Aerating the wort...

Assuming I properly sanitize everything... would it be OK to use an immersion blender to aerate the wort after pitching the yeast?

I don't think that would be a good idea, since you want an air tight seal once you pitch. Unless you are talking about the stage that the yeast is absorbing oxygen, then I would think that is ok. Just remember you don't want to oxidize your beer.

Sure! Not sure how well it work, but it will be better than nothing. Do it before pitching the yeast however.

bradsul said:

Sure! Not sure how well it work, but it will be better than nothing. Do it before pitching the yeast however.

Click to expand...

I thought you were supposed to pitch the yeast and then aerate. Damn n00bism has me by the throat.

I'm a newby but I've had a lot success simply pouring the wort back and forth from the kettle to fermenter a few times, then pitching a liquid yeast and voila! healthy fermentation.

anti-bud said:

I'm a newby but I've had a lot success simply pouring the wort back and forth from the kettle to fermenter a few times, then pitching a liquid yeast and voila! healthy fermentation.

Click to expand...

I'd be wary of doing that too much. The more that stuff gets transferred around, the higher your chances of infection are. IIWY, I'd get one of these. 1-2 minutes and you're done.

I just shake the hell out of the carboy before pitching. The wife says I look like a frustrated bear trying to get into a honey jar, but it gets the O2 flowing!

I bought a $5.00 aquarium pump and a long piece of 3/16" plastic hard tube from the local everything store. I sanitize the stone and the tube and aerate the heck of of the wort when i get done transferring from the kettle. I'll let it go for 5 to 10 minutes and it works great.

I originally got the pump when I had a stuck fermentation on an Oktober-fast I made with year old yeast (I made a starter and everything seemed fine). Just aerateing kicked those yeasties out of bed and everything turned out fine!