Do I really need O2?

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Grossy

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Do I need O2 for beers under 7% ABV?

I have an O2 wand already, I'm just getting tired of buying the canisters, especially when I turn the valve "off" in the wrong direction.

I really am not interested in making high gravity beers, 7% ABV is the high end limit for me.

So does it really matter?
 
Need? No idea.

But my limited experience shows I get faster, more aggressive fermentation after I started using O2.

The $10 disposable cylinder is a pain for sure... I likely would just do the pour and shake aeration if I did not already have O2 cylinders on hand.

I've done the same recipe now with and without... So I "think" using O2 makes a difference.

Perhaps you could do the same in reverse. ..
 
O2 makes for healthier yeast no matter what the gravity. I still made really good beer before I started aerating with O2 but I think it is a vital part of making the best beer I can. Just my 2 cents. I also found several canisters on sale for $3 at my local hardware store so that helps!
 
I've been aerating for 2 minutes with a paint stirrer attached to an electric drill. Pretty sure that gets me to the max O2 ppm, without using extraneous gaseous Oxygen. No fermentation or flavor issues so far (10 batches) and most are big beers.... 9-12% abv. Just gotta do everything else right, including yeast starters and solid pitch rates with temp control
 
butterpants said:
I've been aerating for 2 minutes with a paint stirrer attached to an electric drill. Pretty sure that gets me to the max O2 ppm, without using extraneous gaseous Oxygen. No fermentation or flavor issues so far (10 batches) and most are big beers.... 9-12% abv. Just gotta do everything else right, including yeast starters and solid pitch rates with temp control

That's a good idea using the paint stirrer on the drill! I'm going to try that on my next batch. Are you adding canned O2 at the same time? Or just stirring by itself?
 
I've been aerating for 2 minutes with a paint stirrer attached to an electric drill. Pretty sure that gets me to the max O2 ppm, without using extraneous gaseous Oxygen. No fermentation or flavor issues so far (10 batches) and most are big beers.... 9-12% abv. Just gotta do everything else right, including yeast starters and solid pitch rates with temp control

That's what I do too. Just stir by itself. I use this http://www.midwestsupplies.com/mix-stir-agitator-rod.html

Mine hasn't broken or anything after 20+ brews, so not sure where some of those reviews are coming from. But I have seen a stainless steel version.
 
I get better quality when I use pure O2.

When I first got the wand I was opening the valve too far and the canisters did not last very long. Now I open it until the O2 just starts flowing. I get 40 - 50 gallons from one canister.
 
That's a good idea using the paint stirrer on the drill! I'm going to try that on my next batch. Are you adding canned O2 at the same time? Or just stirring by itself?

Just stir adding in ambient atmospheric oxygen. I'm even at 7000' ASL where the air is much thinner.

Even made a 1.120 OG step fed mead with no issues.

I don't have the patience to do the testing necessary comparing 2 identical batches of brew, limiting the variables to the addition of Oxygen and see if there's a tastable difference.

Certainly, adding a specific amount of O2 is a good thing. If you're treading the fine line of pitch #'s it might even be necessary for you.....

Now I'm a minimalist is many ways and pragmatic in the rest. If all your ducks are in a row otherwise, I think you can make good beer with only a little effort at oxygenation. I have buddies that take this to the extreme and don't even shake up the primary then pitch one measly packet of dehydrated yeast on top..... I think they are sloppy beer scientists amd their beer has flaws.... but I'll still drink the ****!
 
Wig said:
That's what I do too. Just stir by itself. I use this http://www.midwestsupplies.com/mix-stir-agitator-rod.html

Mine hasn't broken or anything after 20+ brews, so not sure where some of those reviews are coming from. But I have seen a stainless steel version.



image-4249918979.jpg

Got this at my lhbs. Works great. I don't think it will ever break.
 
Need? No. Will it help? Certainly
I've got an RIS that started out at 1.106 and fermented just fine using the shake and swirl method. Using appropriately sized starters are easier to do and at least as important. If you were going for reproducibility, yeast washing, or quick ferments then I'd say O2 injection is 'required' but to just make a good one-off, no.
Like other people said, if the rest of your process is solid, O2 can be neglected.
 
Do I need O2 for beers under 7% ABV?

...

So does it really matter?

That depends on whether you want good beer or not. The guys that make the best beer attend to a lot of details like liquor mineral content, controlling mash pH, using decoction mashing (where appropriate), controlling pitching rates, closely controlling fermentation temperature(s) and oxygenation of the wort. Omit any of these and there will be diminishment but you can make a drinkable beer without bothering with many of them. If all you want is a yellowish, fizzy, alcoholic liquid then don't worry about oxygenation. If your motivation is beer better than you can buy then do.
 
That depends on whether you want good beer or not. The guys that make the best beer attend to a lot of details like liquor mineral content, controlling mash pH, using decoction mashing (where appropriate), controlling pitching rates, closely controlling fermentation temperature(s) and oxygenation of the wort. Omit any of these and there will be diminishment but you can make a drinkable beer without bothering with many of them. If all you want is a yellowish, fizzy, alcoholic liquid then don't worry about oxygenation. If your motivation is beer better than you can buy then do.

I think you can make good beer, even VERY good beer without O2. I have won a few small local comps and I have never used O2. Now, to make the jump to world class, GREAT beer, maybe you do need O2. To suggest you can only make yellowish, fizzy, alcoholic liquid witout O2 is absurd.
 
To suggest you can only make yellowish, fizzy, alcoholic liquid witout O2 is absurd.

To suggest that that is what was being suggested is absurd. One can, for example, make dark beers with or without O2. Yellowish, fizzy, alcoholic liquid is a metaphor for mediocre beer. As I guess the point was missed I'll put it another way. One maximizes the probability of getting a good, very good or excellent beer by paying attention to details such as oxygenation. One does not make a first class bearnaise without chervil. One does not make the best beers without oxygen (though that alone won't do it anymore than just chervil will make the bearnaise).

In my experience the "I don't use oxygen and a BJCP judge told me my beers are really good" type of comment doesn't count for much. Now if you say you won the Ninkasi Award three times running and don't use O2 I want to talk to you. There have been some experiments in which rather than supplying oxygen to encourage sterol production the wort was dosed with sterols in the form of olive oil. Early results seemed to be encouraging.

If you think you are making very good beer without O2 then I strongly suggest making some with O2. You might be surprised at how much better the resulting product is. OTOH you might not find it better at all. That depends on a lot of things including your palate. The probability is that you will be pleased.
 
This thread got my mind churning and now I'm the proud owner of an O2 system. Let the experiments begin.
 
I use pure O2 with a diffusion stone and rod because it doesn't take long, it's easy, and it works. I think you'll enjoy your purchase. If you didn't have to worry about blowoffs before, I would recommend getting ready for them now.
 
I use pure O2 with a diffusion stone and rod because it doesn't take long, it's easy, and it works. I think you'll enjoy your purchase. If you didn't have to worry about blowoffs before, I would recommend getting ready for them now.

Usually running 5gal batches in 7.9 gal buckets. Only had 1 time I needed a blowoff and it was pretty epic

What type of metal conduit are you running the vinyl through?
 
I bought it as a kit. The metal rod connects to the stone and the tubing slips right over the end. It makes it easy to move around in the fermenter to disperse the O2 bubbles. After using it I realized that the rod isn't strictly necessary but more of a convenience because you can kick a lot of O2 through those little stones.
 
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