Added O2 after 10 hours of fermentation

[Burquebrewer]

I was brewing a lager and my efficiency was way off. OG should have been around 1.055 but was at 1.032 instead! I had no malt extract on hand, so got some the next morning at my LHBS and boiled it for 30 minutes. Then I cooled it and added it to fermentor and added another smack pack of Wyeast 2001. This was about 10 hours after my initial pitch. The fermentation before then was slow ( I didn't make a starter for the initial pitch). I then pumped in O2 for about 20 minutes. Fermentation looks good now and picked up within an hour of pitching the second smackpack.

Anyone see potential problems with the finished product?

 

[Burquebrewer]

I was brewing a 5 gal batch of American Pilsner and failed to hit my target efficiency by a margin. I was shooting for 1.055 and got to about 1.032. I've already identified the issue of the low efficiency and fixed that for future brews (it was a hot liquor measurement issue). I pithed a smack pack of Wyeast 2001 (no starter, STUPID, I KNOW), and let it go for the night. When I woke up about 7 hours later, fermentation was gong but slowly...

I went to my LHBS and a lb of malt extract the next morning, boiled it for about 30 minutes, cooled it, and added it to the fermenter. I also pitched another smack pack of 2001 and then pumped O2 for about 20 minutes. The wort was at 58 dgrees. This was about 10 hours after I pitched the first of yeast. Fermentation was rolling strong an hour later.

Anyone see any potential issues with the final product?

 

[LBussy]

I see a lot of opportunities for all sorts of issues, then again it might be fine. I mean you are WAY off the reservation on this. Best thing to do is wait and see.

Winemakers add O2 during he ferment and things are fine - not to say it's a good idea for us but the combination of a slow initial ferment and a vigorous "second" ferment may be in your favor.

By the way ... 30 seconds is fine for O2. Pumping 20 minutes is just a waste.

 

[Burquebrewer]

Thanks LB. It smells like it should and there is a healthy fermentation still going. Aside from the risk of oxygenation, what should my concerns be? Everything I used to add the second round of wort was sanitized and i was able to cool it quickly before adding it...

 

[NeoBrew]

Only time will tell.

I can't see anything inherently wrong with adding wort 10 hours after your initial pitch. It might freak your yeast out a bit and create some off flavors, maybe.

If fermentation picked up an hour after that, it was most likely the first pitch that was doing the work. A new smack pack with no starter would have it's own lag phase. I couldn't tell you what this might do to flavor. You'll have to wait and see.

20 minutes of oxygen is way too much. You didn't describe your setup or batch size, but if you are using a sintered stone like most of us, 2 minutes is usually more than enough. If fermentation was under way from your first pitch, this could lead to some oxidation. Time will tell.

Good luck, brew days always seem to have some twists and turns. I hope this batch turns out for you!

 

[JonM]

60 seconds of O2 is plenty. You can actually create an overly-oxygenated environment that's toxic to yeast if you use too much.

Did you have it on full blast? If so, most of the O2 went into the atmosphere. If you gently bubbled it through the beer, well, time will tell.

 

[eadavis80]

Looks like you learned 3 valuable lessons:

1. Always make starters (especially when making a lager)
2. 60 seconds of pure O2 is plenty
3. Having DME on hand is always a good idea

Good luck with the brew!

 

[LBussy]

Your wort won't over-oxygenate (done at the right time), that length of O2 addition is just a money-waster. like I said I would think you will be okay but I'd probably not make a practice of this. If you did introduce O2 at the wrong time you will know because you will have a wet cardboard taste. Unmistakeable. especially in a pilsener you'll get that feedback clearly.

 

[Newsman]

I read somewhere here that O2 within the first 24 hours isn't a problem. Could be wrong though, just going by what I recall reading here.

 

[LBussy]

I read somewhere here that O2 within the first 24 hours isn't a problem. Could be wrong though, just going by what I recall reading here.

It's tough to put an exact time on it. Some wine musts need aeration for a week. Yeah my bet is this one is fine, especially given the slower start but you just never know. A good rule of thumb is that once the active ferment starts (krausen) you do not introduce O2.

 

[Burquebrewer]

Great. Thanks for all the feedback. Ill let you know how it turns out. So far, it's rocking and rolling. Aside from the sulfur smell common with pils yeast, it smells great!

 

[moors]

According to the reference guide Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation, the yeast is still in the aerobic phase @ 10 hours. The author goes so far to recommend a second oxygen addition at 12 hours for high-gravity beers (i.e. 1.080). The yeast have mostly multiplied at 12 hours, so the second oxygen addition will fortify the existing (parent) yeast and feed the new (children) yeast in preparation for a long fermentation.

So I would say, yes, your beer is just fine. I've been tempted to experiment with trying a second 12-hour oxygen addition "just because". Thus far, White & Zainasheff haven't been wrong yet.

 

[Burquebrewer]

Well, the Pilsner came out awesome. Definitely no off flavors from the second addition of oxygen.

 

[Burquebrewer]

The Pilsner came out great. No ill effects from the late addition of DME and O2.

 

[JonM]

Nice!

When my father-in-law and I do a project like a repair or something, when it works out well he likes to say "Hey, it's almost like we knew what we were doing!" I use that expression a lot when I'm brewing and things turn out well despite my making mistakes.