Simonh82
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2015
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This may be a completely idiotic idea (and I'm entirely prepared to believe that it is) but I'd like to explore the idea of generating oxygen to aid wort aeration from sodium percarbonate.
My current aeration methods are fairly standard. I let the wort flow from my boiler at a height, into my fermentation vessel and thrash it with a paddle as it fills up. When it's about half full I put the lid on and shake it hard for a couple of minutes and then carry on filling and thrashing. If I'm feeling particularly strong, I might give it another shake when it is full. This method has served me reasonably well, the worst I've suffered is a couple of semi stalled brews which needed a bit of a stir to get the yeast going again.
In Yeast, by Chris White, I read that you can reach the recommended level of dissolved oxygen by shaking the vessel after filling the head space with pure O2. I don't want to invest in a proper oxygen rig for financial and space reasons so I'm considering other ways to do this.
I've seen a method of purging vessels and head spaces of air by putting vinegar and sodium bicarbonate in a bottle and running a tube through a hole in the lid. The reaction generates CO2 and this can be used to purge a vessel with.
Has anyone tried doing something similar with Sodium Parcarbonate and water? I have a cheap and easily available source in my local £ shop which sells big tubs as laundry stain remover.
If I were to try this, is water the best thing to dissolve it in? I know these kind of strongly oxidising materials can be dangerous so I don't want to blow up my house, or my beer.
Is this a ridiculous idea, or something worth trying?
PS. with the greatest respect I don't want to turn this into a 'I never bother doing anything to aerate' vs 'you can only achieve good beer with pure O2' debate.
My current aeration methods are fairly standard. I let the wort flow from my boiler at a height, into my fermentation vessel and thrash it with a paddle as it fills up. When it's about half full I put the lid on and shake it hard for a couple of minutes and then carry on filling and thrashing. If I'm feeling particularly strong, I might give it another shake when it is full. This method has served me reasonably well, the worst I've suffered is a couple of semi stalled brews which needed a bit of a stir to get the yeast going again.
In Yeast, by Chris White, I read that you can reach the recommended level of dissolved oxygen by shaking the vessel after filling the head space with pure O2. I don't want to invest in a proper oxygen rig for financial and space reasons so I'm considering other ways to do this.
I've seen a method of purging vessels and head spaces of air by putting vinegar and sodium bicarbonate in a bottle and running a tube through a hole in the lid. The reaction generates CO2 and this can be used to purge a vessel with.
Has anyone tried doing something similar with Sodium Parcarbonate and water? I have a cheap and easily available source in my local £ shop which sells big tubs as laundry stain remover.
If I were to try this, is water the best thing to dissolve it in? I know these kind of strongly oxidising materials can be dangerous so I don't want to blow up my house, or my beer.
Is this a ridiculous idea, or something worth trying?
PS. with the greatest respect I don't want to turn this into a 'I never bother doing anything to aerate' vs 'you can only achieve good beer with pure O2' debate.