Exploding Wheat DME

carrisr · Post by **carrisr** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 7:08 pm

OK, so I brewed my third batch today, an apricot wit. This is the first time I've used Briess Bavarian Wheat DME. The recipe called to 3 lbs for a 2.5 gallon batch. I'm starting with 3 gallons for my boil.

So I brought the water to boiling, turned off the heat, and added the DME. WOW this stuff is thick! I stirred it up really well before I turned on the heat. So after I turned on the heat again, not even on high, and it practically exploded out of the pot. I barely got the flame turned off to prevent boil over, and I'm using a 7.5 gallon kettle.

I stir the crap out of it and finally get it to calm down. I light the flame and set it real low, like barely keeping it lit, and it shoots up again. I ended up having to do that for like 5 minutes before it calmed down and went through the hot break. I didn't even add the hops until the hot break.

So is that normal with wheat DME? My other two batches used Gold LME and plain light DME and both rose up some but not nearly so fast or as volatile as this. I'm thinking about trying that fermcap stuff next time I use wheat DME.

Everything else went well. I'm definitely getting better at this. I think this one will turn out real nice as long as I didn't over do the orange and coriander. I tried siphoning for the transfer to the fermenter and that worked a lot better. I was able to leave pretty much all the crud behind that way. I also wasn't in as big a hurry to get the yeast in there, so the pitch was at a much cooler temp this time.

Lower Case T · Post by **Lower Case T** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:43 am

You might want to try some of this....http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brewing-ingredients/salts-finings/beer-additives/fermcap-s-4-oz.html

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brewing-ingredients/salts-finings/beer-additives/fermcap-s-4-oz.htmlno more boil overs. ever.

You would only need about 1 mL for five gallons. maybe less. I use about 30 grams for 9 bbls.

Good Luck!

On Sun, Apr 11, 2010 at 8:08 PM, carrisr <brew-tech@crbeernuts.org (brew-tech@crbeernuts.org)> wrote:

OK, so I brewed my third batch today, an apricot wit. This is the first time I've used Briess Bavarian Wheat DME. The recipe called to 3 lbs for a 2.5 gallon batch. I'm starting with 3 gallons for my boil.

So I brought the water to boiling, turned off the heat, and added the DME. WOW this stuff is thick! I stirred it up really well before I turned on the heat. So after I turned on the heat again, not even on high, and it practically exploded out of the pot. I barely got the flame turned off to prevent boil over, and I'm using a 7.5 gallon kettle.

I stir the crap out of it and finally get it to calm down. I light the flame and set it real low, like barely keeping it lit, and it shoots up again. I ended up having to do that for like 5 minutes before it calmed down and went through the hot break. I didn't even add the hops until the hot break.

So is that normal with wheat DME? My other two batches used Gold LME and plain light DME and both rose up some but not nearly so fast or as volatile as this. I'm thinking about trying that fermcap stuff next time I use wheat DME.

Everything else went well. I'm definitely getting better at this. I think this one will turn out real nice as long as I didn't over do the orange and coriander. I tried siphoning for the transfer to the fermenter and that worked a lot better. I was able to leave pretty much all the crud behind that way. I also wasn't in as big a hurry to get the yeast in there, so the pitch was at a much cooler temp this time.

Randy Carris
Trouble Brewing

--
Prost!
Travis Scheidecker
Head Brewer
Third Base Brewery
500 Blairs Ferry Rd NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Tel. 319-378-9090 Fax: 319-378-9697
http://twitter.com/3rdBaseBrewery

Post generated using Mail2Forum (http://www.mail2forum.com)

BrewHound · Post by **BrewHound** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:26 am

I saw a nice little post by TappedOut (Tom), about this. Keep a spray bottle filled with cold water by your pot, if you are going to boil over give it a mist or 2, it will come right down. I tried this and it works like a charm, has saved me on my last 2 big beers when I was about to boil over.

Thanks Tom!!!

tompb · Post by **tompb** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 3:56 pm

I'll have to try that. I do the "watched pot never boils over" with one hand on the stir stick and the other on the gas valve (bet thats not what you thought I was doing with the other hand).

TappedOut · Post by **TappedOut** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 9:58 am

Glad to pass along info gleaned from other forums. Still gotta be careful, but the spray bottle does help. I've heard some folks who brew outside use a hose set to mist, too.

I like foam control for the fermenter, but never really saw the need for the boil.

Matt F · Post by **Matt F** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:16 am

Are you using a jet burner style turkey fryer burner? This is where the ring style burners like the Hurricane and Banjo are superior. They are able to maintain a more controlled flame. Once I am boiling I have to keep it cranked back a lot. I couldn't get the heat where I wanted with my old jet burner from my Sam's turkey fryer kit.

carrisr · Post by **carrisr** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 3:02 pm

Matt,
Yeah, I'm using the turkey fryer setup for now. I'll probably upgrade my burner and possibly get a better kettle at some point, but this was cheap, and all I can afford right now is cheap...

Man, I really though Dr Paulsen's all grain setup was sweet! Nothing too expensive, but he has the engineering background to make the electronics himself which is a major plus.

For now I'll try the spray bottle or pick up some fermcap with my next order. I like the latter option because it looks like it would be useful to prevent fermenter blow off like TappedOut mentions.

I definitely needed a blow off tube for fermenting this batch too. I had a feeling it would go like crazy so I put one on before I went to bed that night. Pretty glad I did too or I probably would have blown the airlock out.

Matt F · Post by **Matt F** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:40 pm

That was one of the first things I bought when I started adding to the equipment was a turkey fryer kit from Sams. The kettle and burner serve well as a HLT even if you upgrade to a 10 gallon all grain system. It was big enough for most batches I made. I added a spigot to it and didn't stop using it until I found a keg in the dump just begging for some attention. Now Larry has it for when he starts brewing again. Makes a fine boil kettle for 5 gallon batches too which is what I think Larry plans to do.

TappedOut · Post by **TappedOut** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:22 am

ye olde Sam's turkey fryer is what I've been using. It's actually a fairly sizable stainless pot (34 qt IIRC), and works fine for 5 gallon batches. I'm keeping my eyes open for a keg, cause I would like to set up an electric brewery in the basement so I can brew during crappy weather. The only addition to the Sam's fryer is that I used a piece of ductwork to make a wind screen for the flame. The wife was happy to have me out of the kitchen. I don't think you can use the stand w/ a keg, if you look to upgrade, but if you do upgrade, I'm betting Matt's onto something to use it as a HLT.