Aerating during the Mash?

[wgentzel]

So, I stumbled across this video on youtube of an English fellow who owns his own small independent brewery.



If you fast forward to about 7:00 you'll see he is aerating the mash as it goes in. I understand making sure that the grains mix well so there are no dry clumps, but he specifically calls it an aerator earlier in the video. Won't this cause hot-side aeration? If so, why is he doing it? Maybe I should just ask him on youtube?

 

[MikeinAK]

It may be a translation thing. I think it's just a hydrator. He said the grain and hot water mix in the contraption.

 

[bakins]

Won't this cause hot-side aeration?

No. Some breweries actually bubble air through their mash. Listen to this: http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/archive/bs_hsa1-26-09.mp3

 

[malkore]

the oxygen introduced is quickly driven off during the boil that follows the mash. HSA is a concern post-boil, pre-cooldown.

 

[cactusgarrett]

I've got lodged in my memory that someone from a BBR or BN podcast referencing some experiments suggesting hotside aeration can actually come from air/oxygen becoming associated with the strike water even prior to mashing. I still wouldn't get the point when you're going to boil and drive off O2 anyway.

For what that's worth, I still think HSA's the boogieman.

 

[remilard]

No. Some breweries actually bubble air through their mash. Listen to this: http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/archive/bs_hsa1-26-09.mp3

I think you should listen to it. Bamforth never denies that HSA occurs in the mash. He differs in opinion from some other brewing scientists on the question of whether or not that is a bad thing.

 

[bakins]

I think you should listen to it. Bamforth never denies that HSA occurs in the mash. He differs in opinion from some other brewing scientists on the question of whether or not that is a bad thing.

Okay - true. Most folks just say "OMG! HSA! world is ending!", so I generally read (on HB boards at least) HSA as the "big boogie man that ruins every beer so never ever let air come into contact with hot wort" as it has been presented in lots of places.

 

[ajf]

Thanks for that post.
Greg Noonan "New Brewing Lager Beers" states "As opposed to British infusion mashes which are entrained with air and "float,"..."
I always thought he didn't know what he was talking about, because I'm British, infusion mash, and don't do that.
Perhaps he knew something I didn't.
To be honest, I know that he knew more about brewing than I ever will, but that was one thing I hadn't seen anywhere else.

-a.