Is there a trick to boiling water in an Erlenmeyer flask?

[hezagenius]

I was going to make a starter today for a brew this weekend. This is my first time attempting one. I added about 0.75L to a 2L flask and put it on a gas stovetop to boil. When it started boiling, it was an extremely violent boil that shot water out of the flask. When I turned it down, I couldn't get a boil.

Is there a trick to boiling water in this type of flask? Is my stovetop burner too big?

What about putting it in a pan filled with water and do an immersion boil? Would that have a less aggressive boil?

 

[porterpounder]

Yeah, you're burner may be too wide/powerful. Immersion would definitely be less violent, but why not just use the pot to boil and pour the boiling liquid into the flask. Clean and sanitize the flask first. If you're not using pressure, then it's not like boiling in a flask instead of pouring it from the pot into the flask will be more sanitary.

 

[hunter_le five]

I boiled in an erlenmyer once. It can quickly turn into a volcano if you're not careful.

Now I just bol my starter wort in a saucepan, cool, and then funnel into the flask.

 

[hezagenius]

Yeah, I guess I will have to do that. I was just hoping to be able to do a one-stop shop starter with the flask. Maybe a heat plate will work better for my next starter. It seems like this hobby is neverending when it comes to buying more equipment.

 

[tonyole]

My gas burners are not small. I end up putting my flask on half of the burner only. Also, once I get a boil going I cut it back to simmer. It's easy enough, you just have to take her easy.

 

[IslandLizard]

Yeah, here's the trick:
Boil wort in a stainless pot. Chill and pour into a sanitized erlenmeyer. Add yeast.

That method also prevents cracking your expensive glass vessel from thermal stress.

 

[Helloworld]

I use the smallest burner on my stove and put it on a moderately low heat setting. It takes longer to reach the boil, but it isn't as violent. I also add a drop of foam control. So far this has worked very well.

Yeah, here's the trick:
Boil wort in a stainless pot. Chill and pour into a sanitized erlenmeyer. Add yeast.

That method also prevents cracking your expensive glass vessel from thermal stress.

If your flask is made out of borosilicate glass it is safe to boil with.

 

[hezagenius]

Does anyone use yeast nutrient? I thought I read somewhere that you can add nutrient to help it along.

 

[Helloworld]

Does anyone use yeast nutrient? I thought I read somewhere that you can add nutrient to help it along.

Yeast nutrient is important. I use Fermaid K. I think there are some others out there.

 

[tmendick]

ferm cap-s will help a lot.
Also when the dme is fully dissolved turn the heat down "prior to boil" and keep an eye on it

 

[Samuelouellette]

Since glass transfer heat at a slower rate than steal, it takes longer to boil and will retain the heat much more. I bought a Erlenmeyer flask so I did not have to boil the wort in a pot than transfer it to the flask.

What, I do is right before it starts to have a aggressive boil, I remove the flask from the heat with gloves, and then only have 3/4 of the flask on the heat, or until it start back to boil but not a rolling boil.

I also use Fermcap-S to prevent boilover from the hot break.

 

[skw]

Careful with water in flasks, it can happen that you end up with superheated water:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/caution-superheated-water-258542/
Boiling chips can help you avoid that.

 

[Auger]

I started off making starters in a pot, then tried doing it in my 2L flask (mostly because I'm lazy and didn't want to have to wash the pot if I didn't need to). It was such a pain in the ass trying to keep the wort from boiling over. I tried it once and went back to just doing it in the saucepot and pouring into the flask.

 

[judsonp]

I just boil in a saucepan, then pour the boiling starter wort (with a funnel) into a borosilicate flask. Flask is easy to cool down quickly in the sink (just by filling the sink with tap water), and the boiling wort helps sanitize it a bit more.

 

[wobrien]

OP, do you happen to have a pressure cooker? Does SWMBO have a birthday or mother's day coming up that you can buy her one?

Best thing I ever did was start making jars of starter wort with a pressure cooker. I can make about 6 quarts at a time, then set them on a shelf in the basement. When it's time to make a starter, all I have to do is sanitize my flask and pour a jar or two of premade starter wort and yeast into the flask.

 

[Tegra]

I would say Fermcap is a necessity.

It is amazing to see the wort bubble up to the top and one drop of Fermcap drops it all down.

(Could not ferment with out it either)

Tom

 

[beergolf]

Agree with the Fermcap. I put my flask on a small burner, turn down the flames so they are not past the side of the flask. It takes alittle longer but works like a charm. A couple of drops of Fermcap and you are good.

 

[kombat]

If your flask is made out of borosilicate glass it is safe to boil with.

Correct. And if you bought your flask from a Scientific/Medical supply store, it probably is. But if you bought it at the LHBS, it probably isn't.

 

[hezagenius]

This time around, I boiled it in a SS pot, cooled it in a water bath, then transferred to the sanitized flask. It seemed to work OK

I'm going to look into a heated stir plate to see if those are strong enough to achieve a boil. That will kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

I haven't had much luck with FermCap S. I don't know if I got a bad batch or what, but whenever I used it, it would knock the boil down at first, but it would come back in 30s or so. I added a bunch (at least 20 drops) to one batch and it just didn't make much of a difference. So I just bought a 15g pot for 5g batches :rockin:

 

[b-boy]

Yeah, I guess I will have to do that. I was just hoping to be able to do a one-stop shop starter with the flask. Maybe a heat plate will work better for my next starter. It seems like this hobby is neverending when it comes to buying more equipment.

I had too many boilovers with the flask so I stopped using it. I use a small heat plate ($15 at Walmart). I boil in an old automatic drip coffe pot, pour the hot wort directly into my flask, and cool the flask in ice water.

 

[b-boy]

I'm going to look into a heated stir plate to see if those are strong enough to achieve a boil. That will kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

I bought a used heated stir plate on e-bay. It works, but it takes forever to boil. I just use it as a stir plate now.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I boil in the flask on the gas range and use a little foam control. then once I reach a boil I cap it with foil and let it sanitize the foil. Then I turn it off and go to bed. Wake up pitch yeast and put it on the stir plate. Pretty minimal effort once you do it a few times and get a routine.

 

[whoaru99]

I just boil in a saucepan, then pour the boiling starter wort (with a funnel) into a borosilicate flask. Flask is easy to cool down quickly in the sink (just by filling the sink with tap water), and the boiling wort helps sanitize it a bit more.

Yup

 

[schematix]

FermCap and a stir bar. Once I start to see bubbles start coming up on the bottom I dial the heat waaaay back (to like 2/10).

 

[Samuelouellette]

+1 ^that's the technique I use^