Beer Forum

I brewed an american wheat today and after I removed the kettle lid I found a fairly thick foam layer in the kettle. I was wondering if anyone else had this happen and what do you think might have caused the foaming. I use a 809 March pump with a copper return arm attached to an immersion chiller. The return arm is below the wort level and I am able to prime the pump with out an issue. I did notice that the pump did make a few grinding noises as it pumped but they were intermittent so I did not think anything of them. I have used the pump for about a year and not had this issue before. I am also wondering if the grain bill (50% wheat) could have contributed to the issue.

Any leak in a connection or anything? That's most likely the problem. That or the whirlpool was strong enough to expose the return arm above the liquid level?

anday6 wrote:Any leak in a connection or anything? That's most likely the problem. That or the whirlpool was strong enough to expose the return arm above the liquid level?

No leaks that i could see, i will check on the angle of the return arm.

I have had the foaming on the 2 whirlpool chills I have done. As I recall, it didn't have any foam for about 20 minutes, then the foam started. I am not sure what caused the foaming, but I didn't have any leaks in my system. Here is my hypothesis: I drain from the bottom of my kettle (not the side), so perhaps the trub and hops had collected at the bottom in the center until they reached outward to the drain hole. Then the solid matter, which included proteins, started to recirculate causing the foam on the surface. All I can do it guess since I can't see through the beer to the bottom of the kettle.

What is your setup like?

Did you already visually inspect your lines & the inside of the pump head to make sure they're clear?

i checked the lines but not the pump head ill do that today.

If you've never done it before, it's simple but there's one thing to be very careful with - the gasket. The first 4 screws remove the head assembly, the screws on the inside of the head assembly are the ones you need to be careful with. Putting it back in is the harder part - it's thin, pinches & tears easily. After you do it once, it's super easy. Which reminds me, I used my spare a couple months ago & need to order another one - having an extra on hand saves other things getting broken by flying pump parts. Not to mention small children's ears within a rather significant radius. It's one of those things that leads to the creation of brand new cuss words. Ask me how I know.

I checked the pump head an it was clear (the gasket remained intact.) Thanks for all the suggestions, I am brewing next week so I will see if this was a one off or a problem I will have to solve.