How to stop huge boil-overs???

[jmk8888]

I have a 40 bbl kettle with an internal colandria. The chinaman's cap is slightly overset and sits roughly 1.5 feet above. My batches range from 30 bbls to 38 bbls. For a 38 bbl brew it does fine. When I am running a smaller batch I will lower the cap about three inches to help out but it might not be low enough. Today I ran a 30 bbl and a 32 bbl batch with equal trouble. Tried playing with the kettle fan to help with no result. So had to go with some defoamer to keep the boil under control though I want to move away from using this product. Any suggestions; lowering the cap, putting in a larder exhaust fan? Any help would be great.
Thanks

[Jephro]

First Wort Hopping seems to minimize if not eliminate boil-overs for me at least. Also just leaving the Manway Lid open maybe 20% with a stack fan helps knock down foam, kinda like blowing down foam on a pot of pasta. I do use defoamers when necessary, or when i cannot babysit the boil on a non-FWH beer, but like you i try to avoid it.

[monkeybrewer]

boil overs

Can you control the amount of steam going into the calandria? You may have to have different steam rates for different volumes in the kettle. At Redhook we used an internal calandria and we were always tracking steam inputs and outputs in order to keep foam overs to a minimum and to maximize efficiency of the boil. By the way, cheers to you for trying to eliminate the defoamer. Less is more when it comes to fine beer IMHO. Good luck
Cheers

[william.heinric]

A few more details...

Jeff,

Can you be a little more specific? I'm not particularly knowledgeable about the physics of steam, so could you explain how you measured steam volume and what the ideal parameters were? Pointers on where to find the info will work just as well.

Thanks
Bill

[Sulfur]

steam

You can monitor the steam pressure (if you have a gage in your line) at the kettle. If not that, use empirical data and see the results from opening or choking your main steam. For example, if I want a stronger boil/heating, I will open an extra 1/4 turn on the valve.

[canyon]

B.o.

Along with the above tricks (although personally I'd burn the brewery down before using defoamer ) It is also common to subdue BO with a fine spray of water from the hose when it wants to crawl out.

[ucbrew]

To those of you against using defoamer, why don't you like it? I'm not advocating it's use, but am interested in what facts you considered before deciding not to use it.

[Sulfur]

To those of you against using defoamer, why don't you like it? I'm not advocating it's use, but am interested in what facts you considered before deciding not to use it.

I like foam (later in the glass), and I have a fear of anything that would potentially reduce that.

[Jephro]

To those of you against using defoamer, why don't you like it? I'm not advocating it's use, but am interested in what facts you considered before deciding not to use it.

A lengthy discussion took place a while back on this topic. Find it HERE

[Woolsocks]

First wort hopping, coupled with a little defoamer (which generally HELPS the foam in the glass -- beer foams once people -- see that other thread) has virtually eliminated boilovers from our process. I also spray a little cold water into the kettle after hop additions until it settles down.

[chaosmaster]

How about keep the stirer on thru the entire boiling period. The whirlpool may prevent the over-boil. I found that helps, but not sure. The stirring definitely caused some pillage when the stirer was first started. Once the whirlpool is going, it will be just fine. I am assuming this because one time I stopped the blender before I added some hops, the hot wort just crawled out of the tank like crazy.

Any comment on this?