Boil over

[phat]

Hi Guys and Girls,

I'm planning to do my second all grain brew day tomorrow, a guinness clone to go with my ruby ale for xmas beer stocks.

I'm using the brupaks 29l plastic boiler (I know, I need a larger one... maybe in the new year), and I learned very quickly that it boils over.

My question is do you have any solutions to this? I'm thinking about sitting a man hole riser on top of the boiler which would give me another 5" for the boil off (it wouldn't be water tight, but would allow me to use more of the 29l capacity of the boiler without boiling brew slopping everywhere)

Cheers, Paul

 

[davereal]

Hi phat, i do biab, so not sure if this will be the same, but i use my kettle to full capacity , leaving a few inches for boil over but just hold a few litres of treated water back and top up during the boil. Hope that helps. Or yep, bigger kettle.:thumb:

 

[DoctorMick]

I think antifoam works but I guess you'd struggle to source any. In my head a spray gun of cold water might do the job but that could be absolute none sense!

 

[keat64]

I have a brew on tomorrow. It's probably reaching the upper limits of my boiler so I'll keep about 3 litres back to use as top up during the boil.
I also built a simmer rig a few months back. This allows me to control the boil a little more civilised.

 

[davereal]

Also, a spray bottle of water. If it gets really lively, just spray the top of the boil(hot break) and it should calm it down. if it's not the hot break you mean then you've just maxed to the hilt and have boiling wort cascading over on to your floor. er, never done that before:whistle:

 

[davereal]

Sorry dr mick. Didn't see your post, but you'r spot on with the spray gun . works for me.:thumb:

 

[Linalmeemow]

As everyone says, spraygun with cold water or starsan takes the foam straight back down.

 

[phat]

Also, a spray bottle of water. If it gets really lively, just spray the top of the boil(hot break) and it should calm it down. if it's not the hot break you mean then you've just maxed to the hilt and have boiling wort cascading over on to your floor. er, never done that before:whistle:

Haha, tiz the hot break of which I speak. So I can just calm this down with a spray of cooled water? (I'm still green!!!).

Cheers, I'll try this tomorrow:thumb:

 

[Razor]

As everyone says, spraygun with cold water or starsan takes the foam straight back down.

You spray starsan into your brew?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[phat]

Worked a treat!

Sprayed it with (boiled) cool water, got it straight under control. Thanks for the help guys :)

 

[Cwrw666]

I use a 30L boiler and it's not really big enough for a full 23L brew so I just mash in less water (about 4 gallons) then dunk sparge in an FV with more hot water and use this to top up to about 3 inches from the top of the boiler. If I've any sparge water left over I use it to top up the boiler as the boil proceeds.
It still gets pretty close to boiling over sometimes though.

 

[TartanSpecial]

I have a brew on tomorrow. It's probably reaching the upper limits of my boiler so I'll keep about 3 litres back to use as top up during the boil.
I also built a simmer rig a few months back. This allows me to control the boil a little more civilised.

I only have a 26lt boiler so boil 3 or 4ltrs on the hob in parallel (no hops), and add back to the main boil when there is space.
I also have antifoam ...Homebrew Shop sells Brupaks antifoam. Never used it in the boil but it works a treat when aerating (which I no longer do as of last week...per olive oil thread)

 

[Linalmeemow]

You spray starsan into your brew?

Yep. I looked up this problem elsewhere (http://beersmith.com/blog/2014/05/03/avoiding-a-boil-over-when-home-brewing/) and one of comments mentioned using starsan so I gave it a go and have had no ill effects. The amount you spray on is so small it'd be impossible to detect even if it had a strong flavour, which it doesn't seem to have.

 

[Dutto]

My boiler is an ordinary 25 litre Wilco FV with a 2.4Kw Tesco kettle element fitted. I manage a full 23 litre boil with no problems of boil-over.

All I have ever done to cope with the foam produced as the wort comes to the boil and during hop additions is to just keep stirring the wort with a paddle until it stops producing the foam.

I would never spray Starsan into my wort but I do accept that a spray of cold water would probably help cut back on the foam.

I don't see the point of using "boiled water". The spray is going into a boiling wort so the chances of transferring any bacteria that will survive long enough to damage the brew is zero. :thumb::thumb:

 

[keat64]

I have a plastic sieve which I use to scoop the foam as it builds.
I saw them employ this tactic in a micro brewery recently, so adopted it myself.

 

[Callumbo]

i used a whisk and a vigorous shake :whistle:

 

[Amidared]

I've never had a boil over, touch wood, but like many have said before, always have a spray bottle of cold water handy just in case.