What is the best method of aerating?

I’ve read that optimum amount of O2 needed for the best fermentation is anywhere between 10 and 15 PPM. Is that your understanding as well? I’ve also read that the bare minimum is 8 PPM. So I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to achieve these results. As a result I’ve been doing a lot of reading and can’t seem to find any real agreement on this topic.

The methods I’ve found are as follows:

1. There is the shake to the carboy or fermenter for a minute of more. At best I’ve read that this method will only achieve 8 PPM. Aside from just making the bare minimal of O2, it’s a lot of work. So this would be my least favorite method.

2. Run the cooled Wort through a stainless steel screen. I guess this must introduce air but no telling how much. Has anyone figured that out?

3. Put holes in the transfer tubing used to fill the fermenter or squeezing down the tubing diameter and again using holes to drawn in the air. I assume that both oof these are relying upon the venturi effect. As with method #2 above I have no clue how effective it is.

4. Using a wine degasser. Isn’t this device is designed to remove CO2 from wine? So I’m wondering why some folks feel that it will introduce enough air into their Wort. I guess it will if you keep it spinning on surface the whole time, but once you drop it down into the wort couldn’t you be removing the air already in solution? I’ve even seen Videos of some people using these devices with their plastic better bottles and/or plastic primary fermentations. I would think that they could be unnecessarily marring up the insides of the plastic containers making future batches more prone to contamination. Does this method even work and does it risk ruining equipment?

5. Using an aquarium pump, HEPA filter and stainless steel air stone. This seems like a logical method but doesn’t yield any results better than shaking the carboy.

6. Using O2 and stainless steel air stone. Now even this method had multiple variations. Some used medical O2 and some used Welding O2. Obviously Medical O2 is best but is welding O2 safe and/or pure enough? Do they add off odors so people don’t inhale it? Some claimed to use $10 BernzOmatic welding O2 tanks. Do many use this method? How long do discharge O2 into the wort this way? Some used regulators, others did not. I also read, that this this method that you run the risk of over oxygenating the wort. Is this a real concern?

7. I’ve even read on the web, that if you use dry yeast that you don’t need to aerate at all. Is that true? If so, why?

As for me I was mostly brewing extract and Partial Mash recipes and have relied on the shake method, then introduced more tap water to bring it up to the 5 gallon level, so aeration wasn’t a big a concern. Now I’m looking to start all grain brewing where I think aeration will be more of problem.

Please give me your thoughts on this.

Thanks!

answer to #6

From the research I have done and have been using.

.5 micron stone for pure oxygen. Smaller bubbles dissolve easier in your wort. You do not want the oxygen bubbles to reach the top of your wort. You want them to dissipate within the wort before they reach the top.

I do 1 ppm for 1 minute per the Yeast book recommendation by Chris White. Not sure what the optimal setting would be for a 2 micron stone.

Oxygen Welding Tank -
http://www.harborfreight.com/20-cubic-ft-oxygen-cylinder-92810.html
Get an empty from Harbor Freight with 20% off coupon and exchange it at a gas supply place for a full one. Supposedly medical tanks and welding tanks are filled exactly the same way from the same source, one is just is "certified" / tested. Bigger upfront investment but you wont have to constantly mess with getting the small ones at the home improvement stores, The 20 cubic tank will last you a long, long time.

Add this -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00697ZYTA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Whatever you get needs a CGA450 connection for the tank. It is great to be able to precisely control the flow of oxygen.

and a stainless steel oxygen wand and you are set. The wand allows you to quickly / easily position the stone at the bottom of your fermenter.

I did a fair amount of research before I decided on this route and so far I have had excellent results.


#7 - I use the same method whether it is dry yeast or not. Yeast is yeast.

#6 is not required to make good beer. It just makes sure your fermentation will take off faster and keep the yeast happy. All the other methods you mentioned work well for others. Like everything else it is just up to you on how far you want to take it. However, I have definitely noticed a quicker fermentation start with the above method.

I don't do anything special. I gravity feed my wort through a plate chiller into a fermentation bucket that has a 2 foot diameter surface area. I pour in the yeast, seal the bucket and give it a shake for about 30 seconds. I usually make a 2 pint starter but not always. I usually find fermentation starts within 12 hours or less and I've never once had a problem. I've always thought that using a carboy with a small surface area reduces the efficiency of the yest, particularly with a top cropping variety.

The question is what is the "best way", right? Bubble pure O2 through a 0.5 micron SS stone.

You can get the small 540 valved welding tank and use a flow controller. No regulator is needed. I picked up the controller from Amazon for about 30 bucks. It's adjustable for liters/minute.

BigFloyd said:

You can get the small 540 valved welding tank and use a flow controller. No regulator is needed. I picked up the controller from Amazon for about 30 bucks. It's adjustable for liters/minute.

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Huh? I am confused isn't regulator the same thing as a flow controller? What is the difference?

How about the kitchen small appliance "hand blender" .. or the .. from the BigBox .. attach to your drill "paint stirrer". I've used the hand blender and think it produced good results. I also splash my wort ... pouring from a stock pot .. into my fermenter. I am thinking of trying the (#3 venturi effect). I guess I will drill about a dozen 1/8" holes in a 6" long piece of copper tubing and put it at the end of my racking tube .. as it enters my fermenter. Will be interesting to see how much foam that kicks up. Does a whole bunch of foam mean .. sufficient aeration?

I've been using pure O2 with a SS stone. I've always had great results. I did a major equipment upgrade and now I have a stone built into my plate chiller. It's part of the thermometer set-up. I love it. It really aerates the crap out of the wort while taking away an extra step in my brew process.

Ramitt said:

Huh? I am confused isn't regulator the same thing as a flow controller? What is the difference?

Click to expand...

A reg has gauges that show pressure (tank and output). The flow controller has a small tank pressure gauge and a knob on the end with numbers in a little window to show the flow setting. It's also cheaper.

The best method is pure oxygen. I think you can get away with the other methods with lower gravity beers, but with a high gravity beer, you'll want the pure O2 so the yeasties don't konk out on you.

After scouring the internet to determine if one can over oxygenate, i think the official answer is no. According to the experts at Wyeast, the yeast will use up what they need and the rest will be expelled from the wort. Over oxygenation doesn't hurt the yeast.

I give all my batches a 5 minute shot of Oxygen at a low leak rate so it's more likely to stay in the wort and not get pushed out as much. Usually, my yeast take off within 2 - 3 hours max and are done with in 4 - 5 days.

I bought a small O2 bottle from the hardware store and am still using it after 10 batches. I bought a cheap regulator and stone from the local home brew store. Just don't touch the stone. The oil can clog the small holes in the stone.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Pure oxygen is a requirement for lagers and high gravity ales, if you want them to be the best beer they can be.

Yes, it is possible to make these beers w/o pure O2, but quality will suffer, as you'll never get to the required dissolved oxygen levels with splashing, using a drill attachment, or even an hour with an aquarium pump.