If I could figure out a way to ask you to help me avoid that in the future by pointing out the trouble spot without sounding like I'm challenging you, I would, but I can't.
It's more just the general lack of worthwhile advice and clarity.
Or maybe this:
I'll agree to disagree about the dry yeast. I can't see that it would hurt, although it may be unnecessary.
This is classic passive-agressive, and universally translated as I think your are wrong, and I am right. Or that there is no way to prove either position, so it is simply a matter of opinion. Listing pros and cons, or rebutting a con (or pro) with evidence, is a more impartial method. Or you can just simply be aggressive, like me, then there are no pretenses to sort through.
Here are examples:
Wyeast has an article on their site about oxygenation:
http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_oxygenation.cfm
You countered a statement the OP provided from the dry yeast manuf he uses, with a link to a liquid yeast manuf, which had already been referenced and debunked for dry yeast in the quoted text from the manuf provided by the OP.
Even though it might not be strictly *necessary* with dry yeast, it's a good habit to get into.
What is the rationale for it being a 'good habit' to get into?
And I won't even address the olive oil red herring. I believe that was found to not work well, but can't remember the final report. I read up on it, and know that I did not adopt it, nor is it popular, so there must have been some downside to it.
I'm thinking about getting another stone, though (just the stone) for aerating starters. I didn't think that was too necessary with a stir plate, but I'm not sure.
As previously mentioned- from what I have read, there is more than enough air interchange through diffusion and agitation. If you think an initial boost is beneficial, a way to get that with a lot less hassle and chance of contamination would be to purge the head space with pure O2 before capping, since you have it available.
I use an aquarium pump with an inline filter for my yeast starters.
I always make a starter and aerate the wort prior to pitching, regardless of whether or not I use dry or liquid yeast. I think it's a better practice.
Do you guys brew together?
To clarify what I meant by "low-moderate flow," I meant that I adjust the regulator until I get bubbles breaking the surface, but I don't turn it up past that. I usually overshoot a bit due to impatience and dial it back, but I keep it on the low side of things while still being able to see evidence of the gas flow at the top of the wort. Knowing my tendency to go on about things, I aimed for brevity but inadvertently sacrificed clarity in the pursuit.
Below is your original post, emphasizing the importance of 'bubble contact time' below the surface.
I figured that way, I could be sure the O2 bubbles would have maximum contact time with the wort before reaching the top.
The contact time below the surface won't change much with higher flows, unless you release at a rate so high it creates excessive currents in the vessel. The bubble rise time in liquid is fairly constant for a given bubble size.
The vast majority of O2 going into solution happens at the surface layer as the bubbles burst. As long as the flow is not so high as to create a saturated area larger than the bubble zone, bubbles breaking the surface is a good thing.
Not that this has any importance to the OP, since he does not need to aerate for his situation.
I've only used a secondary once, and that was when I'd added pumpkin to the boil, got some of the stuff into primary, and wanted to let it settle a bit more. I definitely favor skipping the secondary. Less work, fewer things to go wrong, etc. And that's exactly where you're coming from on the oxygenation issue (when stated by the manufacturer, I'd add), I realize.
The big difference is that I stated what I thought was a tangible benefit gained by the additional step. I believe there is a benefit to removing trub, and provided my rationale, along with industry standards as evidence. I even gave a way to easily test it yourself, as I have already done. If you have never decanted beer from the dregs after racking, and compared it to a sample from the main body, I recommend trying it. If your palate cannot perceive a difference between the two samples, then perhaps you would not realize any benefit from using a secondary.
You know how they say that it's very difficult to convey tone through text? That must go at least quadruple for irony. I mean, if some people thought that Swift was actually advocating eating Irish babies, I don't have much of a chance on the Internet; I'm no Swift.
Yes, it is. Perhaps you might up the irony a little, since I had no idea that you were actually mocking, as a whole, oxygenation, starters, stir plates, liquid yeast, dry yeast, and even going so far as to ridicule those who go to the pointless trouble of brewing with actual grains.
RE: my response to your comments on airlock activity- I realized you were being tongue in cheek. I also suspect, given your join date, that you are not aware of a certain longtime member who has several pet peeves- using airlocks as ferm indicators, advocating secondaries, and claims that all grain is superior to extract (to mention a few). I will not mention his name again, as I already have once, because he has some kind of underworldly talent for finding threads where these offenses occur. He even has a page long form letter/rebuttal he posts every time he discovers one. People will even predict his arrival, as if mentioning airlock activity is a sign of the apocalypse.