I'm attempting my 4th batch soon and had a quick question about fermentation/aeration. My last batch was an IPA, and I managed to get the highest OG and lowest FG and attributed my successful fermentation to me whisking the pitched yeast on the beer, therefore aerating the mix. I'm going to do an RIS next and am using a Wyeast which the guy at my LHBS said wouldn't need a starter for, but I wanted to make sure I don't screw this one up. ANy tips or tricks for aerating the wort for optimal results? I'm hoping to max this one out abv wise, which should put me around the 9.3 mark. Should I primary in my plastic bucket still or use my glass carboy to swirl the hell out of it?
Best method of aeration?
- Thread starter MrPostman
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Butter
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I use a carboy, so I'm partial to that, but it doesn't matter. As far as aeration goes, I got the o2 injection kit from Williams Brewing. Just open the valve enough where there's a nice steady stream of bubbles and shut it off after a minute or two. Made a huge difference on lag times, shortened it a bunch. Never thought shaking the carboy or bucket did much IMO as far as aeration goes.
I use a paint mixer attached to my drill,got it at home depot for 5 bucks. They sell good ones thru homebrew stores.If you have a funnel and strainer that is a good start as well as shaking it. THere are also aeration tips that attach to the end of a racking cane tube if you do that. And there is also the fish tank type bubblers.02 is suppose to be the best.
TyTanium
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Shake the snot out of the carboy, like 5 mins. I think the max you can get with air (shaking, stirring, mixing, whisking) is ~8ppm dissolved O2. Only way to get more is with pure oxygen. I've had no issues with just shaking for beers under 1.100 though.
jiggs_casey
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Once the wort has cooled to pitch temp, I transfer it using a one gallon pitcher from bk to fermenter(s) and pour from about a foot above the top of the bucket. Depending on the style, I will sometimes pour the wort through a screen mesh colander. Works out pretty well for me...
BrewKnurd
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Optimal O2 concentrations are around 10 ppm, and the only way to get that is O2. That's not to say you can't make very good beer w/o O2, but if you want optimal, that's the way to go.
Also, for an RIS, I would definitely do a starter regardless of what the guy at the LHBS told you.
right there the alarm bells should have gone off. these boards are creaking with people who did what "the guy at the LHBS" said to do (or not do for that matter). why are LHBS employees so.....
From what I've heard/read, outside of an injection system, pouring some wort back and forth between kettle and primary, and shaking the carboy are the best methods.
EDIT: I should say, outside of using any additional equipment, not sure how an aeration tip or a whisk might compare to the above methods.
EDIT: I should say, outside of using any additional equipment, not sure how an aeration tip or a whisk might compare to the above methods.
I pour my chilled wort & top off water through a fine mesh strainer sitting on top of my fermenter. Works so well I get 3-5 inches of foam on top. Then stir roughly for 5 solid minutes as well. It aerates well,but also mixes the wort & top off water way better. An air injection system or o2 would def be the best if you can afford it.
jmoney7728
Member
Amen:rockin:
wolverinebrewer
Well-Known Member
I do this also but I pour back and forth 5 times from kettle to fermenter and back. I scrape out the strainer between pours. I add the decanted yeast starter to the fermenter after the 2nd pour and pour 3 more times. I always have foam coming over the top of the bucket which I then have to scoop a little off the top before adding the lid.
Calichusetts
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Triple strained then shake it like a polaroid picture for about 5 minutes...this is a one gallon batch so its very easy
daveooph131
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MrPostman said:
if you don't want to screw this up please make a stater. Why the lhbs guy would have told to this is not necessary is beyond me. You definitely need to pitch a lot if yeast and then aerate well in top of that to have a healthy fermentation.
brushvalleybrewer
Well-Known Member
Read this. Splash the wort during transfer and shake the fermenter for 40 seconds (8 ppm), or get an oxugen stone (more than 8 ppm). Also, try the Mr. Malty yeast pitching rate calculator for what size starter you need.
BrewKnurd
Well-Known Member
That is really interesting. White Labs ran a similar experiment and ended up with 2.7 ppm with 5 minutes of shaking. That's a huge discrepancy between the two results, really curious about that.
I'm still new (5 batches) but I'll transfer half the wort to the carboy, pitch my yeast, then shake the heck out of it. After that I'll transfer the rest of the wort, and shake again. It has worked so far with only 3-5 hours lag time to good fermentation. All my beers have been 1.075 OG and below.
chickypad
lupulin shift victim
Right. Then they fermented these worts with the different aeration methods and found a full degree Plato difference in attenuation between shaking for 5 min vs. using O2 stone for 60 sec. Something doesn't add up.
LandoLincoln
Well-Known Member
According to this writeup by Fred Johnson, shaking the wort is the best method. Strange, but (maybe) true.
Source:
http://www.brewangels.com/Beerformation/AerationMethods.pdf
Source:
http://www.brewangels.com/Beerformation/AerationMethods.pdf
chickypad
lupulin shift victim
Looks like this is room air though, like an aquarium pump. Not pure O2.
LandoLincoln
Well-Known Member
True. But for no extra cost at all, you can get 90% oxygenated wort for four minutes worth of shaking. Me likey.
I actually use 2 colanders, 1 is fine and metal mesh the other is all plastic and larger holes, it not only strains real well, but is allows alot of air into the bucket (or carboy which I have a large funnel for) and then I shake it well just for extra goodness. Seriously, the double colanders cause the wort to foam up fierce in the bucket even without a good shaking. Water picks up O2 really well, so simply separating and re-combining the liquid produces a good amount of O2. If its a bucket, I like to take a big plastic soup ladle and push down, it creates a dragging pocket of air behind it.
Calichusetts
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Same...mine is actually triple strained but I am foaming even be for I shake...plus with a one gallon jug, shaking that bad larry up for a few minutes is no issue, not even a workout
BrewKnurd
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Yeah, but i'm pretty sure he's talking saturation point of O2 when the wort is in a standard air environment. And that point is around 8 ppm. Just because you can get to 90% of the "saturation point" doesn't mean you can only get 10% more O2 in. i.e. what's considered 100% in this experiment isn't the limit of what you'll get when you use pure O2.
TyTanium
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Bingo. Definitely agree. The max with air is ~8ppm and this study shows the fastest way to get there. Add O2, and you can blow the roof off 8ppm
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