How does foam control work?

[jacbop]

I have a friend that uses foam control, post boil and chilling, in his primary just before pitching.

My understanding is that foam control is silicone that breaks the surface tension (to stop bubbles from forming) and that it will volatize off during the boil, so it won't mess with head retention because it does not stick around.

But my buddy who is dumping it into the fermenter does not have head retention issues afaik and he uses like 10x the recommended dosage as well. I wonder if the CO2 coming off during fermentation acts like the boil to push all of the foam control out of the air lock? Anyone who works for Dow Corning out there who can chime in and explain how the stuff works?

jacbop
Chicago, IL

[DannyW]

I heard it settles out in the trub when agitation stops. If you are boiling a starter or a kettle, the agitation of the boil keeps the stuff in suspension. when the boil stops, the stuff settles to the bottom. Fermentation action does the same thing, and when the yeast quits and settles out, so does the foam control.

[jacbop]

That makes sense (much more sense than it "evaporating out". So maybe adding it to the fermenter is not such a crazy idea after all. Any one else do this regularly with success?

Cheers,
jacbop
Chicago, IL

[baltobrewer]

Yeah, I use B3's foam control in my kettle pre-boil for all beers as well as in the fermenter for big kraeusen beers like weizens. Does not affect head retention at all. Good stuff.

[uncle_bad_touches]

I also highly recommend it for making starters. If you've ever had problems with boilovers in emmenthaler flasks, a drop or two of foam control will keep your wife off your back.

[Gahr]

I have had head retention problems after I started using foam control in the boil. I've never had trouble with this before, but after I started using it the foam quality on my beers has varied a great deal. Now I only use it for making starters (for which I find it indispensable, by the way). Anyone else who has had the same experience? I really can't find any other explanation apart from the foam control.

[SacoDeToro]

I've been using foam control in both my starters and boil for about 4 years now. I've never had any issues with head retention in my finished beers. I think it's a great product and would recommend it to anyone. In my starters, I use 1 drop per L. In the kettle, I use about 1 drop per 2-3 gallons.

[Gahr]

I've been using foam control in both my starters and boil for about 4 years now. I've never had any issues with head retention in my finished beers. I think it's a great product and would recommend it to anyone. In my starters, I use 1 drop per L. In the kettle, I use about 1 drop per 2-3 gallons.

Ok I've been using the amount reccommended on the bottle (12 drops per 5 gallons, if I remember correctly), which means I've probably been using way too much...