Most brews lately are foamy

[chaps]

Most of my last 6-8 batches have been foamy when poured. Like open the cap and leave it in the sink for about 5 minutes while it foams away, foamy. This was not previously a problem for me but I've changed a bunch of things lately so I'm curious what people think might be the problem.

Things I've changed around the time the foamy-ness started:

• Bought a chest freezer + temp controller for fermentation chamber
• Started cold crashing
• Bought a Mash and Boil
• Moved to mostly all-grain brewing (sometimes with 3lbs of sorghum syrup but usually not)
• Bottling directly from fermenter (have a Speidel with spigot)
• Switched enzymes from AMG-300L to Termamyl + SEBAmyl BAL 100 + SEBAmyl L (15ml of each during mash)

A couple of notes:
I've noticed a ton of air gets sucked back into the fermentor when cold crashing.
I've also had problems with high final gravity, most of them have been high teens or low 20s (1.016-1.024)

Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.

 

[skleice]

I don't really have a 'foam' answer. Probably has to do with how your process has changed. Need more info.

However, on the zero tolerance FB page, iglashon jones posted about SEBAmyl L not doing well with converting rice malts. I looked over my past brews and they seem to correlate with this bit of info. I now use Diastase or AMG-300l when using rice malts. Obviously, it could be mash temp or yeast choice as well.

For the cold crashing, you can use a air tight bag or balloon over the bung to trap CO2 during fermentation and suck it back in during the CC. Or fill a bag/balloon with co2. I've decided it's more effort than I'm into and quit cold crashing.

So many variables!?!

 

[BobBailey]

If you're final gravities are high and you have gushers you're likely cold crashing before fermentation is complete. Once you warm the bottles up to room temperature and the yeast goes back to work, it's fermenting the priming sugar plus the leftovers from primary fermentation.

 

[chaps]

I looked over my past brews and they seem to correlate with this bit of info. I now use Diastase or AMG-300l when using rice malts.

My first 6 or so brews I used AMG-300l with good results but switched when GFHB stopped selling it and began selling others. Where do you get your enzymes? GFHB doesn't sell either of these and everywhere I've looked online the AMG-300l is sold out.

I've decided it's more effort than I'm into and quit cold crashing.

I think I'm gonna give up on this for now also. I don't have CO2 and although cold crashing made a spectacular difference in clarity it's not worth it if it's part of the problem. Importance-wise Clear beer < higher quality beer

So many variables!?!

I know it makes me want to pull my hair out!!! It also makes me want to do a crowd-brew data gathering/investigation. How nice would it be to have as many GF brewers brew the same recipe and then compile all of the data and see what methods/enzymes rise to the top or sink to the bottom?!

 

[chaps]

If you're final gravities are high and you have gushers you're likely cold crashing before fermentation is complete. Once you warm the bottles up to room temperature and the yeast goes back to work, it's fermenting the priming sugar plus the leftovers from primary fermentation.

I've only had one gusher and man did it gush. My wife got a sweet video of one going off outside, blowing the swing-top off, and hitting a branch like 14 feet up. Was spectacular.

The rest are just slow foamy. Tons of latent carbonation that if I open slowly and leave for a bit it just foams away slowly. Generally, the beer still tastes good and once it lets go off some of the carbonation it is very drinkable.

I let it ferment for 12+ days before cold crashing, I assumed that would be enough time. On one beer I tried different a number of things to drive the attenuation and get a lower FG since my sample was at 1.023, but it didn't seem to do much so I looked elsewhere for a problem. I might try brewing for longer at a lower temp and see if that helps with the general fermentability.

 

[bracconiere]

i'm not familar with these enzymes...but what you need is alpha, and gluco....check out brewhaus.com, or other 'distilling' sites their the ones that carry the enzymes.....

and it jumps out to me, you just started chilling your fermenter while, fermenting......so maybe takes a bit longer for, enzymes/yeast to ferment....

if what your using, is brand names for alpha and gluco, gluco needs to work at 'room temp', doesn't do so good in the cold....? (i believe) (i know in the winter when my room temp is 60f gluco takes over a week to get my beer dry)

 

[skleice]

My first 6 or so brews I used AMG-300l with good results but switched when GFHB stopped selling it and began selling others. Where do you get your enzymes? GFHB doesn't sell either of these and everywhere I've looked online the AMG-300l is sold out.

I know it makes me want to pull my hair out!!! It also makes me want to do a crowd-brew data gathering/investigation. How nice would it be to have as many GF brewers brew the same recipe and then compile all of the data and see what methods/enzymes rise to the top or sink to the bottom?!

https://eckraus.com/diatase-enzyme/

I'm still working through my AMG from GFHB. These tend to be more aggro then SEBAmyl L in my experience. I'll typically use only 1tbs Termamyl and 2.5ml for a 3 gallon batch. From their posts, rjmaille & glutardedchris are in the same range.

As far as variables, I've been brewing a lot of simple batches and changing a variable each time. Some OPINIONS I've developed...

- Pale Buckwheat doesn't really improve head retention, but does slightly improve body
- crystal malts (and kegging) show the best improvements to head retention, but it's a fine line before you get off flavors from darker malts in your pale brews.
- Though people claim otherwise, CaraMillet does not help head retention either and is a VERY strong flavor (to me). I'll keep it to <5%.

For now I'm brewing hoppy beers with pale millet and 10% buckwheat and changing a 'crystal' malt each time. Next up is American Roasted Millet...

 

[JMath]

Interesting notes skleice. I use buckwheat in every single beer, it may be worth excluding it to see what happens.

I've had the same experience with kegging.

I don't think I've tried Caramillet.

 

[rjmaillie]

A slow gush like that could be caused by oxalate crystals, which cause nucleation sites. If you brew all grain with RO, distilled or very soft water and don't adjust with minerals, there may not be enough calcium to help precipitate the oxalate. Calcium also helps with enzyme activity in the mash. Seems like your betas could use some help.