipes avoid hops in the beginning, so....

 

[RM-MN]

Hops also help break the surface tension of the boil, assisting in avoiding boil-overs. But some recipes avoid hops in the beginning, so....

Not my experience at all. I watch carefully as the wort nears the boil and stir down the foam until the boil get started, then drop in a single hop pellet. At that point the foam rises again very quickly and I have to stir it down again. Once that has settled down, I can add the rest of the hops, watching for foam buildup and stirring it down one last time. The only time I couldn't keep ahead of the foam by stirring was when I tried a batch with "first wort" hops.

 

[JohnDBrewer]

I lay my mash paddle across the top of my kettle, but for full boils I use fermcap.

 

[PashMaddle]

I lay my mash paddle across the top of my kettle, but for full boils I use the the fermcap.

Does the mash paddle thing work to prevent boil overs? Because that’s a pretty simple hack. Thanks for the heads up on that one. I’m still probably gonna get some fermcap though, for extra insurance.

 

[paul.wied]

F***ing hell!
Right after I hit “post thread”, I looked up and there was foam everywhere… my first boil over.
yay…

The harder part is keeping it from boiling over like spaghetti or something ...

 

[PashMaddle]

That looks like aeration bubbles rather than the normal formation of hot break as you near boiling.
What's that tube doing there?
View attachment 841661

That tube is my recirculation pump, I kept it on there to use in conjunction with the wort chiller.

… I also may have used it to recirculate the wort leading up to the boil….I think I see where you’re going with this (now I feel kinda dumb).

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Does the mash paddle thing work to prevent boil overs? Because that’s a pretty simple hack. Thanks for the heads up on that one. I’m still probably gonna get some fermcap though, for extra insurance.

I find it does. Just like cooking pasta on the stove. You still need to control the heat and watch it.

 

[wsmith1625]

You can just lower the heat and stir until foaming subsides. Then ramp it back and add the bittering hops.

 

[Broken Crow]

That tube is my recirculation pump, I kept it on there to use in conjunction with the wort chiller.

… I also may have used it to recirculate the wort leading up to the boil….I think I see where you’re going with this (now I feel kinda dumb).

When I built my first keggle I did the same thing but; with a longer tube... just kept it below the surface to recirc and whirlpool, then lift it out and drop it in the fermenter. It worked well so I installed a dedicated port and 3-way valve. If your tube isn't long enough to get below the surface, @Bobby_M has a nice inexpensive option;
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/spincycleoverboard.htm

 

[BrewZer]

The picture shows you standing next to your pot in bare feet... just a reminder that boiling hot sugary wort will take the skin right off if you get it all over you...

 

[PashMaddle]

The picture shows you standing next to your pot in bare feet... just a reminder that boiling hot sugary wort will take the skin right off if you get it all over you...

This is a good point. I normally have my house shoes on when brewing but didn’t when I took the picture…for whatever reason.

 

[Muddbug]

Well after being banned from the kitchen because of a boil over I now brew outside on the covered brick patio. Being covered is key because south Louisiana gets lots of sun and rain.

I now use my propane burner setup (the same one used for boiling crawfish) and put a water heater overflow pan beneath the burner to catch any boil over mess. Getting banned from the brick patio would mean brewing out in the sun and rain.

As for the foam at the start of the boil the whiter the better is my understanding and removing it is not a bad thing.

 

[DBhomebrew]

The only time I couldn't keep ahead of the foam by stirring was when I tried a batch with "first wort" hops.

I think the trick is to not stir it. I use FWH as standard procedure along with a boil volume that puts the surface within 1/2" of the rim. I find the FWH create a "cap" that keeps the surface down. I also keep a close eye and firm hand on the tiller. That helps a lot. YMMV

 

[PashMaddle]

Well after being banned from the kitchen because of a boil over I now brew outside on the covered brick patio. Being covered is key because south Louisiana gets lots of sun and rain.

I now use my propane burner setup (the same one used for boiling crawfish) and put a water heater overflow pan beneath the burner to catch any boil over mess. Getting banned from the brick patio would mean brewing out in the sun and rain.

As for the foam at the start of the boil the whiter the better is my understanding and removing it is not a bad thing.

As a Mississippi native and someone who has spent a significant amount of time in south Louisiana during the summer, I can’t help but wonder why you don’t wait until December when fall visits (briefly) to brew outside. I live in northeast/ central MS and it’s brutal here right now (couldn’t cool my wort with tap water last brew day because it’s hot) I can’t imagine brewing outside down there.