aerating a 5 gallon wort

the question of the hour is do you or should you aerate a 5 gallon wort. do you get enough o2 in the wort by pouring the wort in the fermenter fast, then shake? thinking about going to 5 gallon boils but if i have to buy a bunch of extra equiptment i may hold off for awhile. thanks for the input.

I use a wire wisk to agitate the cooled wort in the brew pot and then pour to the primary through a strainer. Seems to work fine. - Dirk

do you get a short lag time?

I've discovered that by pouring wort into my fermenter using a pyrex measuring cup and by scooping and pouring wort in the brew kettle while filling the fermenter that it becomes plenty aerated in addition to shaking/ rolling the carboy around when I mix the yeast in.

It takes about 18-20 hours before fermation really kicks off and then the rest is smooth sailing. A blow-off hose is absolutely necessary as well as at least a gallon or slightly larger container to collect the blow off.

Somebody on here made a stir stick that has fold out paddles that you use with an electric drill that looks pretty slick to agitate the wort. Although I can't think of who made it.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=7035
This is fairly cheap and have heard that it works well.

What is the typical result of inadequate aeration? I just start a full boil batch 4 days ago. It start to bubble the next day and was at a peak 2 days in. It is now idle. I didn't plan on racking until Saturday. Is this typical?

The most important information is missing.

What OG beers do you brew and what yeast do you use?

kabert7 said:

What is the typical result of inadequate aeration? I just start a full boil batch 4 days ago. It start to bubble the next day and was at a peak 2 days in. It is now idle. I didn't plan on racking until Saturday. Is this typical?

Click to expand...

Slow starts, poor attentuation, stuck fermentations in the extreme.

Theoretically, stressing the yeast by not supplying enough O2 could be a factor in the production of certain off flavors.

OG was 1.064 and the it was 11g of dry Canadian ale yeast(don't have my notebook close for exact brand)

We'll the consensus seems to be at O2 is not needed for dried yeast and just a moderate aeration will do.

I just use this to drain my wort, and don't do anything further. My lag time is 45minutes to 12hrs on a normal brew of around 1055-1065. I use Canadian Danstar dried yeast.

That makes me feel a little more optimistic about the batch. I guess I'll see the extent of attenuation after taking FG.

Thanks

I still want to retest the hypothesis but suffice to say, the splashing method of aeration is PROBABLY good enough to get reasonable attenuation as long as you use dry yeast or a starter with liquid. Doing nothing at all is worse and is likely to have a fizzled ferment. O2 injection ensures max attenuation all other things being equal.

In most cases, you won't really care about the detailed variables because your cell count is already high enough. In case you care, the oxygen level in the wort determines whether the yeast reproduce first (high O2) or go right to fermenting (low 02). With dry yeast, properly hydrated in water first, you probably have enough cells, or close to it, to go the distance.

Like Bobby says, O2 and a large starter will always ensure you'll get a good start on the feremntation. (It's probably a must with liquid yeast and a big OG)

BUT.... is it always required? I'd say not. (I've never need any additional aeration.)

If I had the kit would I use it? probably

Using a strainer like this will do a great job of aerating your wort as well as straining your hops. Works for me like a champ. You should see the foam.

I just pour mine through a collander on the way into the fermenter and stir in the yeast with a little vigor, havn't had a problem yet (knocks on wood).

This is a typical response actually and if you go through my thread on aeration, you'll see that even doing nothing to aerate (if pitching dry yeast) results in a attenuation that I wouldn't call problematic. Yes it's lower than the batch with O2 and/or typical shaking/straining would produce, but it's not bad.

I use these 2 gadgets for my setup and I love it. Cheap, no pouring wort and aerated on the way down. under $10 for the whole setup.

http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=15778

http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=15778