SpanishCastleAle
Well-Known Member
Some folks go through a bit of extra work/time to ensure they have aerated their wort while I imagine some others just give it a good shake and go. Of course, both make beer.
How important do you think it is?
How effective do you think most methods are? Read below on my take on air stones...if I'm wrong please tell me so.
I do know this but I'm not sure how much it applies to beer:
Those air stones in aquariums don't really aerate the water very much...almost all the oxygen in the water gets there from surface agitation (which of course the air stones cause...but those tiny bubbles are not what's doing the heavy lifting regarding oxygenating the water...it's almost all at the surface). So I'm not sure how much more effective an air stone is than just bubbling air out of PVC tubing.
So with that in mind...my method of aeration has always been to take a wire whisk and boil it to sanitize it...then whip the **** out of the cooled wort (never warm or hot). It gets very foamy but it goes straight into the carboy after aeration. This always gets me fast starts (within hours) and almost always blowoffs (within a half-day). That wasn't the case before I aerated 'excessively'. Anybody see any flaw in this method? I try to keep the area/room calm with little activity (dog is def outside) so as to reduce airborne dusts/etc.
So what's your take on aerating your wort? Mine is that you CAN'T over-do it but you could easily under-do it and the yeast really like/need it.
How important do you think it is?
How effective do you think most methods are? Read below on my take on air stones...if I'm wrong please tell me so.
I do know this but I'm not sure how much it applies to beer:
Those air stones in aquariums don't really aerate the water very much...almost all the oxygen in the water gets there from surface agitation (which of course the air stones cause...but those tiny bubbles are not what's doing the heavy lifting regarding oxygenating the water...it's almost all at the surface). So I'm not sure how much more effective an air stone is than just bubbling air out of PVC tubing.
So with that in mind...my method of aeration has always been to take a wire whisk and boil it to sanitize it...then whip the **** out of the cooled wort (never warm or hot). It gets very foamy but it goes straight into the carboy after aeration. This always gets me fast starts (within hours) and almost always blowoffs (within a half-day). That wasn't the case before I aerated 'excessively'. Anybody see any flaw in this method? I try to keep the area/room calm with little activity (dog is def outside) so as to reduce airborne dusts/etc.
So what's your take on aerating your wort? Mine is that you CAN'T over-do it but you could easily under-do it and the yeast really like/need it.