Is this hot break?

[morbster]

Hey all, brewing my second beer today. 5 gallon BIAB setup. My wort has been boiling for about 20 minutes. Is the stuff floating on top considered the hot break?

 

[DSorenson]

It's coagulated protein of some kind. Hot break... cold break... I'm the man with the gun.

On a serious note, it's normal

 

[morbster]

Thanks DSorenson. I wasn't too worried about it, but I'm trying to get a good feel for the timing of everything throughout the brewing process.

I appreciate the quick reply.

 

[SilverZero]

Hot break generally forms right at the beginning of the boil and basically looks like a surge of foam building up on the surface (this is typically where boil-overs happen if you're not careful). After a minute or two, it subsides and the boil is pretty steady, though sometimes hop additions can cause the foam to flare up again, but that's due more to the added nucleation sites. Once the break forms and then goes away, you're just seeing normal foam collecting.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,hot break forms & expands upward quite rapidly right before the boil starts. Stir like crazy & maybe spritz with a spray bottle of water to keep it down. Usually last a couple minutes. What you're seeing is the left overs from all that hot break foam. I usually get about that much left over during the boil that dies down eventually.

 

[Tbattisti]

Off topic, but wouldn't you not want to use a wooden spoon, as it's porous and could harbor bacteria? Noob here, so don't flame!

 

[unionrdr]

I don't trust wooden spoons in my wort. I use a 24" plastic paddle. I can always spritz it with my spray bottle of Starsan when needs be.

 

[mmertz]

i do not think that spoon is there for stirring purposes. A wooden spoon over a boiling pot will keep it from boiling over. I use this trick too, and the spoon never touches the wort.

 

[stpug]

As I understand it, hot break is actually the coagulation of material (proteins, grist particles, and such) that stick together and form larger particles within your wort. These particles are generally anywhere from minute to large flakes (grain of sand size to corn flake size). These particles are mostly formed at the beginning of the boil when the head/foam surges upwards, however they are formed throughout the boil as well but to a much lesser extent. What you see on the surface of your wort looks to be the remnants of the surging foam with some break material intermixed, however the bulk of the the hot break material will actually be in your wort solution as opposed to floating on top. There are several variables that factor into the formation of hot break material, all of which I do not know, however I do know that the following will play a factor: water chemistry, grist makeup, mash temp rests, boil length, boil intensity.

Personally, I rarely see hot break material larger than a couple pieces of sand stuck together, however I did once have the classic "egg drop soup" appearance brewing a belgian golden strong. I have good water handling techniques, normal grist makeup, normal mash schedules, long boil lengths, and moderate-high boil intensity, so I'm not certain what else I could do to increase the break material size in my process. At this point, I simply don't worry about it

 

[aiptasia]

A wooden spoon won't infect boiling wort.

 

[unionrdr]

True,but it can soak up things nasties like. Then stir chilled wort & top off & infections are possible.

 

[Hello]

True,but it can soak up things nasties like. Then stir chilled wort & top off & infections are possible.

I don't think anyone stirs chilled wort with a wooden spoon, at least I hope not. Boiling wort won't ever get infected with a wooden spoon. People use wooden mash paddles, think about it.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,I get that part. It does make one wonder just how much of the old wive's tale is involved here? I never had one,but I did wonder if wooden mash paddles are coated with anything?