aerating for AG

[oguss0311]

My current procedure to aerate my PM brews is to pour the wort into the primary- (Where 2 gal. of near frozen water await)- then back into the kettle, etc. for a few times. I read that it's not even such an issue with extract and PM boils, as aerated water is added to bring your wort to 5 gal.

Will pouring back and forth suffice when I step it up to AG and do full boils? I searched "Aerate"- and read a lot- but I'm not sure if everyone is referring to full boils.

I'm considering a stone, but there is plenty of equipment to gather- and as you might have inferred, I don't have a wort chiller yet- b/c adding very cold water to my 2-3 gal boils gets me to fermenting temps instantly. I'll miss how simple that part of it is.

 

[malkore]

You'll NEED a wort chiller for sure. 5 gallons of hot wort can take over 24 hours to cool all on its own.

once you have it cooled, you can pour it several times to aerate, as long as you're paying strict attention to santizing.

 

[big supper]

We do a vigorous pour from kettle to pail. We also stir it up a lot. I have a friend that uses one of those electric hand mixers to aerate!!!!!!

 

[oguss0311]

You'll NEED a wort chiller for sure. 5 gallons of hot wort can take over 24 hours to cool all on its own.

once you have it cooled, you can pour it several times to aerate, as long as you're paying strict attention to santizing.

Yeah, I'm thinking about the 50ft 1/2 inch submersion chillers that I see- b/c it will work with 10 gal. batches from what I see- and its not Super expensive.
I have been pouring from the kettle to the carboy via a sanitized funnel- enough times that the foamy head of aerated wort fills the carboy and I have to let it settle a moment to get the rest in. Thats really 4-5 times though.

An electric mixer? Thats great! I also saw some one on here who used a wire wisk "until their arm is sore". I'd go there- but would like to plan for something a little less labor intensive if I can help it.

 

[CEMaine]

I understood that splashing the wort can cause oxidation. That is why I went to a fish pump aerator. It is aerating a batch of Saassy Pilsner at this very moment.

 

[Castle Meadow Brewery]

I just read a post on this with an attachment from Wyeast. Wyeast said:

Oxygen requirement is variable depending on: yeast strain employed, original gravity of wort, and wort trub levels.

Some yeast strains have higher oxygen requirements than others. It is generally safe to assume that you need at least 10ppm of oxygen. 10ppm will supply adequate oxygen in most situations. Over-oxygenation is generally not a concern as the yeast will use all available oxygen within 3 to 9 hours of pitching and oxygen will come out of solution during that time as well. Under-oxygenation is a much bigger concern.

High original gravity (>1.065) wort, in addition to increasing osmotic stress on yeast, can cause problems with achieving adequate levels of dissolved oxygen. As the gravity of wort increases, solubility of oxygen decreases. Increased temperatures also decrease the solubility of wort.

The unsaturated fatty acids found in wort trub can be utilized by yeast for membrane synthesis. If wort trub levels are low, yeast will need to synthesize more of these lipids and therefore will require more oxygen.

Methods of Aeration / Oxygenation

Homebrewers have several aeration/oxygenation methods available to them: siphon sprays, whipping, splashing, shaking, pumping air through a stone with an aquarium pump, and injecting pure oxygen through a scintered stone. We have tested all of these methods using a dissolved oxygen meter and have found that, when using air, 8 ppm of oxygen in solution is the best that you can achieve. Injecting oxygen through a stone will allow much higher dissolved oxygen levels. The chart below shows methods tested and the results.

• Siphon Spray 4 ppm 0 sec.
• Splashing & Shaking 8 ppm 40 sec.
• Aquarium Pump w/ stone 8 ppm 5 min
• Pure Oxygen w/ stone 0-26ppm 60 sec (12ppm)

It was concluded that pumping compressed air through a stone is not an efficient way to provide adequate levels of DO. Traditional splashing and shaking, although laborious, is fairly efficient at dissolving up to 8 ppm oxygen. To increase levels of oxygen, the carboy headspace can be purged with pure oxygen prior to shaking. The easiest and most effective method remains injecting pure oxygen through a scintered stone.

 

[kenb]

I understood that splashing the wort can cause oxidation. That is why I went to a fish pump aerator. It is aerating a batch of Saassy Pilsner at this very moment.

Splashing cooled wort before pitching will not cause oxidation issues later. It will however oxygenate the wort by as much as 8ppm, which is what you want. I have used the old fashioned 'shake the carboy' method for about 20 batches and it worked quite well.

 

[mgable]

what I have been doing is as I fill my fermentation bucket with my auto syphen I keep filling a gallon water jug 1/3 to 1/2 full and shake it vigoruosly. then add it to the fermentor. seems to be working fine so far ( 4 batches)

 

[wildwest450]

You'll NEED a wort chiller for sure. 5 gallons of hot wort can take over 24 hours to cool all on its own.

once you have it cooled, you can pour it several times to aerate, as long as you're paying strict attention to santizing.

I can get down to pitching temps in 20 minutes with free ice from my fridge and a big utility tub. Nice mabey, necessary, hardly.

 

[oguss0311]

what I have been doing is as I fill my fermentation bucket with my auto syphen I keep filling a gallon water jug 1/3 to 1/2 full and shake it vigoruosly. then add it to the fermentor. seems to be working fine so far ( 4 batches)

right on- thanks man-I like that idea, though it does involve the sanitation of a gal. jug of what-have-you.
I also like all posts prior, though I have a hard time discriminating between parts per million and all other pats of my process at the moment.
I've been drinking.
Damn life feels fine

 

[eriktlupus]

when you buy your boil pot for ag make sure it has a spigot of some sort.. i set mine on the counter and drain into my bucket through a ss mesh splatter screen. it aerates worts very nicely and is labor un-intensive so i can finish cleaning and putting away my burners, spoons, mlt,,,,etc:rockin:

 

[oguss0311]

Thats not a bad idea- I intend to end up with a keggle asap- so thats an option.

 

[Kayos]

I use this
http://morebeer.com/view_product/15779/
and this
http://morebeer.com/view_product/15778

$10 and aeration is complete.

 

[njnear76]

Splashing cooled wort before pitching will not cause oxidation issues later. It will however oxygenate the wort by as much as 8ppm, which is what you want. I have used the old fashioned 'shake the carboy' method for about 20 batches and it worked quite well.

I agree. I pour back and forth from the pot to a bucket. You don't have to pour the full volume every time. That could be a strain on the back. Pouring 2-3 gallons back and forth about 15-20 times and you will have enough oxygen in solution.

 

[oguss0311]

I agree. I pour back and forth from the pot to a bucket. You don't have to pour the full volume every time. That could be a strain on the back. Pouring 2-3 gallons back and forth about 15-20 times and you will have enough oxygen in solution.

Good to go. Since this is the method that I had used- I'll stick with it- and not spend money. I was just not too sure if this current method would still be effective with full boils.
(AG setup just got a little bit cheaper).

Thanks everyone- for all the feedback.

 

[kmlavoy]

Using ice to cool your wort is not really the best idea. The freezer harbors all sorts of stuff that would just love to take over your brew. I'm not willing to risk a batch like that personally. I'm not a handy dude generally speaking, and with some copper tubing, borrowed tools, and compression fittings, I was able to make a chiller in less than an hour. It looks like it was designed by Frank Gehry, but everyone who comes over to help is always amazed at how something so ugly actually works.

As far as aerating is concerned: I got one of those thingys that you attach to a drill. You sanitize it, stick it in the carboy, and let 'er rip. I "aerated" for about a minute and a half yesterday that way, and had 3+ inches of foam in my primary. I had back surgery a year and a half ago, and I felt that the carboy shaking thing was going to end in tears at some point.

Also, for both of these things: I'm early into my all-grain career, and my MO is to get myself to a point where I can consistently make good beers. I felt like the best way to do that was to easily be able to replicate what I do from beer to beer, technique-wise. That's why I did this the way I did, and have been really happy with the results so far.

 

[oguss0311]

right- I never use Ice- I leave 3-4 gal. of bottled water in the freezer.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I like my filtered aquarium pump. It was ~$20 and works like a champ. Once my chiller gets the wort below 80 degF I pop in the air-stone and start a whirlpool. By the time I am at pitching temps, I have a trub cone and ~8ppm dissolved oxygen. I think this is a very consistent process with a low upfront cost.

 

[njnear76]

Good to go. Since this is the method that I had used- I'll stick with it- and not spend money. I was just not too sure if this current method would still be effective with full boils.
(AG setup just got a little bit cheaper).

Thanks everyone- for all the feedback.

When you get a chance you can build a immersion wort chiller. I suggest going with 50 feet of the 3/8" from here. It's pretty easy to build one. All you need is a coffee can or paint can to bend around. The tube spring benders could be useful for bringing up the input and output tubes. In my humble opinion a wort chiller is more important than an aeration device. The technique I suggested will work just fine.

Later,
Mike

http://coppertubingsales.com/

 

[Soulive]

I think I'm gonna go with the oxygenation kit from Williams Brewing. Nothing else seems to be sufficient and their price is right...

 

[freyguy]

I use a pure O2 kit and really like it. I just throw the stone and hose all conected to the tank in the starsan for a minute or so, then turn it on as I pull it out of the sanitizer, and then right into the carboy. Leave it for a minute as I get the yeast ready, take it out and pitch. Couldn't be easier. 1 $7 tank will last me at least 5 batches, probably more like 6 or 7. So about $60 initial, then around $1 per batch for O2.

And I'm a big fan of my counterflow wort chiller used in conjunction with my hop stopper. Go right from the boil, to cooled wort in no time at all. No stirring or anything.

 

[broadbill]

I can get down to pitching temps in 20 minutes with free ice from my fridge and a big utility tub. Nice mabey, necessary, hardly.

You can??? I've tried cooling in a using your method and it usually took at least 3-4 hours to get the beer to pitching temps.

So you are putting the carboy in a utility tub and surrounding it with ice? No stirring of the wort?

 

[kenb]

You can??? I've tried cooling in a using your method and it usually took at least 3-4 hours to get the beer to pitching temps.

So you are putting the carboy in a utility tub and surrounding it with ice? No stirring of the wort?

I used to do it in my sink like that 20 lbs of ice surrounding my kettle. With the lid off, it would cool to 72f in about 30 minutes.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

That ice bath must be for a partial boil, correct? I don't think 20lbs of ice in a sink would cool 5g of any liquid let alone wort to 72 in 30 minutes. I tried this with my first full volume boil and it took about an hour and a half with about 50 lbs of ice and a ton of stirring.

Go for the chiller.

 

[kenb]

That ice bath must be for a partial boil, correct? I don't think 20lbs of ice in a sink would cool 5g of any liquid let alone wort to 72 in 30 minutes. I tried this with my first full volume boil and it took about an hour and a half with about 50 lbs of ice and a ton of stirring.

Go for the chiller.

Yeah, come to think of it, that was when i first started and was doing extract with partial boil..so it would have been about 2-3 gallons...now i do AG 5 gallon with an immersion chiller, which takes about 20 minutes in the winter or 30 in the summer..

 

[FEARDIZ]

i was just going to post about aeration with pouring from the kettle to the primary and back and forth was a good meathod.. looks like I had a good idea after all

 

[wildwest450]

You can??? I've tried cooling in a using your method and it usually took at least 3-4 hours to get the beer to pitching temps.

So you are putting the carboy in a utility tub and surrounding it with ice? No stirring of the wort?

Yes, I do stir in addition to the ice bath. I put my aluminum brew kettle in an icebath in a large utility tub, and stir away. I don't stir continuously, and I also grab the pot by the handles and swirl in a circular motion. I think the aluminum pot has a lot to do with it, they transfer heat and cold very well. And my batches are a full 5.5 gallons.

 

[sigmund]

I use a paint stirrer and an electric drill to areate my wort. I get lots of air bubbles coming out and I don't have to hump the wort back and forth.

 

[Liquidicem]

I just brewed a batch Monday afternoon and tried something new. I'm not a big fan of shaking a full carboy or trying to dump it back and forth.

What I did was shake/slosh the carboy for 60 seconds or so every couple minutes while the wort was being siphoned from the kettle to the carboy. This made things very easy and I had very active fermentation going within 24 hours. This was an extract full boil brew.