Aeration of Mead...

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Howling_Moon_Woffie

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HI everyone- back again with a quick one. Been watching Youtube to see the DO's and DON'Ts of the whole Brewing of Mead. There are a few people out there that take the time to put O2 in the Must before pitching. Anyone have opinions either way? They SAY you can drink it sooner...

...but then again I also hear you can drain the Stanly Cup dry with Home Brew and not get a hangover either.

Since I'm gathering my supplies to make a Melomel I sort of wanted to know what you think about it.

Thanks!

Woffie
 
Yeast need O2 its good for them and gives them a better start and its much needed to give them a good start. Its suggested to do it the first few days into fermentation as well. It helps for a healthy full-fermentation in which you need that even more importantly with high gravity, not to be able to drink sooner. The yeast will need nutrients also to maintain a healthy ferment.
 
I've heard it is bad to shake oxygen in after the loess has started to settle at bottom of primary. Creates off-flavours. T/F?
 
Well...fermentation is an anaerobic action so Logically O2 should not make a change. That's why I asked. So you all say it does make it better and I can't see where it would hurt any so I'm doing it for this next batch. Hell...if I thought waving a magic chicken bone over the batch would help I would do it. ;)

Almost ready to start the magic...meeting up with the Honey connection on Monday. :fro:
 
Well...fermentation is an anaerobic action so Logically O2 should not make a change. That's why I asked. So you all say it does make it better and I can't see where it would hurt any so I'm doing it for this next batch. Hell...if I thought waving a magic chicken bone over the batch would help I would do it. ;)

Almost ready to start the magic...meeting up with the Honey connection on Monday. :fro:
Aeration isn't for the mead, it's for the yeast. Honey is quite acidic inasfaras it's got a low pH, plus it can give osmotic shock if the honey/sugars content of a must is too high.

Yeast needs some O2, to develop a good colony, but whether anyone has actually done a study to see whether it matters, whether shaking/stirring is enough or whether there's any real benefit to be as anal as pumped compressed O2 though and "airstone"..... I don't know.

Just that I tend to aerate at least once a day until the batch has hit the 1/3rd sugar break. I combine that with my nutrient/energiser additions to try and give the yeast the best chance of survival so it can then do it's thing and produce the target alcohol level (often it's tolerance......)

I either start batches in a bucket and then blitz the batch with a stick blender or I will sanitise the liquidiser and then blitz a pint or two in that, returning it to the main batch afterward.........
 
Yes it goes.... shaking good, bubbler better, pure o2 best. Its not exactly critical to oxynegate the best way though. And yes I beleive Ive read that you can possibly over aerate also, its probably got to be pretty excessive though, Im kinda foggy on how much and why exactly. If you have plentiful viable yeast though then it would not matter as much thats why you can dry pitch and even sometimes without aeration depending on the circumstances. The fact of the matter is that you want to have enough of or more than enough of viable yeast to do the job, more o2 will improve the colony as would hydrating or making a starter would also, yeast nutrient/energizer etc.. But you dont know exactly how viable your yeast is ,so these things just help assure that.
 
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