To Skim Or Not To Skim?

[Filby]

Hi

Now Ive read a few times that you should skim the hot break off the top of the wort before it comes to a boil. I can understand why but when I was speaking to a reputable master brewer who has won many AIBA medals he just laughed at me and said that it was total crap and no large scale craft brewer or commercial brewery does it.

Anyone care to comment?


Cheers

Fil

 

[unrealeous]

Linky

 

[bradsbrew]

As update to the link above. I no-longer skim. Mainly started to not skim because I am FWHing now. I am now a reformed skimmer and frown on those that do :lol:

 

[Tony]

skim!

colect the crap you get off the top and have a good sniff of it....... i dont want that shit in my beer

 

[unrealeous]

Another relevant link

The consensus seems to be - skimming doesn't make any noticeable improvement to the beer, but doesn't seem to do any harm either (downside is that can slightly negatively impact your head retention)

 

[Josh]

I no longer skim.

 

[unrealeous]

I no longer skim.

I guess your dog no longer wags it's tail when you get your brew gear out nowadays?

 

[RobH]

I do partials, and I have started skimming (blame Tony .. he got me onto it )

As I use only a 15L stock pot, I have just started finding out that the two biggest advantages of skimming for me are:
1) Preventing boilovers
2) I have _much_ less trub in the bottom of my pot, so I am not wasting anywhere near as much of my wort as I was before I skimmed

when using a 15L pot, that second point is significant - for instance, if previously I had 1.2L going to waste due to trub, and now I only have 0.2L going to waste (just guesstimations) - and taking into account that my final volume will be somewhere around 13.5 litres due to evaportion, then instead of loosing almost 10% of my wort to trub, I am now only loosing 1-2% ... as the only thing that gets added after that is water & yeast, I am sure that is going to make a difference to my OG

 

[QldKev]

I was a skimmer

Then I joined Skimmers Anonymous, and went to a few meetings

I no longer skim

The family is a lot happier for it

QldKev

 

[mckenry]

I skim. Started doing it to help prevent boilovers. One day I tasted the stuff.... errgh. Get that away from my beer..

 

[manticle]

Ever tasted a teaspoon of krausen?

 

[warra48]

Ever tasted a teaspoon of krausen?

No, but I don't like the taste of "kraeusen".

 

[argon]

no large scale craft brewer or commercial brewery does it.

I don't skim, this is why.

 

[manticle]

Multiple spellings acceptable, get that shit away from my beer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krausen

 

[warra48]

Multiple spellings acceptable, get that shit away from my beer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krausen

Maybe to you Aussies, but I'm only a paper Aussie.
I'm from next door to where the term originates from!

And, with all due respect, your Honour, I can manage three vowels.

:beerbang:

 

[manticle]

Bloody Germans and their German things.

 

[QldKev]

Maybe to you Aussies, but I'm only a paper Aussie.
I'm from next door to where the term originates from!

And, with all due respect, your Honour, I can manage three vowels.

:beerbang:

maybe you could get a life and realise; how you spell it or if you do it actually makes no difference to the final beer. It only really matters if you want to avoid a possible boil over cause you don't watch the pot enough... try enjoying a brew day with your mates!


QldKev

 

[gregs]

Im not a compulsive skimmer, I have skimmed at times and other times I havent skimmed. However if this ever gets out of control I may need to seek help. There was a time when I never skimmed ,and family life was happier.

 

[warra48]

Chill out there QLD Kev, mate, brew buddy, cobber, forum friend, or whatever you want to be know as.

I thought it was fairly obvious my post was tongue in cheek. I've got nothing against Aussies, after all, I married one, my kids are Aussies, and so are my grandkids.

And, I'm not German. I happen to be an original ClogWog. I was born in a village about 20 km from the centre of Amsterdam. I chose to come here of my own volition, and stay here because it's the best country on earth.

 

[QldKev]

I don't care where ya from, dickheads come from all sides of this planet; but back to the topic and not proving some other crap.


As I have said in several other threads, I did skim for many brews, now I don't skim. IMHO I think NOT skimming helps the proteins combine at the end of the boil, but maybe I'm getting better at my brewing techniques and that is why I am achieving the results I now see.

Ultimately as I have said on here many times, learn from a book and brew from experience. Try both and do what YOU are happy with on your brew rig.


QldKev