Pumping oxygen into brew during fermentation?

I received a homemade brew kit as a gift from a friend who designed and patented it. The kit contains an oxygen pump the pumps oxygen into the brew while fermenting in the pail.

From all my research on brewing techniques I have not seen one reference to doing this. Is this done by any other brewers? Not sure if I should remove the pump or not.

I'm still new to brew but I know adding oxygen after fermentation has begun is not good for the beer.

Could you post some pics of this homemade kit? I'm just curious to see the setup...

Do the instructions actually say to add oxygen during fermentation?

Usually you use the pump & oxygen stone BEFORE pitching the yeast.

You always want to aerate (oxygenated) your cooled wort before you pitch your yeast, it helps them reproduce , ferment, and yields a better beer.

The oxygen pump makes it easier to do than shaking a carboy for example.

Yeast need oxygen to work correctly especially at the beginning of the fermentation. The amount of oxygen it uses is a bit complex and is related to how active the yeast is, what the OG of the wort is, etc... Oxygen is used by the yeast during the initial growth stage where it's multiplying like rabbits. But after the wild sex is over, oxeygen can cause serious oxidation problems (leading to beer that has a distinct card-board flavor). There's a new book out by Jamill that goes into it in painful detail if your interested.

But essentially, when using a pump, I'd set it up and run it until I started seeing signs of fermentation and then shut it off. I'm speaking from book-learning here, so your mileage may vary - I use a O2 stone and pure oxygen (I run it for 1 minute for a basic 1.050 wort). Highly recommend it.

Good luck!

I've read and heard that there are moments when you can add oxygen after fermentation has begun but this is only in the case of excessive OG's for really large beers. Basiclly the wort is so dense you can not properly oxygenate at the beginning of fermentation and would continue to add O2 up until a certain point along with additional fermentables for the yeast.

Hey JerseyBrewer, what is that book called? Also, yes you are 100% correct. The oxygenation is only for cooled wort before you pitch yeast. Hot side air-oration leads to strange flavors with the o2 blending with strange things, once the yeast is fermented the wort o2 is bad for the beer. In fact the only time it is good for the beer is with the cooled wort.

also fermentation is an anaerobic reaction. it wont happen in the presence of oxygen.

But after the wild sex is over

Click to expand...

Brewers yeast has lost the ability to have sex since it has been so domesticated. Brewers yeast only buds asexually and not sexually....

Basiclly the wort is so dense you can not properly oxygenate at the beginning of fermentation and would continue to add O2 up until a certain point along with additional fermentables for the yeast.

Click to expand...

Not true at all (the O2 part)... If you are using pure O2 you can very easily introduce too much oxygen into the environment. Upon doing so you will kill all your little yeast buddies.

If you were referring to oxygenating with ambient air than you are partly correct, but only because the atmosphere is 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen will you not be able to over saturate your wort with too much O2.

to the original poster,

the oxygenation is for pre-fermentation, like the others have stated previously. Don't forget to filter the air that you put in to avoid adding additional contaminants. One reason you do not want to add oxygen later in fermentation is that it allows whatever small population of contaminants (if you have them) to thrive and freely create nasty sourness.

The only reason for pumping oxygen into a fermentation tank that I can think of is a technique used by wine makers called micro-oxidation. This is done in stainless steel fermenters that has had oak chips added. The introduction of minuscule amounts of oxygen recreates the barrel aging environment. I haven't heard of this used for beer... Although it is on the agenda for my new porter that I want to use a syrah yeast with.

Good luck man