Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Hot Break

This is a picture of my boiling pot (from Sunday) and what is called the "hot break". The hot break is foam caused by proteins in the wort that coagulate due to the rolling action of the boil. The wort will continue to foam until the protein clumps get heavy enough to sink back into the pot. The hot break is a good thing! It only becomes a problem when it boils over and messes up your stove (happened twice to me...). If you are adding hops, some people recommend waiting until the hot break finishes before adding the hops and starting the times.

This picture shows part of my set up on brew day. There are really only five things to note here. All the way on the left, you can see the two cans of Mr. Beer Hoppe Malt Extract (HME). They are soaking in hot water so they are easier to pour into the wort (they are still very sticky, but it helps). Before I add the HME cans, I replace the warm water with the sanitized solution from the
fermenter. I dip the opened can into the hot wort to get any remaining extract out. The fermenter is sitting next to the HME cans and is just filled with a gallon of the sanitized solution. In the back, there is a measuring cup covered with foil. That is what I use to rehydrate the yeast in one cup of water. To the right of the fermenter is another measuring cup filled with sanitized solution. I keep utensils (can opener and spatula in this picture) in there until I use them. The last thing is a small plate with the whisk. The plate has a little bit of the sanitized solution on it so I can continually put down the utensils without the risk of picking up any unwanted nasties.

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