Oxygen vs Wort

If oxidation occurs while the wort is hot (above 80 degrees or so) why does the wort not oxidize during the boil? Isn't the vigorous boiling action enough to intoduce O2 into the hot wort? I am sitting here brewing an apricot wheat while drinking a DFH festine peche, wondering if one of you guys can help me out. BTW, this is my first post. I finally decided to register after reading all the helpful info on here!

Boiling will actually take O2 out of solution.

Xanabrew said:

If oxidation occurs while the wort is hot (above 80 degrees or so) why does the wort not oxidize during the boil? Isn't the vigorous boiling action enough to intoduce O2 into the hot wort? I am sitting here brewing an apricot wheat while drinking a DFH festine peche, wondering if one of you guys can help me out. BTW, this is my first post. I finally decided to register after reading all the helpful info on here!

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Oxygen solubility is primarily a factor of temperature. By boiling, pretty much all oxygen is eliminated from the liquid. What you are talking about is hot-side aeration, which is re-introducing oxygen into hot wort as it cools.

When boiling you also fill the headspace above the wort with a lot of steam. That will help displace any air. In theory you will bring air into the steam cloud when you put your spoon in, but I wouldn't worry about it. Brewers have been stirring wort for a *long* time without issues.

Hot side aeration is (in theory) the introduction of oxygen into the wort during the cooling process. In practice, it doesn't happen.

david_42 said:

Hot side aeration is (in theory) the introduction of oxygen into the wort during the cooling process. In practice, it doesn't happen.

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+1 on this...it's one of those Urban Bugaboos to the home brewer...It IS something that Large scale commercial breweries are concerned about, Think about it,, when you're making a tastesless light lager like BMC you're trying to eliminate ANY flavors, so of course you are concerned about anything that could conceivably ADD a flavor. )

We need to replace the oxygen lost during boiling back to our wort in order for the yeast do do their thing.

david_42 said:

Hot side aeration is (in theory) the introduction of oxygen into the wort during the cooling process. In practice, it doesn't happen.

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I would argue that it happens, but it is not relevant to most homebrewed beers (by virtue that they are packaged and stored with great care, are rarely filtered, and are often consumed while the beer is still fresh -- all of which increase stability and/or reduce staling). HSA may not have much relevance to homebrewing, but it can and does happen. Most large-scale commercial breweries go to great extents to prevent it.