![]() ![]() Yep, the stuff used to reduce bubbles in my gut is basically the same stuff used to do the same in my beer. As I kept digging, I found that this potion was nothing more than polydimethylsiloxane, a silicone based liquid remarkably similar to another anti-foaming agent commonly referred to as Gas-X. First, FermCap-S works by decreasing the surface tension of the boiling wort, meaning any bubbles created during the boil immediately burst. The finished beer fermented as usual and came out great, no noticeable degradation in foam or flavor. Still, I was curious, so I did some research and discovered a few interesting things. Would it have an impact on fermentation, flavor, head retention? Was it going to give me cancer?! As the boil proceeded, I started wondering what the hell I just put into my wort and how it might effect the finished beer. I was ecstatic, I was amazed… I was worried. The boil started and the hot break just seemed to magically disappear. ![]() Did it ever! I boiled 3L of wort in a 5L flask without a single drop escaping, barely any foam forming at all. ![]() While making a starter the following week for an upcoming brew day, I had the idea to add some of this milky substance to see if it really worked. Interested and surprised that a vial of this stuff only cost $4, I threw it in my shopping cart with enough other stuff to qualify for free shipping. I landed on the page for FermCap-S, which claimed to eliminate the risk of boilovers. This led me to a thread on a pro brewer forum (I forget which one) where a dude was talking about how he hadn’t experienced a boilover since he started using an “anti-foam agent.” My interest was piqued so I went to and I searched for anti-foam. No thanks.Ī few years back, I started poking around on the web, searching for ways commercial breweries deal with this problem. What I hated about both of these options is they required me to be far more attentive than I’d prefer while brewing, meaning I had to sacrifice clean-up (drinking) time to monitor the boil. One method that worked better was blowing the wort as it started to foam, but this always led to me being very lightheaded, which increased my risk of injury… plus, it just looked weird. We’ve all been there– the wort has been produced and added to the kettle, it’s time to commence boiling and add hops to the wort, back is turned to help a kid or grab a beer or watch TV, when suddenly molten hot stickiness erupts out of the kettle, plastering itself to anything it touches, singeing skin, and causing the significant other to question the merits of this obviously messy hobby.īoilovers are the bane of many a homebrewer’s existence, one I’ve seen people attempt to deal with in some pretty creative, sometimes humorous, ways, many of which I’ve tried. While some brewers swear by spraying water over the wort at first sign of hot break, I’ve tried this and it didn’t work very well. Mosaic Of Change IPA by House Of Pendragon. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |