Effective way to oxygenate wort?

[Heavywalker]

At this point I am doing extract brews, I do 3 gallon boils and top up to 5 gallons. My beer turns out really good, but I am wondering if there is more I can do to help my yeast not be stressed, or if I am giving them enough oxygen to get started.

My method is I make the wort, then chill it with my immersion chiller. Since I ferment in a 6 gallon carboy, I take my wort in my pot to the carboy and dump the wort into a funnel and the wort splashes into the bottom. I do the same after I boil my top up water. By the time I get done topping up the foam that has formed is coming out the top of the carboy. I feel like this is getting the wort oxygenated enough before pitching but is there more I can do?

 

[Hello]

You could buy an oxygenator if you wanted.

http://morebeer.com/category/wort-oxygenation-aeration-systems.html

 

[Heavywalker]

I guess what I am asking is, if my method effectively oxygenates the wort. I realize I can buy things, but if it is sufficiently oxygenated then I would want to avoid having to buy anything.

 

[DurtyChemist]

I guess what I am asking is, if my method effectively oxygenates the wort. I realize I can buy things, but if it is sufficiently oxygenated then I would want to avoid having to buy anything.

It depends who you ask. If you hit the go final gravity you're looking forgot works just fine I use to go bottling bucket, ferment or, bottling bucket, fermenter, yeast. I've also used a white whisk. I've all used a big spoon. If you're getting foam to the top of the bucket you're doing a good job in my book.

 

[Likefully]

I feel like this is getting the wort oxygenated enough before pitching but is there more I can do?

I have recently read quite an academic piece on oxygenating wort. Wort can only absorb/hold a limited amount of oxygen so not worth getting concerned with trying to get more in.

The experiment suggested that shaking the wort is only marginally less effective than an air pump and that the margin is not worth the investment (unless of course you can't shake your fermenter!).

 

[KeninMN]

...an ideal amount of oxygen in your wort, according to the folks at Wyeast. Happy yeast = Happy beer. For a $35 investment ($25 for a valve and $10 for a hardware store O2 tank) you can guarantee happy yeast while shortening you lag time. Win-win! It's the easiest upgrade you'll never regret...

 

[fearwig]

Pouring between sanitized buckets is very effective. You get a lot more force and some of that water dynamic action, so it froths up a lot after just a few pours. I pour back and forth from a height until the froth threatens to spill over the rim (adding my yeast sometime in the middle). You can also do this while it's cold (in which case don't add the yeast yet), but I find I get all the aeration I need from this method by doing it at pitch temp. If I do this and use nutrient, I tend to see a 7-10 day turnaround. I've never had an infection of any sort. If you are concerned about that, do it somewhere clean, or at least not your kitchen (outdoors is actually probably cleaner than your kitchen, in terms of likely beer contaminants).

 

[DarthCitra]

Get a bubble going in your auto siphon when transferring from kettle to carboy. Why buy any equipment at all.

 

[Bobby_M]

The pouring method has the downside of significantly increased exposure to airborne wild yeast. Of course, it's a bit of a paranoid take but I even like to cover my carboy tops until I'm ready to put a stopper/airlock on. Since the OP is only boiling and chilling 3 gallons, there's plenty of head space to get a really good shake before adding the topoff water. Shaking is the best you can do short of adding pure O2 as far as how much oxygen makes it into solution.

 

[fearwig]

As long as your yeast is healthy and your containers are sanitized, you are really not at risk of exposure to levels of contaminants that will take hold before your yeast does. I will probably die before homebrewers realize it, but most contamination is from contact, not airborne (airlock salesmen notwithstanding). Again, I've never had an infection in all this time, and it's because I focus on the things I need to worry about, rather than the concerns propagated to get people worried into buying more LHBS trinkets. You should all give it a try, because the very worst thing that can happen is that you have to brew more another batch of beer (god forbid, like we don't enjoy that) and switch back to your old paranoid ways. If you get infections, it's not from air contact, not unless you let your beer sit around excessively after fermentation when it should be in a CO2 rich environment. The main thing that protects your beer is active yeast and maintaining unsuitability for contaminants, not shutting out exposure to every microscopic spore--that just won't happen. Open fermentation wouldn't ever work if that was the key to avoiding infection.

Not trying to be snarky here at all, but really--the pour method works, and 2-3 minutes' exposure to the immediate air around you is beyond insignificant in terms of contamination risk when your wort is about to undergo the onslaught your healthy yeast will give it. I don't doubt the efficacy of an O2 bottle, but I think that's off the table for a lot of people who don't want one more $40 piece of single-tasker equipment sitting around their house.

I don't argue that shaking doesn't work, it just doesn't work anywhere near as well (which you can see plainly from the foam), and doing it in a way that comes even close to pouring will put your darn back out.

 

[hunter_le five]

Splashing wort to aerate is better than nothing, but not ideal. It'll probably get you where you need to go (your target FG), but for an ideal fermentation, using pure O2 is best.

It's just a matter of whether or not you think it's worth the investment. Splashing wort around is free, but comes with a (albeit remote) contamination risk, and will not get you to an ideal oxygen saturation point (though probably "good enough" for lower gravity ales and lagers).

You can get a good oxygenation setup for <$50, and pretty much guarantee that you always have enough O2 for a good fermentation and happy yeast.

For what it's worth, I've used the splashing method for most of my brewing career, and I've only had issues (under-attenuation, never contamination) a few times. But for me $50 was worth the peace of mind and better/faster/cleaner ferments.

 

[Flboy]

I lay my carboy on it's side, with a solid cap, and roll it back and forth. I used to pick up and shake(plastic carboy) and the friggin handle broke off! Yes, saved the beer, but threw my shoulder out!!

 

[KeninMN]

Splashing wort around is free, but comes with a (albeit remote) contamination risk, and will not get you to an ideal oxygen saturation point (though probably "good enough" for lower gravity ales and lagers).

Not to mention that shaking a carboy for 2 solid minutes is a lot more work than it seems, and pouring from bucket to bucket isn't easy work either. (Five gallons of wort weighs over 40 pounds, plus the weight of your carboy, which, if it's glass, is not insignificant.) Personally, a healthy back is worth way more than the $35 I shelled out for an O2 valve, aeration stone and tank. But if you're young, strong and invincible, go the shaking and pouring route. Either way you'll end up with beer...

 

[Heavywalker]

Thanks for all the replies. To sum them up, the pour/splashing is sufficient to aerate the wort, however it has its downsides in that there is a slight chance (highly unlikely) for infection, and it admittedly is not easy to hold and pour the wort or top up water from the pot to the carboy. There are better options is one wants to spend the money and get a system to pump in pure O2, and they are fairly inexpensive.

I think my longest lag time has been around 6 hours to see signs of fermentation, so that is pretty good IMO.

 

[fearwig]

I won't get into the "why you should use buckets instead of carboys" rant but this is a factor in that too. A handled bucket makes pouring a breeze.

 

[khawk95]

I use an oxygenation wand with pure o2. It's worth the piece of mind, plus it's a freaking cool tool. I feel like a mad scientist.

You can shake it if you want. Some people don't oxygenate. Some actually use olive oil (I don't recommend it). This is a hobby. Experiment and have fun.


Roed Haus Brewery

 

[fearwig]

The olive oil thing will never, ever die. It is like Mike Myers or Godzilla.

Not to deadhorsewhip but there are about 100,000 things that buy you "peace of mind" in homebrewing (aka pride of purchase, equipment porn). O2 tank isn't actually the worst of them, though.

 

[Likefully]

Not to mention that shaking a carboy for 2 solid minutes is a lot more work than it seems, and pouring from bucket to bucket isn't easy work either. (Five gallons of wort weighs over 40 pounds, plus the weight of your carboy, which, if it's glass, is not insignificant.) Personally, a healthy back is worth way more than the $35 I shelled out for an O2 valve, aeration stone and tank. But if you're young, strong and invincible, go the shaking and pouring route. Either way you'll end up with beer...

That post workout feeling I get after making a brew is a big part of the enjoyment for me. In fact, I often wonder if I had all the gadgets and a set up that removed the physical element of brewing if I would still enjoy it so much!:fro:

 

[AkTom]

putting your wort into your bottling bucket, up on a counter, then simply draining into a funnel into your carboy works pretty good too with minimal lifting and contortions.

 

[bluehende]

This is what I do. I ferment in a bucket. After the wort is chilled I sanitize a colander and place it in the bottom of the bucket. I pour a gallon or so wort on top of it. I then use tongs to pull it out and then shove it down a few times. I repeat this at 3 gallons and then again at 5 gallons. This gets a good froth going and I assume does a lot better than just shaking.