Hot Break Contribution?

[Cape Brewing]

Boil overs were being discussed on another thread and I chimed in saying that I never have boil overs because as soon as I have a healthy hot break, I skim all of the resulting foam off of my boil. Once you do this, you can have a hard rolling boil and it won't continue to foam up... eliminating the possibility of a boil over (or at least it has in my experience).

Some one else posted that they though having the proteins that coagulate during the hot break available during fermentation was beneficial.

I know a number of folks in my HBC that skim their hot break and they make some fantastic beers.

Anyone have any thoughts on skimming one way or another?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I can't see protein being beneficial in any way. I filter all of that stuff out by straining after my cooling period anyways and I've always had great beers.

As far as skimming, I've never found it necessary. Usually after it foams up the first time, it goes to a rolling boil and I don't have problems after that. You're probably not getting much protein out of the boil by skimming either way.

 

[Cape Brewing]

That is what I thought... but figured it was certainly worth asking.

 

[BarleyWater]

Beer without protein will have less body and absolutely no head, of course too much and you beer will suffer as well. You will still have protein in your beer if you skim off the foam, and I'm not really sure what benefit slimming has, but protein certainly does have it's place in beer.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Like I was saying in the OP, I skim it off to avoid boil overs. It is a trick I had heard from someone in my HBC and, for me at least, it has worked really well.

I suggested the trick in a "boil over" thread elsewhere and the comment was made that you shouldn't skim it off because you need it.

I'm trying to understand if that is a true statement and the reasoning behind it either way.

 

[masonsjax]

So from what I understand, finings like irish moss work by coagulating protiens so they are heavy enough to fall and collect on the bottom. Does this mean that head can suffer from use of irish moss? I have never used it before.

 

[scinerd3000]

So from what I understand, finings like irish moss work by coagulating protiens so they are heavy enough to fall and collect on the bottom. Does this mean that head can suffer from use of irish moss? I have never used it before.

no...there are still proteins in the wort even with fining agents. I use Irish Moss as well as polyclar brewbrite and i have never had head problems. Skimming is an agelong aurgument however from personal experience with batches using skimming as well as no skimming i get the same results...I believe that its worth not hasseling with skimming when i get a great coldbreak at the end of the boil which gets rid of many of the same proteins as skimming....why add more work. If your worried about boilovers buy some fermcap drops.
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/FERMCAP_FOAM_CONTROL_P1106C57.cfm

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

no...there are still proteins in the wort even with fining agents. I use Irish Moss as well as polyclar brewbrite and i have never had head problems. Skimming is an agelong aurgument however from personal experience with batches using skimming as well as no skimming i get the same results...I believe that its worth not hasseling with skimming when i get a great coldbreak at the end of the boil which gets rid of many of the same proteins as skimming....why add more work. If your worried about boilovers buy some fermcap drops.
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/FERMCAP_FOAM_CONTROL_P1106C57.cfm

Or get a bigger pot...

 

[Cape Brewing]

I've got a 45 gallon boil pot... probably not going bigger... and absolutely, Fermcap would work, but taking 12 seconds to skim off with a large scoop that I use is just as easy for me.

Not looking to debate solutions for boilovers... just looking for opions on whether or not there is any benefit or reason to NOT remove the hot break during the initial stages of boiling.

 

[masonsjax]

Holy cow! You get boilovers in a 45 gallon pot? How big are your batches?

 

[olllllo]

I don't think you could possibly skim off enough to make a difference.

Skimming is old school. That is not necessarily bad. I just notice more people that learned to brew in the pre-internet days do it.

 

[olllllo]

I've done it in a pinch. It does reduce the likelihood of a boilover. It makes you look like you're doing something important.

 

[-TH-]

...Skimming is old school...

...It makes you look like you're doing something important.

There's two reasons right there that make me want to do it!!!!:rockin:

Dumb question - what do you use to skim with and what do you do with the foam?

 

[Cape Brewing]

I have a large plastic handled scoop that I skim the top of the boil with and then I just dump the foam out.

It takes about 8 seconds. Sure, you can use fermcap just as easily but it is just something I've always done as part of my process and now I'm curious if I should stop for some reason.

 

[FxdGrMind]

45GAL!!!! OMG Dude that is one HUGE batch!!! 5 batches and you would be over your legal limit to brew... shhhhhh... I'm not telli'n nobody... just say'n.

Skim... or no skim... I've been able to control my boils well since my first, where I did have a little boil over (foam) when I turned my back for 15 sec.... grrrr... But I find that the foam subsides durring the boil and haven't had a problem since the first time.

I say do what you like and if it's still beer and you like it... what's the Harm?

 

[Cape Brewing]

Yeah, I'm not doing 45 gallon batches... that's just the capacity of the BK (which is brand new). I'm only planning on doing 20-25 gallon batches at the most with any regularity but wanted the flexibility of doing monsters if I wanted to. I have four 30 gal plastic conicals so might as well fill 'em on occasion.

... BUT BACK TO THE QUESTION!!!!

Focus people... don't care about boilovers. Forget boilovers. For our immediate purposes, boilovers do not exist.

Removing hot break at beginning of boil <------ good or bad and why?

 

[The Pol]

Protiens ARE important in beer for head and foam stability.

NO, skimming wont make a difference.

 

[Cape Brewing]

sosayeth da Pol.

Thanks... thats all I was lookin' for.

 

[EvilGnome6]

Good to know. I'm the one who posed the question in the other thread so I've been curious to see what the consensus was. I did some googling around and most of the articles I found pertaining to skimming off the hot break said it was preferable to do so to enhance clarity (as well as removing cold break material when transferring to the fermenter). There was some note about the proteins inhibiting the yeast by coating the cell walls. There was also a comment about taking it too far and sacrificing head retention.

 

[Cape Brewing]

I can't imagine you're going to skim off enough that you're going to affect head retention. And that seems to be the general consensus.

 

[EvilGnome6]

I can't imagine you're going to skim off enough that you're going to affect head retention. And that seems to be the general consensus.

I agree. Those articles were referring to skimming off hot break and filtering out cold break as two parts of the same goal.