Aerate while chilling wort?

Not sure if this is the best place for this question...but here goes.

Can I save time by aerating my wort (with an oxygen/diffusion stone/wand) while cooling my wort in the kettle?

I use a copper wort chiller to cool the wort to pitching temps. Instead of waiting for it to cool and THEN aerating, is there a reason I can't aerate WHILE it is cooling?

If your wort is above 80F you are risking aeration, so you can start to aerate when it cools under 80F.

O2 dissolves more readily into cooler liquids, you will not be dissolving O2 into your wort efficiently at higher temps, so it is best to aerate after you have cooled your wort to pitching temps.

If you're using a pure O2 system, then you're only "saving" a minute, or three. You're risking more by doing it while cooling. Plus, trying to do the two things at the same time increases your chance of messing something up. IMO, do one, then do the next.

BTW, I have the William's O2 wand connecting to a 20 cubic foot O2 tank. I'm using a regulator with a flow meter so that I KNOW how much O2 is being sent into the wort. IMO/IME, this is better than the regulators that use the tiny bottles (from HD or Lowe's). It's also easier to use, IMO/IME, and you can get so many times more batches from the tank it's not even funny. I might run out in a couple of years.

Not worth the trouble/risk to save 1 minute.


Look for other ways to get better bang for your buck on time durin brew day... Like cleaning up while your wort chills

diS said:

If your wort is above 80F you are risking aeration, so you can start to aerate when it cools under 80F.

Click to expand...

+1...I always wait until the wort is under 80F. I recirculate while I chill so I like to oxygenate while the wort is still recirculating.