Aeration vs. Oxygenation

[Mill Rat]

The last several batches I have added oxygenating the wort to my brewing process after pitching the yeast. I have continued to aerate during transfer from brew kettle to primary. I was expecting to see a quicker or more vigorous fermentation, but have not seen a noticable difference.

My oxygenating rig is a "stone" from Gulfstream Brewing Products, the O2 tank from my gas welding rig, and a length of welding hose (the green one) chopped in half. I oxygenate four times, 30 seconds each, 15 minutes apart, immediately after pitching.

Any experiences or suggestions?

[Bilbo Beergins]

I oxygenate corn-syrupped water before I put in the yeast for a starter batch. At least 15 minutes or so in a quart half quart jar half filled with syrup water. Then I put in the yeast, and watch it go. I've gone as short as 2 hours, as long as a day, then I pitch this starter batch in the cooled wort. The idea is to get the yeast invigorated. Of course, I aerate the wort by pouring it between several sanitized buckets before I put it in the carboy, which already has the yeast starter in it.

Works for me...

[Grog]

Waht kind of lag times are you experiencing?

I used a oxygenation system twice and the hassle to benifit ratio was lousy, so it sits with all of my other brilliant homebrew ideas sit, like trophy. I didn't see that much difference between my usual aeration procedure and using straight oxygen.

[corkybstewart]

Using good starters, with no oxygen, I've been having 2-4 hour lag times latelely. I sympathize with ya Grog, I have a bunch of stuff that sounded like the newest greatest thing when I bought it, like a filter system, but there they sit, collecting dust. I had thought about getting an oxygen setup, but with 2 hour lagtimes, why bother. But the Beergun has been a great investment. Northern Brewer has the best price I've seen.

[Teej]

This may or may not be over-anal...heheheh.

I am going to start oxygenating for reasons of sanitation and safety.

I've had a carboy full of water (during cleaning) explode on me from the _slightest_ tap. Defective? Maybe. It's not something I want to risk again.

I am also looking to virtually eliminate exposure of cooled, unformented wort to the atmosphere. I intend to brew through much of the summer and we get our share of blowing "stuff" in the air. I do not want to shake that air into my wort.

Starting with my next brew, the near-boiling wort will be sucked through the sanitized (or perhaps sterilized by boiling) chiller and into a sanitized and evacuated corny keg. (The corny keg will have served as the HLT for the sparge. Having been cleaned and sanitized, it will be filled with near-boiling water which will (after it cools a bit) be pushed through the sparger by CO2.

Once the wort gets pulled into the corny, I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do next. At any rate, the only atmospheric exposure to the wort will occur during the time I'm dangling the oxygenator into it.

Possible options are:

- Leave corny in fermentation area at an angle so that cold break / trub settle away from the dip tube, then transfer wort (under CO2 pressure) into a (CO2 filled) carboy, leaving the break behind.

- Ferment in the corny with a blowoff tube so the majority of the kraeusen gets blown off. (I don't believe there's any need to actually keep any of the kraeusen...some yeast will be lost, sure, but I really don't believe it's an issue (I could be mistaken....I don't claim to be an expert)).

At any rate, I don't intend to move full carboys unless I have no way around it. I'd rather waste a little CO2 thank risk being sliced and diced (and losing a batch).

[2pigs]

I would just use the stone when you are going to brew a big beer or anything over 8%.

I'm with corkybstewart about the beergun. The beergun works great and its fast. Less time bottling more time drinking.

[Bilbo Beergins]

Same as Corky, about 2-4 hours lag time. This last batch of yeast, started two days ago and put into a stout brewed yesterday, went off like a rocket ship and is still going strong.

A good yeast starter is the key, but I've done better with oxygenation than without. I've had one of those emphysema oxygen extractors since before I got into brewing, so my O2 is free, and I get to huff on it whilst the brew does its thing. No, I don't have emphysema, just like huffing pure O2, just like my little yeasty buds.

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by Bilbo Beergins
Same as Corky, about 2-4 hours lag time. This last batch of yeast, started two days ago and put into a stout brewed yesterday, went off like a rocket ship and is still going strong.


A good yeast starter is the key, but I've done better with oxygenation than without. I've had one of those emphysema oxygen extractors since before I got into brewing, so my O2 is free, and I get to huff on it whilst the brew does its thing. No, I don't have emphysema, just like huffing pure O2, just like my little yeasty buds.

For post #1100:

I aerate before pitching with a starter. I usually have about a two hour lag time as well. I have not skipped the aeration step for quite sometime, but I'll say that I am much more please with the speed and vigor of my fermetation when I aerate, than when I do not. I'd say it would be interesting to try skipping that step, just to see what it is like, but then again...umm...no, I'll just keep aerating. This also applies to using a starter: I am always much happier with I use a starter, and I do not think I'll change.

BTW, I do not find that the aeration step is a hassle, but in fact with I leave it to aerate (I use a stone, aquarium pump, and hepa filter), I just go clean the stuff that I'd have to clean anyway and come back about a half hour later, so it really just works into my brewday.

[2pigs]

What are the dos and don'ts of cleaning the stone?

[Mad Scientist]

I soak mine in sanitizer for about an hour, along with as much tubing as I can submerge (with out getting the filter). Right before it goes in the wort, I let the pump push the sanitizer out of the tube, then in it goes. Rinse well and air dry when done, and do not touch the stone with your bare fingers if you can help it, the oils from your fingers will mess it up.

[generalzonzo]

I recently bought an airstone and hepa filter for use with an oxygen tank bought at my local hardware store. I used it for the first time this weekend. Do you experience bubbles blowing out of your stone all over or just in a few spots on the stone. From what I could tell there was not the mass of bubbles coming out of the stone like I expected. Although after 1 minute in the cooled wort the fermentation went off like a bomb.

[Mad Scientist]

Kinda hard to tell really, since the stone is submerged in the wort, but generally, kind all over, but it does seem to hav a preferential side, but the bubbles are usually very fine.

[Bilbo Beergins]

I use a stone I got from the WalMart fish section. It bubbles at all surfaces of the stone.