You can't use enough Fermcap-S (anti-foam agent)

[SavageSteve]

Well... maybe you can, but it's a lot harder than not using enough!

Just made an 1800 ml starter in a 2000ml Erlenmeyer flask, and only put in three drops/squeezes of Fermcap-S. I figured that would be enough.

FAIL!

Slight boilover, right through my foam stopper, no less. Cleaned up, put in five more drops/squeezes, and brought back to a boil.

Much better.

Please, for the sake of the stove and your sanity, don't skimp on the Fermcap-S!

-Steve

p.s. Did I mention that I really like Fermcap-S?

 

[chode720]

I just bought Fermcap-S and I have to say I love the stuff too. But i havent had any issues with boil over and found that if I use less, it still works great. I did an 1600 ML starter and boiling the wort in a saucepot (I have an electric stove) I put 1 drop in and had no issues at all. Usually I have to cut it down.

I also just brewed a batch and ended up starting with 7 gallons in my 8 gallon brew pot. I only put 6 drops in and it worked great. I still formed a nice hot break on top will about a 1/4in think layer, but no other foaming, even when adding hops.

 

[Troubs]

Fermcap-S is by far my most favorite ingredient. When I do full 6.5 gallon boils in my 7.5 gallon turkey fryer I make sure to add about 3 full droppers. I have heard people use a lot less but I mainly add that much for peace of mind. Plus it isn't that expensive, so what the hell!

 

[Revvy]

Lemme tell you a story....

Last friday I did a harvest of Hoegardaan yeast using the dregs of 11 bottles I recapped upon pouring and drinking the beer over a week. On suday I decided to feed it another batch of wort. I have a large earlynmeir flask, but clearly not a large enough flask for the blowoff I got when I came home from vintage baseball sunday evening, even blowing off the tinfoil.

After I cleaned off the outside of the flask and sprayed it ad a fresh piece of foil with starsan I hit the foam coming out of the neck of the flasks with a few drops of fermcap, and the harvest krauzen layed down and played nice...

Awesome stuff to have on hand.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

I was at Captain Lawrence Brewery and they had like a 1 gallon container of that stuff... I was like hey i use that too!

Then I found out you can get it in up to 25KG containers...

 

[boredatwork]

Fermcap-S is by far my most favorite ingredient. When I do full 6.5 gallon boils in my 7.5 gallon turkey fryer I make sure to add about 3 full droppers. I have heard people use a lot less but I mainly add that much for peace of mind. Plus it isn't that expensive, so what the hell!

3 full droppers???? I don't what the harm in overdosing is, but the directions are usually 2 drops per gallon, and most people get away with 1 drop per gallon without any reduction in performance.

 

[SavageSteve]

25 kilograms *might* actually be too much... I don't think I could brew enough in a lifetime to use it all up!

-Steve

 

[Austinhomebrew]

I believe the problem is silicone is what is used to make the product work. You can ingest silicone in small amounts but its not good to overdose.

We sell the Five Star Defoamer and they say:
Usage: 1-2 drops per gallon. Do not exceed this dosage or your beer will exceed FDA limitations for silicon content.

Forrest

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I use a single drop in my 1L starters...I can boil like mad with zero chance of boilover. In the kettle, I stick to the 2 drops per gallon...although it's goopiness makes it nearly impossible to measure accurately.

 

[rico567]

I believe the problem is silicone is what is used to make the product work. You can ingest silicone in small amounts but its not good to overdose.

We sell the Five Star Defoamer and they say:
Usage: 1-2 drops per gallon. Do not exceed this dosage or your beer will exceed FDA limitations for silicon content.

Forrest

But: Directions aside (which can merely be for liability purposes), where is there any evidence that the Fermcap-S is going to be in the finished beer AT ALL? I have read more than one thread that states that the Fermcap-S precipitates (falls out) of the wort or beer completely, whether in boil or fermenter, and is discarded with any trub / sediment. Has anyone seen any authoritative reference on this?

Note: Guess I didn't read the earlier post closely enough, which generates the next question: is the 5-Star defoamer the same product as Fermcap-S?

As for my use of Fermcap-S, 10 drops in a 6.5 - 7 gal boil does the trick, every time. This is a fantastic product for those of us who boil in 30 qt. kettles. I don't make starters, etc., so I can't speak to that application.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I don't make starters, etc., so I can't speak to that application.

When you do, be sure to add a drop! When boiling in an Erlenmeyer flask on your kitchen stove, the sloped sides cause boilovers to happen virtually instantly...so fast you can't even react fast enough to stop it! One moment it's perfectly fine, and in the blink of an eye you've got a horrible mess.

One drop of ferm-cap, and it ceases to be an issue.

 

[-TH-]

I can't believe my LHBS doesn't carry this (siciliano's in MI). Now I have to buy 1 thing online which means shipping costs. Anyone know of a cheap source?

 

[Austinhomebrew]

I can't believe my LHBS doesn't carry this (siciliano's in MI). Now I have to buy 1 thing online which means shipping costs. Anyone know of a cheap source?

I should have the best price let me know if I don't. Keep in mind that this stuff lasts a long time.

Here is a link

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

Actually I did something a bit stupid recently but figured it was a learning experience... I am no biochemist but... I was filtering between 2 kegs and dumb me had already carbed them so it was foaming like crazy... I dropped a couple drops ontop of the foam and it started to dissipate away... I then Pulled the first pint. after a few days and low and behold it was a bit cloudy and then the next one was crystal clear... My guess is that this confims that the fermcap will drop to the bottom of the beer!

It tastes great btw!

 

[Troubs]

3 full droppers???? I don't what the harm in overdosing is, but the directions are usually 2 drops per gallon, and most people get away with 1 drop per gallon without any reduction in performance.

I haven't noticed anything other then the fact that I can ferment 6.25 gallons in a 6.5 gallon bucket with no problems. It hasn't affected the taste of my beer at all. As far as exceeding the recommended silicone dose, maybe I can get SWMBO to drink it

I'll scale it back next batch though. I don't want to ingest more then the recommended amount of anything.... except beer. Thanks for the heads up

 

[boredatwork]

Even if you think its safe, I still don't think you need to use more than the recommend amount to get the same performance - so why bother?

Also, technically according the the directions (at least on my bottle) it does expire (I think after 3 months?). So while it does last a long time, that is negated by the fact that it expires. But then again, I am guessing some people will say they have to say that on the bottle and in reality you can use it for years, haha.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

I think it is actually 6 months. I am coming out with a smaller size so you can use it before it expires.

Forrest

 

[BlindLemonLars]

FWIW, I've had the same bottle for 1.5 years, and it still works great. I store it in one of the door shelves of my kegerator, along with my dry yeast.

 

[SavageSteve]

Everything I have read about Fermcap-S indicates that it is a safe, food-grade silicone emulsion. It drops out of suspension and very little, if any at all, makes it into the finished beer.

It's cheap, and I use enough to make sure I get no boilovers. Overkill? Maybe. No boilovers? Definitely!

-Steve

 

[MaxPower49]

Sorry to dig up an old thread here, but I have a related question... I'm also trying to figure out exactly how much of this stuff to use.

The only thing it says on the tiny bottle I got from my LHBS is "use 1/4 tsp per batch." Thats exactly what I did with my boil (5+ gallon in 7.5 gallon turkey fryer pot). To my surprise, I actually had a couple of boilovers... did I not use enough fermcap? Maybe the 1/4 tsp is for a 2 gallon stovetop batch? Very vague instructions.

I also put a few drops in the fermenter... hope that is ok.

 

[-TH-]

Sorry to dig up an old thread here, but I have a related question... I'm also trying to figure out exactly how much of this stuff to use.

The only thing it says on the tiny bottle I got from my LHBS is "use 1/4 tsp per batch." Thats exactly what I did with my boil (5+ gallon in 7.5 gallon turkey fryer pot). To my surprise, I actually had a couple of boilovers... did I not use enough fermcap? Maybe the 1/4 tsp is for a 2 gallon stovetop batch? Very vague instructions.

I also put a few drops in the fermenter... hope that is ok.

Well I can't help you but I can say that i'm in the same boat. My bottle says 2 drops per gallon so thats what I do (12 drops for 6 gal boil, which by the way is not easy to do since the liquid practically runs out of the dropper). I have not noticed much difference and still have boilovers in a 7.5 gal pot. I do notice it works well when I boil wort on the stove for starters.

 

[MaxPower49]

Well I can't help you but I can say that i'm in the same boat. My bottle says 2 drops per gallon so thats what I do (12 drops for 6 gal boil, which by the way is not easy to do since the liquid practically runs out of the dropper). I have not noticed much difference and still have boilovers in a 7.5 gal pot. I do notice it works well when I boil wort on the stove for starters.

That sounds a lot different than mine... it is very thick and milky. I had a hard time squeezing it out the tiny little dropper.

 

[-TH-]

That sounds a lot different than mine... it is very thick and milky. I had a hard time squeezing it out the tiny little dropper.

It is thick and milky for me too, but what happens is the dropper has a lot clinging to the outside and that slowly runs off in a continuous thick stream. What I have learned to do is wait a while to let it run back into the bottle before I can drop in the drops. I have the 4oz bottle.

 

[huffman]

That sounds a lot different than mine... it is very thick and milky. I had a hard time squeezing it out the tiny little dropper.

Same here (probably got it at the same place), I had to cut off the top of the dropper so I could get it out. Per directions on the bottle I used 1/4 tsp in my 3~3.5 gallon boil, was starting to foam as I got to a boil - killed it immediately. Did not add it to the primary as suggested by the sellers website. Some foam blowing off as it gets up to speed in the carboy.

Odd question though, I always get a hard rolling boil but never could yesterday, could the Fermcap have an effect on the boil? Same pot I always use (4 gal SS), use a mix of specialty malts in a bag and DME I always get as a complete kit from my supplier. Normally I have to turn the stove down but yesterday I kept it on high the whole time and all I got was a steady gentle boil.

One last note, mine had no expiration date on the bottle but I was told to keep it in the fridge, which I do.

 

[Chester]

I make 1L starters in a 2L flask and I use the five star defoamer. 1 drop will not stop it from boiling over but 3 works great. On the batches I use these starters on I never have to worry about blowoff, little to no krausen forms on them. this is 6.5 gallons in a 6.5 gallon (7 really) carboy.

 

[FrostyBeverage]

sorry if I sound ignorant or am committing thread necromancy but does one have to filter if you use fermcap in the boil or primary?

 

[passedpawn]

sorry if I sound ignorant or am committing thread necromancy but does one have to filter if you use fermcap in the boil or primary?

no .

 

[nicknoty]

i bought some and left it in my keggerator to use with lager fements in summer. i cant say ho i use it for bioling or anything else cause i 15 gal pots for 5 and 10 gal biols.

would have came in handy last weekend when i just caught my hot break spilling over, i had the lid on cause i was coming from steep in an extract brew, what can i say it was cold out and i didn't want to spend 6 hours getting to know nature

 

[DavidSteel]

Great stuff, just know it'll increase bitterness levels

 

[klyph]

Isn't this the same exact stuff as infant gas drops?