Choosing Aeration Equipment

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

WiscBrewer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
89
Reaction score
18
I'm going to give aeration a try using an oxygen tank and have a couple of questions.
1. I see I can choose between a .5 and a 2 micron stone. Is either size OK?

2. What's the advantage of the stone/rod setup over a stone that attaches directly to a plastic tube? Is the rod worth the extra cost? Thanks
 
I've been wondering about this lately myself and seeing your post reminded me to ask. I've been just stirring up the wort vigorously, or pouring it between 2 buckets prior to pitching. Is that inferior?
 
1. Either size should be fine.

2. The rod gives you a little more control when manipulating where you're aerating, but I personally don't think it adds anything meaningful. Mine is just hose-clamped directly to some tubing.

Also, just a terminology clarification, you're talking about oxygenation, not aeration. "Oxygenation" is mixing oxygen into the beer/wort, "aeration" is mixing air into the beer/wort (such as by splashing, with a stirring rod, or an aquarium pump).
 
I recently upgraded my setup to include an oxygen stone. I now use a .5 micron stone attached to tubing. I've had great results so far and would highly recommend adding oxygenation to your setup. Previously I partial mashed and just stirred vigorously and poured heavily while topping up to full volume. Anything to make the yeast happier will make the beer better/more consistent.
 
1. Either size should be fine.

2. The rod gives you a little more control when manipulating where you're aerating, but I personally don't think it adds anything meaningful. Mine is just hose-clamped directly to some tubing.

Also, just a terminology clarification, you're talking about oxygenation, not aeration. "Oxygenation" is mixing oxygen into the beer/wort, "aeration" is mixing air into the beer/wort (such as by splashing, with a stirring rod, or an aquarium pump).


Thanks for the clarification regarding terminology! Good to know!
 
I've been wondering about this lately myself and seeing your post reminded me to ask. I've been just stirring up the wort vigorously, or pouring it between 2 buckets prior to pitching. Is that inferior?


From what I read, that'll get your oxygen level to about 4 ppm. That's less than half the ideal level.
 
Back
Top