"Big" Beer Brewers... gotta question for you!

So, I've done a few Barleywines and RIS with decent results using dry yeast. However, I have recently begun making yeast starters using my stir plate. I'm brewing a Old Ruffian Clone next week and have a question about aeration. I typically just shake the $hit out of the carboy to aerate the wort. I've read that for big beers it can be beneficial to re-aerate your wort after about 12 hours of fermentation. I have a aquarium pump with a HEPA filter.... should I use this to re-aerate? Would I be shooting for another 8ppm? Any advice would be great thanks.

FYI.. I will be using Wyeast's Denny's Fav. 50. It list the alcohol tolerance at 10% which is right where this beer will be.

Some people do this, you should be fine to aerate again if it's during the first 24-72 hours. Don't wait too long or you risk oxidation.

I wouldn't worry about it unless fermentation took a long time to begin (more than 24 hours) or got stuck. Just my $.02.

As a side question, when I brew my mead, I keep my aquarium pump on it going until I've reached 2/3 of my OG (if my OG was 1.100, I would have it on there until 1.066). Typically this lasts about two or three days. Can this same idea be applied to big beers with success?

I typically aerate 6 hours after I pitch yeast when making anything over 9%. I've never had any issues with oxidation and my beers seem to ferment out.

If you like brewing big beers, then pure 02 might be worth looking into. I got the wand from Williams brewing and I use it on everything, so much easier than shaking. 20-90 seconds depending on the size of the beer, and you are good to go. Through shaking/aquarium pump you can only get 8-9 PPM of O2, with pure you can go higher to 10-12 PPM. Of course, without an oxygen gauge it is all guesswork, but 90 seconds on full blast has served me well for all the really big beers I've done.

I've never re-aerated because I've never felt the need to. I add some bread yeast to the boil as yeast nutrient, make sure to pitch enough yeast, and I've never had problems with getting enough attenuation or any off-flavors, all my big beers have been perfectly drinkable two weeks after brewing, although I wait considerably longer of course.

rexbanner said:

If you like brewing big beers, then pure 02 might be worth looking into.

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Yes, I forgot to mention that I use pure O2 with a stone as well.

I've brewed plenty of 10+% beers. All I do is pitch a healthy amount of yeast, aerate for a few minutes with a big spoon (using a bucket) and let it ride. No issues, they turn out great, and attenuate well. The only beer I've aerated more, using O2, was a 1.150, 16.3% RIS. Aerated with O2 for the first 5 days then let it ride.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.. yes I am looking into pure o2 system as my next "big" purchase. I have enjoyed my big beers thus far I just thought that it might help the yeast out by re-aerating about 12 hours into fermentation. I guess one of my major concerns is that the alcohol threshold of the yeast is right at my OG. Should I pitch Nottingham instead and save the liquid for a different brew? I know with dry yeast oxygen is not as vital? Thanks again!

went ahead and order a o2 kit... Gonna brew this beast next week!

What are some of the different flavors between a well aerated big beer and one that isn't aerated as well.

I know one time I was told that by a professional brewer than my tripel was good, but that I should look into more aeration. What did he taste that let him know this?

I always air ate my wort. I have a small o2 tank that I use and if u use a wyeast liquid pack it will be going nuts the next day. Something I found out about oxygen tanks is medical oxygen tanks are more highly regulated than tanks for a torch setup but the oxygen quality is the same. I always oxygenate my brew it cuts out a day or better of yeast lag time. What I do is sanitize a pice of hose and put it in the opening of my oxygen tank then stick it in the fermenter and crack it for about 15sec

anything about 1.80 could probably stand a shot of extra 02. you want to get the yeast it's oxygen before it's over the halfway mark, so in this case 1.040. anything past that will cause oxidation.

same token, if you've got a 1.120 brew, hit it with some extra 02 before you get to 1.060 and you'll re-enforce those cell walls and be good to go.

I've never used pure o2 but I am looking forward to it with this next Barleywine. I finally have a dedicated fridge to with a digital control and i'm curious to see the results when using o2 vs. shaking. For people that already use o2 do you even bother shaking and then adding o2? My thinking was to shake as usual then hit it with some oxygen. Would this allow me to get a few more brews out of a oxygen cylinder?