Oxygenating the wort with compressed O2?

Hi Guys,

I'm thinking of brewing a really strong beer at some point and I see a lot of people saying that good oxygenation of the wort is important to get the ferment off to a good start.

As room air is only 21% O2 does that limit how much you can get dissolved into the wort? Would 100% O2 (from something like this ---> http://www.oxyfit.co.uk/) allow you to get a higher concentration of O2 into the wort?

Its probably overkill anyway, but would it actually work?

I think there's a debate on how much O2 you can actually get into your beer, but a lot of people use O2 setups. I use one and I've had very good results. I think the O2 infusion makes a significant difference. I run it for about 1 minute at the lowest level to aerate. I can do about 7-10 batches per tank.

This is what I use:

http://morebeer.com/view_product/18253/103750/Diffusion_Stone_-_2_Micron_26"_Long/?a_aid=homebrewing

http://morebeer.com/view_product/16606/?a_aid=homebrewing

http://www.lowes.com/pd_91314-13877...1&currentURL=?Ns=p_product_price|1&facetInfo=

Interesting stuff. Have you ever done any side by side comparisons to determine the size of the effect?

Getting O2 into the wort is important, but not as important as having healthy yeast.

I used to just use a sanitized whisk and beat the crap out of the wort until I had a good froth on top of it; I now use a set-up like B-Boy's.

I find that I got similar lag times with both methods. The O2 stone is definitely easier for bigger batches, unless you have a really long whisk and a tireless arm. Seems the limiting factor is how much the wort can actually absorb in a short period of time rather than the concentration.

Yeast can do what they do with or without oxygen, therefore a good yeast starter will really help reduce your lag time. (That's not saying that oxygen isn't important, or that you shouldn't worry about aeration, as they're much more efficient in an oxygen-rich environment.)

eastoftherivernile said:

Interesting stuff. Have you ever done any side by side comparisons to determine the size of the effect?

Click to expand...

I haven't done a side by side test, but I can say that my beers have increased vastly in quality since going to oxygen. Like many on here I struggled to find the problem with subpar batches and tried all sorts of things with limited effect. I even quit brewing for several years. Since taking it back up 4 years ago armed with my O2 injection system, my beers have been consistent, well attenuated and a real source of pride. If you read one home brewing book, read "Yeast". Far too many brewers ignore their yeasts need for oxygen or think a little shake and splash does the trick. Treat your yeast right, and they'll make you great beer!!!

There are many discusions on here about this subject and I know someone did the tests that reveled that there is a max of oxygen in wort that can be acheived through shakeing or stirring and that the number is less than half of what can be seen with a stone and o2 tank

Check this out: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/o2-results-my-new-o2-meter-318420/
30 seconds of oxygen is way batter than shaking, whisking, or any other "airation" technique.

Exactly. Shaker/splashers argue their beer turns out fine so it must be working, it doesn't. I'm not saying their beer isn't good, just that their wort is under aerated. Like so many variables in brewing, you can often get away with less than optimal and still get good beer. But could it have been better? Maybe not always, but you never know when you're going to run across a strain of yeast or recipe that punishes you for poor aeration with off flavors, a stuck fermentation or low attenuation. IMHO, shaking and splashing is playing Russian roulette with these possibilities...

acidrain said:

Check this out: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/o2-results-my-new-o2-meter-318420/
30 seconds of oxygen is way batter than shaking, whisking, or any other "airation" technique.

Click to expand...

Thats really interesting, you can definitely increase the saturation of O2 using this method then. Do people ever bubble some O2 in during fermentation? I would guess that this might be especially useful for stronger ales and barleywines?

In the book "Yeast" there are some nice graphs from a professional brewery (forget which) comparing fermentation characteristics with air, oxygen, or no added gasses. In the most extreme (if I recall) the O2 gets you a 2-3 day lead time to get to the final gravity, and it also reduces the final gravity by a few points (1-2 Plato). This was on some regular strength wort. Whether this is a big enough impact is up for debate - but there is an effect that is measurable.

For Lagers I've heard it said that to do it correctly you need the )2 set up - but I can't vouch for that.

I guess I know what the next book I'll be getting is!