31 replies to this topic

[SteveMillerTime]

Has anyone purchased a flask from northern brewer?I just bought a 2000mL (kit with DME and foam plug) and a 500mL flask from NB. I read the reviews and saw that a lot of people were having issues with the flasks breaking...but since it was a decent deal and I just wanted to buy everything in one place (also got a stirbar and a foam plug for the 500mL flask) I went ahead and bought them anyway (also the most recent rating sorta reassured me that the people breaking em were idiots).I looked over the flasks once they arrived and see that they definitely aren't pyrex. My question is, are these people that are breaking their flasks just morons? I wanna make sure that boiling my DME on the stove in the flask isn't gonna kill me...cause I'd be pissed.

[brewman]

Is your stove gas?

[SteveMillerTime]

si

[SteveMillerTime]

No one's bought a flask from northern brewer?

[brewman]

Not I but I have seen where people had problems trying to boil on electric stoves.

[SteveMillerTime]

issues with electric but not gas?

[Clintama]

issues with electric but not gas?

You need a trivet to separate the flask from direct contact with the electric element. I bent a piece of a coat hanger into a triangle with the points at about the diameter of the flask . Just about anything that keeps a little space between the 2 will work.

Edited by brewboy, 14 April 2013 - 07:16 PM.

[BarelyBrews]

You need a trivet to separate the flask from direct contact with the electric element. I bent a piece of a coat hanger into a triangle with the points at about the diameter of the flask . Just about anything that keeps a little space between the 2 will work.

I have wondered about electric myself. Are you talking about the electric coil type a stove? or the smooth surface electric? i have the smooth surface electric and wondered if i would have a problem.

[Clintama]

I have wondered about electric myself. Are you talking about the electric coil type a stove? or the smooth surface electric? i have the smooth surface electric and wondered if i would have a problem.

When I did it, I had the coil type and I think it's a must on that type of element. It might not be needed with a glass top but I've never tried it myself. .

[SteveMillerTime]

interesting...maybe its because the coil type direct the heat in one direction, while the smooth/glass ones sort of dissipate it better? So in theory, I should be fine heating my flask to a boil on my natural gas stove? Man i really hope its not a defect with northern brewer flasks lol

[matt6150]

I put flasks directly on my glass top electric without any issue.

[SteveMillerTime]

I put flasks directly on my glass top electric without any issue.

Is it a glass flask or a pyrex one?

[matt6150]

Is it a glass flask or a pyrex one?

Yes, Bomex.

[Clintama]

Good luck boiling wort in a flask. They are a perfect design for a boil over gusher. I finally gave up trying to do it.As as I know, Bomex very similar to Pyrex. From Wiki:"Borosilicate glass is a type of glass with the main glass-forming constituents silica and boron oxide. Borosilicate glasses are known for having very low coefficients of thermal expansion (~3 × 10⁻⁶ /°C at 20°C), making them resistant to thermal shock, more so than any other common glass. Such glass is less subject to thermal stress and is commonly used for the construction of reagent bottles. Borosilicate glass is sold under such trade names as Kimax, Pyrex, Endural, Schott, or Refmex."

[SteveMillerTime]

Well its starting to sound like I'll not boil with my flask then...how do you sanitize, starsan it?

[MtnBrewer]

Good luck boiling wort in a flask. They are a perfect design for a boil over gusher. I finally gave up trying to do it.

Yep, got to add some foam control or a foam-over is guaranteed. Even then...

[Clintama]

Well its starting to sound like I'll not boil with my flask then...how do you sanitize, starsan it?

StarSan, boiling water or dry heat if you want.

[positiveContact]

i boil in my flask. on the stovetop i can easily dial it in to boil without boiling over. the key is to have your DME already mixed in with hot water and then add it with the heat turned off to some already boiling/boiled water. put it in slowly and after this it's pretty easy to boil a little more without issue.eta: I also boil on a glasstop electric stove and have yet to damage the flask as far as I can tell.eta2: I have no idea about the NB flasks

Edited by StudsTerkel, 15 April 2013 - 12:47 PM.

[MtnBrewer]

Well its starting to sound like I'll not boil with my flask then...how do you sanitize, starsan it?

I boil my starter wort in it.

[positiveContact]

I boil my starter wort in it.