so there I was... (boil over prevention)

[Chris Z]

So last night I found myself at my uncles sugar shack running the sap boiling operation while he tended to a few things. He gave me a quick primer on running his set up. To prevent boil overs and kill the foam he had a toddler cup with a cover on it filled with milk. A few drops of milk and down the foam went.

Are there any adverse reactions/implications to adding a few drops of milk to kill the foam in the beginning stages of wort boiling? Surely a few drops aren't going to be noticed in any flavor or anything. Anyone use this all ready?

I run use a keggle for my 10 gallon batches, so 13ish gallons boling in there to start is a little close, one needs to be cautious to prevent a messy boil over. Currently (when i remember) i keep a spray bottle of water handy, but with milk it was a few drops and the foam died.

cz

 

[Echoloc8]

That's a new one on me. I've always used either an ice cube or two, or more recently a few drops of Fermcap.

-Rich

 

[lpdjshaw]

Hmmm, not sure on that one - probably wouldn't hurt being such a small amount. A buddy recently told me he just uses a spray bottle with water. Haven't tried it yet but seems pretty easy.

 

[LBussy]

+1 on spray bottle. I've used that for ... well ... since 1991 or so.

 

[scoundrel]

So last night I found myself at my uncles sugar shack running the sap boiling operation while he tended to a few things. He gave me a quick primer on running his set up. To prevent boil overs and kill the foam he had a toddler cup with a cover on it filled with milk. A few drops of milk and down the foam went.

Are there any adverse reactions/implications to adding a few drops of milk to kill the foam in the beginning stages of wort boiling? Surely a few drops aren't going to be noticed in any flavor or anything. Anyone use this all ready?

I run use a keggle for my 10 gallon batches, so 13ish gallons boling in there to start is a little close, one needs to be cautious to prevent a messy boil over. Currently (when i remember) i keep a spray bottle of water handy, but with milk it was a few drops and the foam died.

cz

Hey Chris, I think you made my night. I just posted "Technique to try ingredients before you brew with them" a couple of days ago. Originally, I used Fermcap for my experiments until someone made me aware of the silicone risk. No Fermcap is ok, but now I have to keep my eye on the microwave. Please let me know how this works regarding head retention in the finished beer. If it works out, I will start doing this in my mini-batches, update my site and of course give you credit. Thanks again!