Aeration Question?

I'm just wondering at what point you folks aerate your wort? I've been doing it before adding the yeast and I've never had any fermentation problems. But recently I read a post where the person was aerating after pitching the yeast and it got me to wondering if perhaps I'm aerating at the wrong point in the process?

Thanks

I always oxygenate just before I pitch the yeast too. I can't see there being much of a difference between before and after pitching, so do what is easiest.

edit: If you're using dry yeast, you might want to pitch before. Just so the bubbles don't cause the dry yeast to stick to the walls of the fermentor.

I read somewhere that you want to avoid bombarding the yeast with oxygen. It's not good for their cell walls. So I've always oxygenated prior to pitching the yeast. If I am pitching onto a yeast cake, I'll oxygenate in the kettle before transfer.

I oxygenate before pitching the yeast, and by oxygenate I mean a solid minute of pure oxygen pumped into the wort. That gives you a nice fermentation with minimal shaking and works out very nicely. I suppose one could oxygenate after pitching, if they pitched a slurry, a starter or a liquid, but pure O2 directly in contact with dry yeast might not be ideal.

When I remember to pick up a new cylinder...

30 sec to 1 min of bubbles barely breaking the surface, wait a few min., repeat, wait, repeat, wait, repeat, pitch.

I just open the tap wide on the boiler after cooling and let it all fall into the fermenter. Creates massive amounts of bubbles. Then I pitch.

<---Right before pitching

johnsmith098 said:

I only oxgy for 15-25 seconds max. I thought that was the ideal range... ????

I use O2 just before pitching my yeast after OG reading.

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20 to 30 seconds will give you about 8ppm of O2 which is normal for water, you can achieve 8ppm by shaking the wort for about 5 minutes. If you let it go for a full minute it can get up as high as 20ppm, if you leave it longer, it can go even higher. The yeast like O2 and let me tell you, they are very happy in my carboys. If you throw in about a pint of yeast slurry into a super oxigenated wort, you will get some wild fermentation. I actually have had my stopper and blow off tube blown off of the 6.5gallon carboy from such a fast and violent fermentation. The lag time is only about 2 hours, and it is satisfying to brew and then go down to the basement a few hours later and see your airlock bubbling away and a krausen just starting to form.

In my mind I imagine the yeast as having some sort of meth fueled orgy, and destroying their happy homes with their own waste, finaly choking themselves out of existence, wallowing in their own filth. And the moral of the story is don't do drugs kids...

I use the shake method (although I am seriously considering upgrading to an oxygenation system) and I always aerate just prior to pitching. I usually give the carboy a good 3 to 5 minutes of shaking.

I've gone through several iterations of aeration techniques. First, I didn't aerate. Then I siphoned from several feet above the fermenter with lots of splashing. For a while, I used pure O2, but I didn't find much benefit, and it's possible to over-oxygenate your wort with a pure O2 system. Now, I'm back to letting the wort splash as I transfer it to the fermenter. It's simple and effective. KISS.

In all cases, I aerate before pitching.

I aeriate before pitching using an aquarium pump with a filter for 30 minutes to an hour.

Funny coincidence.....I was just on the fermentis web site reading about the Safale yeasts. If pitched dry, they recommend that you leave it for 30 minutes and then aerate. I used the American strain once, but I did not follow this procedure and it still fermented fine!

I use an oxygenation system after trying various other methods. I have stuck with it because it is quick and very easy. Personally, I think the best alternative is just shaking the heck out of your carboy for a couple of minutes, but I am lazy.

O2 systems shine when you brew higher-gravity brews because the yeast really benefit from lots of O2 in these circumstances, plus the increased concentration of the wort makes it hard to get the O2 into solution to begin with. Other aeration methods are inferior for high gravity beers.

I always inject O2 before pitching, but one needs to be careful if sprinkling dry yeast without rehydrating first -- if there is a lot of foam on top of the wort it will 'catch' the yeast, and it won't rehydrate on its own properly. You really need to mix it well by shaking the carboy/stirring the bucket with a well-sanitized spoon.

If you are using another aeration method (shaking, aeration stone, etc.) I don't think it would matter if you pitched first or aerated first.

What was the link for that cheap regulator/stone kit that you could hook up to a welder's O2 canister?

If you have a welder's O2 cannister, don't you have the regulator to go with it? I just use that and an aquarium stone from the pet shop.

They make SS stones. The problem with an aquarium stone is they can trap bacteria.

Fingers said:

If you have a welder's O2 cannister, don't you have the regulator to go with it? I just use that and an aquarium stone from the pet shop.

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yeah, but I have none of the above.

rohanski said:

They make SS stones. The problem with an aquarium stone is they can trap bacteria.

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can't you just sanitize it like the rest of your materials?
I've not tried one yet but figureing putting it in hot water to pasturize would work just fine. Not doing that every time would beg for bacteria. Plus the stones are cheep, replace frequently.

currently i just pour the wort through a sifter, that breaks it up pretty well

Yuri_Rage said:

I've gone through several iterations of aeration techniques. First, I didn't aerate. Then I siphoned from several feet above the fermenter with lots of splashing. For a while, I used pure O2, but I didn't find much benefit, and it's possible to over-oxygenate your wort with a pure O2 system. Now, I'm back to letting the wort splash as I transfer it to the fermenter. It's simple and effective. KISS.

In all cases, I aerate before pitching.

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So you let the wort cool, then as you're straining and transferring you aerate. You double check the temps, and then pitch?

Or do you transfer/aerate, let it cool, then pitch?

I'm wondering because the higher the temps in water the less dissolved O2 it will hold - from my understanding. So if you aerate while it's still hot and let it sit to cool, then pitch - in my theory - would not be as efficient??

El Borracho - you are correct you aerate after cooling to maximize the dissolved oxygen. You would be wasting your time to aerate hot wort as very little oxygen will dissolve in it.

I use the aquarium pump method and aerate for 30min before pitching and then continue for another 30-60 minutes while cleaning up. Adding oxygen is necessary for cell growth and healthy cell walls and you can continue doing it until the yeast switch over to fermentation as then you will start creating oxidation and off flavours. The latter approach is used by some brewing really big beers who will oxygenate for the first 12-24 hours after pitching in order to create as many healthy yeast as they can to tackle their fermentation.

GT

I guess I'm a cheapass, because beat the ever lovin snot out of my wort with a ss whisk before I transfer to my primary with an agressive flow. Then I pitch. It's worked well for me.

I pick up the carboy, cover the mouth and shake like a mother! I then pitch and repeat. Then I need a rest and a brew.

I use a paint mixer attached to my cordless drill. Run that sucker for a few minutes and your good to go.

Just sanitize it before you use it.

Yuri_Rage said:

I've gone through several iterations of aeration techniques. First, I didn't aerate. Then I siphoned from several feet above the fermenter with lots of splashing. For a while, I used pure O2, but I didn't find much benefit, and it's possible to over-oxygenate your wort with a pure O2 system. Now, I'm back to letting the wort splash as I transfer it to the fermenter. It's simple and effective. KISS.

In all cases, I aerate before pitching.

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I sent an e-mail to James Spencer about over oxygenating the wort, and he e-mailed David Logsdon from Wyeast, his response follows.

"After talking with David Logsdon from Wyeast, I believe it would be
very difficult to over-oxygenate your wort, especially if you're just
applying O2 right before pitching. Dave says that any excess oxygen is
expelled in the first stage of fermentation. "

Apparently the only way you can over oxygenate using an O2 system is to add the O2 at the same time or after the yeast. As long as the yeast is not in direct contact any excess O2 in suspension is expelled during the primary fermentation.

I found that aerating the starter had amazing results.

John Palmer suggests pitching and then aerating which is what I do. Well sort of. I top off to 5 gallons pouring the water from about 3 feet above. It aerates the wort like crazy. So much so that there is about a 6 inch head of foam on top. Then I pitch the yeast, pop on the lid, and shake the thing for about 30 seconds.

Try using dry and you don't need to add O2, just aerate on adding to the fermenter and it'll do good. )