Guidance needed - A lot of Foam - New WE Classic Pinot Noir Kit

[ithink2020]

This is the first new WE kit I've made and it has been a while since making a WE kit. However, there seems to be A LOT of foam. I'm on day 3 and there is a good 1/2" of foam on top of the must. I just don't ever remember having this much foam with a kit wine. See images below.

I'm a little concerned I did something wrong. I used OxyClean Free to clean the bucket, then rinsed it really well. I stored the bucket with the lid on. When I started the kit, I sanitized with StarSan. I put in about 4 cups of StarSan, then used a clean paper towel to rub down and coat the entire inside surface of the bucket. I let it sit for a few minutes, then dumped the excess. There was still a little foam from the StarSan in the bucket, but that is normal. This is my current process and has worked with the last few batches.

Here it is 24 hours in:

Then 48 hours in:

Thoughts?

 

[cmason1957]

That seems to be about what I would expect. If it were me and fermentation were going that well, I would be stirring it about twice a day. The foaming up usually dies about day 4 or 5, if I remember correctly.

 

[VinesnBines]

Big fermentation! Stir and give it a good sniff and a taste. Nose and tongue are best for detecting problems. Looks good to me!

 

[sour_grapes]

Looks fine to me, too.

BTW, there is a product available to reduce foamy ferments. It is a biodegradable surfactant. I cannot recall a brand name, but I think it was a siloxane, IIRC.

Edit: Here it is: Instant Anti-Foam

 

[bstnh1]

This is the first new WE kit I've made and it has been a while since making a WE kit. However, there seems to be A LOT of foam. I'm on day 3 and there is a good 1/2" of foam on top of the must. I just don't ever remember having this much foam with a kit wine. See images below.

I'm a little concerned I did something wrong. I used OxyClean Free to clean the bucket, then rinsed it really well. I stored the bucket with the lid on. When I started the kit, I sanitized with StarSan. I put in about 4 cups of StarSan, then used a clean paper towel to rub down and coat the entire inside surface of the bucket. I let it sit for a few minutes, then dumped the excess. There was still a little foam from the StarSan in the bucket, but that is normal. This is my current process and has worked with the last few batches.

Here it is 24 hours in:

Then 48 hours in:

Thoughts?

I just checked my notes from a WE California Pinot Noir I made in 2016. It produced enough foam that I made a note that the primary "has an unusually heavy amount of foam". I wouldn't worry about it. You should be fine.

 

[ithink2020]

Everyone, THANK YOU so much for the replies! It was shocking the amount of foam compared to other wines I've made. I just had this fear I didn't do a good enough job rinsing out the OxyClean or something.

I checked it after work yesterday and there is hardly any foam now! It smells good, and I didn't notice any off-flavors while tasting.

@bstnh1 I'll have to make the same not in my log!

 

[winemaker81]

Wines made from liquids, such as kits that do not have a skin pack, foam but it's usually a thin layer. Musts with solids form a cap pushed up by the CO2, and tend to form lots of bubbles. Some red kits that do not have a skin pack will form a cap, as there appear to be more solids than a white.

I've had a few wines foam up dangerously close to the top of a 7 or 8 gallon fermenter. I'm leaning towards buying a 10 or 12 gallon Brute to use instead.

 

[Mike Parisi]

I currently have a WE Fiero in the clearing stage. But when I started fermentation, after a couple of dys it foamed right up to the top that I had loosely set on top of the bucket.