Hot side oxygen

[Red over White]

I am on the lower end of SMB with adjunct lagers, using a macro brewery adjunct mash schedule of doughing in at 113 with YOS still active and 25ppm SMB. For the most other lagers I am between 25 and 40ppm, depending on mash length. Using SMB powder, it easy to calculate the exact dose for the volume of strike water added 5 mins before Dough-in.

PPM x Liters ÷ 1000 = grams

25 x 30 ÷ 1000 = .75 grams SMB for 25 ppm and it should scavenge a total of ~5 ppm O2 during the mash.

My system is pretty tight with only 1 hose change right before the boil, but not automated, hard piped or gas purged. I'm milling into the mashtun as I underlet with gravity. With all hoses in place and YOS water run through them the night before to be completely purged, brew day is really just business as usual for me. The only real extra time added to my process is weighing out the various extra low oxygen brewing water accoutrements and running the pumps for a few minutes to mix everything the night before.

Since I was already fermenting under pressure and doing closed transfers prior to going whole hog low oxygen, it was very easy for me to taste the difference and then continue to tighten up my hot side gear and process for improved low oxygen brewing results. When everything goes according to Hoyle, I end up with some pretty amazing beers on tap that I would be proud to serve to anyone.

 

[beersk]

I am on the lower end of SMB with adjunct lagers, using a macro brewery adjunct mash schedule of doughing in at 113 with YOS still active and 25ppm SMB. For the most other lagers I am between 25 and 40ppm, depending on mash length. Using SMB powder, it easy to calculate the exact dose for the volume of strike water added 5 mins before Dough-in.

PPM x Liters ÷ 1000 = grams

25 x 30 ÷ 1000 = .75 grams SMB for 25 ppm and it should scavenge a total of ~5 ppm O2 during the mash.

My system is pretty tight with only 1 hose change right before the boil, but not automated, hard piped or gas purged. I'm milling into the mashtun as I underlet with gravity. With all hoses in place and YOS water run through them the night before to be completely purged, brew day is really just business as usual for me. The only real extra time added to my process is weighing out the various extra low oxygen brewing water accoutrements and running the pumps for a few minutes to mix everything the night before.

Since I was already fermenting under pressure and doing closed transfers prior to going whole hog low oxygen, it was very easy for me to taste the difference and then continue to tighten up my hot side gear and process for improved low oxygen brewing results. When everything goes according to Hoyle, I end up with some pretty amazing beers on tap that I would be proud to serve to anyone.

Are you doing 5 gallon batches? Sounds like you dose a tad higher than me per gallon of strike water, otherwise the process sounds pretty similar. And I'm now wondering if I should increase my dosage a little...

To @Bassman2003 point about foam in the beginning of the boil - it's tough for me to gauge because I first wort hop every single beer, so the hot break contains the hop oils in it as well. I like that process and likely won't change it. I do get some taige on top of the mash sometimes and sometimes I don't...

 

[Red over White]

Are you doing 5 gallon batches? Sounds like you dose a tad higher than me per gallon of strike water, otherwise the process sounds pretty similar. And I'm now wondering if I should increase my dosage a little...

To @Bassman2003 point about foam in the beginning of the boil - it's tough for me to gauge because I first wort hop every single beer, so the hot break contains the hop oils in it as well. I like that process and likely won't change it. I do get some taige on top of the mash sometimes and sometimes I don't...

I do 5 to 15 gallon batches, with 10 gallons the most common. You likely have a little latitude in your dosage rate. It won't hurt if you went a little higher.

 

[beersk]

I do 5 to 15 gallon batches, with 10 gallons the most common. You likely have a little latitude in your dosage rate. It won't hurt if you went a little higher.

Maybe I'll increase it a tad then. One of these days soon I want to do a side-by-side high splash vs low splash experiment. Not sure if I want to keep both as pressure fermented batches or do the low o2 as pressure fermented and the regular batch as my other process or how I want to do that. Kinda looking for an extreme rather than just testing one variable.
I did a side-by-side back in 2017 on a helles where one was done full low o2, preboil, spunded, etc. and the other was done without any low o2 processes except maybe mashing in from below since that is my process, and not spunded. The beers were very similar with the low o2 batch having a very slight bit more malt character and body as well as being a tad smoother. I had several friends who tried it and they could tell the difference for the most part, but the beers were very very similar and both were excellent. So perhaps my process wasn't/isn't as great as it could be, but meh, whatever. Y'all know where I stand...

 

[Red over White]

Maybe I'll increase it a tad then. One of these days soon I want to do a side-by-side high splash vs low splash experiment. Not sure if I want to keep both as pressure fermented batches or do the low o2 as pressure fermented and the regular batch as my other process or how I want to do that. Kinda looking for an extreme rather than just testing one variable.
I did a side-by-side back in 2017 on a helles where one was done full low o2, preboil, spunded, etc. and the other was done without any low o2 processes except maybe mashing in from below since that is my process, and not spunded. The beers were very similar with the low o2 batch having a very slight bit more malt character and body as well as being a tad smoother. I had several friends who tried it and they could tell the difference for the most part, but the beers were very very similar and both were excellent. So perhaps my process wasn't/isn't as great as it could be, but meh, whatever. Y'all know where I stand...

Definitely report back whenever you get a chance to do that. I found the lack of malt aroma while low oxygen mashing a very telling sign early on. As my process improved the beers got better and better. I need to do the same experiment, but everything is to good to change anything!

 

[Bassman2003]

Yes, FWH makes it tough to see a clear picture. But I agree, FWH is cool so no need to change!

I started with pressure this summer and it is a great tool to have in the toolbox. Once you go there, it sticks and most beers will get some form of pressure outside of hefes and Belgians. But I have made a few blondes with pressure that were massively "drinkable".

 

[beersk]

Yeah, I wish I could do it with larger batch volumes but 3.5 gallons in a 5 gallon keg is all I got. Jumping up to 5 gallon batches would be a massive increase in cost and space since I don't think a typical pressure capable fermenter on the market now will fit in my current fermentation fridge. Now if someone could modify a 1/4 barrel sanke keg to have a bigger opening with a tri-clamp closure, that would be my perfect fermenter. But all the brewing outlets that make them use those stupid short, fat kegs. They're too wide for my fridge.

 

[wepeeler]

I am an aged brewer but I am still somewhat malleable to new practices. Hence I have very recently (as in, my last kegged batch) dabbled with ascorbic acid as a packaging-O2 attenuator (hopefully!)

So far so good, but it may not be evident if there was any gain from my usual practices as the neipa in question seems to be drinking quickly and I have had many batches of hop-slammed hazies stay nicely bright for six months before

Baby steps. Maybe I'll get to sulfites in the mash before I'm earthworm food

Cheers!

I add a tablespoon of ascorbic acid to all my kegs now and I swear it makes a difference. But, my "I swear" statement isn't scientifically proven with testing. It's more of a, "I think it's working, and it's cheap as hell, so why not?" statement.

 

[day_trippr]

I'm totally with you so far
I did use just one teaspoon per keg based on reading something on it in this forum...

Cheers!

 

[Red over White]

I add a tablespoon of ascorbic acid to all my kegs now and I swear it makes a difference. But, my "I swear" statement isn't scientifically proven with testing. It's more of a, "I think it's working, and it's cheap as hell, so why not?" statement.

There is nothing wrong with "citizen science". I pitch liquid yeast and pressurize the headspace with oxygen vs injecting oxygen into the wort. So far I have not found a downside and everything runs tickety boo. All SOP's came from somewhere, most aren't from a laboratory environment, jus sayin.

 

[wepeeler]

I'm totally with you so far
I did use just one teaspoon per keg based on reading something on it in this forum...

Cheers!

Maybe it is a teaspoon. Whatever the dosage rate says on the label!