How do good experienced Homebrewers aerate?

[jmo88]

I have brewed about 2 dozen AG batches, but none with liquid yeast. I can't wait to get into new liquid strains with my new stirplate and flask. Being a complete liquid strain noob, I'm concerned about aeration. I've always done the "aggressive bucket pouring" method. Will this be good enough?

I really don't want to invest in any aeration equipment. Do great brewers do the cheap aeration methods? I've read about poking holes in part of the siphoning tubing to bring air into the wort. Is this better than pouring between buckets?

I'm trying to make the best beer possible without the aeration equipment. Are my yeasties gonna mad at me and start throwing esters and attenuating too low if I don't get the equipment?

 

[RandomSF]

Wyeast's FAQ entry #31 says 45 seconds of fermenter thrashing should do it.

 

[oms1981]

all i ever do is funnel the cooled wert into my carboy and then I shake and roll it like crazy for about 15 minutes. and when i say shake i mean hard. i agitate the crap out of it. yes it is tiring. yes there are better ways to do it. but it's simple and effective. i have never had a bad lag time.

 

[HomerJR]

It's not rocket surgery. There are lots of ways to aerate, I think it just boils down to personal preference. I'm a fan of the paint-mixer-on-a-cordless-drill method, but the last couple brewdays my battery has been dead. Once I poured back and forth between BK and bucket, yesterday I siphoned into the carboy through a funnel that splashed pretty well. Both fermentations started quickly.

 

[david_42]

With a good starter, you almost don't have to bother. I use an air-pump and stone.

 

[DKershner]

45 seconds of shaking should get you to the max aeration level without using pure oxygen (8ppm).

You don't really need to worry about thrashing around as you do it, unless you have some anger you need to release. Just a simple rotate and switch directions is all I do. Sometimes I just roll it around on the floor while I am watching TV, but I use corny kegs for fermenters... YMMV.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

A thread that only the good experienced brewers may answer in? Gosh darn!


I knows when I is not wanted.

 

[heywolfie1015]

Does anybody pour through a strainer? Seems like a pretty easy way to aerate. I've done this on two batches and it's taken off like a rocket both times.

 

[buzzkill]

I just put about 1 gal. of wort in the carboy,dip my hand is sani,and shake it till its almost all foam. then dump the rest in and pitch. right or wrong,its how I do it and never had a problem.

 

[phatuna]

A thread that only the good experienced brewers may answer in? Gosh darn!


I knows when I is not wanted.

We're not worthy! and I've got a great aeration method :cross:

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

We're not worthy! and I've got a great aeration method :cross:

Me too, and it involved naked ladies. I guess they just won't want to hear it though.

 

[mrkeeg]

Does anybody pour through a strainer? Seems like a pretty easy way to aerate. I've done this on two batches and it's taken off like a rocket both times.

Yes, I cool in the brewpot/kettle, then pour through a strainer into a sanitized bucket. The strainer catches the whole hops and seems to aerate well. I then pour from the bucket through a funnel into my carboy (this can be messy... but aerates again pretty well.) Seems to take off pretty well. But then... I'm no expert.

 

[heywolfie1015]

But then... I'm no expert.

Ha! Fair enough.

I like this process, though. Both times, I've noticed it foams up great and takes out all the trub. Since I've been actively working on getting clearer beer, the strainer does its dual job well.

 

[jmo88]

Seems I'm overthinking it again. It's occurred to methat sone of you have this equpment not because it results in a better product but because it's easier. I've never thought of it that way before. Thrashing the carboy probably gets old real fast. So no one thinks my beer won't be to it's fullest potential without this aeration stones and oxygen tanks?

 

[jmo88]

Me too, and it involved naked ladies. I guess they just won't want to hear it though.

Okay. Now that the experts have been addressed, how do the worst, sloppiest homebrewers aerate? I've heard of tossing some dog hair in there is effective. I'm mostly interested in the naked lady example. Perhaps if she was covered in olive oil, that'd help.

 

[carnevoodoo]

Seems I'm overthinking it again. It's occurred to methat sone of you have this equpment not because it results in a better product but because it's easier. I've never thought of it that way before. Thrashing the carboy probably gets old real fast. So no one thinks my beer won't be to it's fullest potential without this aeration stones and oxygen tanks?

Your beer will be fine. Yes, the aeration stone and o2 is typically easier. I sanitize the stone, stick it in the wort for a minute, and then wash it when I'm done. Very simple, and the whole thing was only like 40 bucks. And really, for me it is all about doing as much as I can to make it right. Shaking it works, but I think o2 is preferred.

 

[tcklord]

Seems I'm overthinking it again. It's occurred to methat sone of you have this equpment not because it results in a better product but because it's easier. I've never thought of it that way before. Thrashing the carboy probably gets old real fast. So no one thinks my beer won't be to it's fullest potential without this aeration stones and oxygen tanks?

I think you will be fine doing it the many ways people here say. I usually just pour between buckets and stir it vigorously for a few minutes and have not had any problems. I think where the oxygen tanks and stones come in handy is when you are dealing with larger volumes like 10 gal, or those that have 1bbl systems. Those that do larger volumes do not want to have to deal with lifting or transferring a lot. So for 5 gal batches just use a little muscle power.

 

[DrinkNoH2O]

I just siphon the wort from the BK through a strainer to the fermenter. It removes all of the hops (I don't use a bag in the boil) and really aerates well. With liquid yeast and a 1L starter my fermentations always take off in less than 6 hours - sometimes in as early as 3 hours.

 

[greeneyed]

Don't know if I qualify, but here goes...

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[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Okay. Now that the experts have been addressed, how do the worst, sloppiest homebrewers aerate? I've heard of tossing some dog hair in there is effective. I'm mostly interested in the naked lady example. Perhaps if she was covered in olive oil, that'd help.

I use a march pump with a hose and drop the wort from a great height (Well, about 4 feet) into the fermenter. It's really not that exciting until the naked ladies arrive.




Naked ladies like this one, except more naked and more jiggly

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[Hermit]

all i ever do is funnel the cooled wert into my carboy and then I shake and roll it like crazy for about 15 minutes. and when i say shake i mean hard. i agitate the crap out of it. yes it is tiring. yes there are better ways to do it. but it's simple and effective. i have never had a bad lag time.

No rattle?

 

[Bassman]

I like Greeneyed's suggestion. Actually I would just be happy with the 3rd part.

I poured my wort through a strainer but since I used hop pellets it clogged pretty quickly. It did get a nice foam though.

 

[Oscbert]

I have been pouring through a strainer into a funnel. Then shaking the carboy for a couple minutes. I also make a healthy starter.

 

[Sithdad]

How about using an air compressor (a portable construction compressor for example) and using a racking tube so the compressor attachment never touches the beer? I would imagine it wouldn't be any different than an aquarium-type pump.

 

[Brew-boy]

I use O2 with a aeration Wand.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Me too, and it involved naked ladies. I guess they just won't want to hear it though.

So you get your air and yeast all at once.

 

[Hep]

How about using an air compressor (a portable construction compressor for example) and using a racking tube so the compressor attachment never touches the beer? I would imagine it wouldn't be any different than an aquarium-type pump.

Oil would be a problem. I know there are compressors for making breathing air (to refill SCBA tanks) but they are expensive

 

[phatuna]

Mines not nearly as exciting as the jiggly lady, but I beat mine, kind of like scrambled eggs with a kitchen wisk

 

[torque2k]

Wow, did this thread go south quickly! Must be the impending holidays...

I normally do the dump method between the kettle and primary bucket two or three times, and that's been good enough. This latest batch, I decided to use the venturi tube mod on my siphon hose, and boy, did that add some air to the wort! What I liked about this method is that you're not grabbing a large, full kettle of wort (I do full boils in a 40qt stock pot) and possibly dropping it during the multiple transfers. One person can easily siphon the wort into a primary, and this gives you the opportunity to leave behind the break and hops.

 

[IceFisherChris]

I wouldn't call myself good/experienced but I pour my wort back and forth between the fermenter and the kettle. I do this until it foams within a few inches of the top of the fermenter.

 

[jim4065]

Oil would be a problem. I know there are compressors for making breathing air (to refill SCBA tanks) but they are expensive

Oil would be a BIG problem. Not only no head on the beer - but vomit city. Aquarium compressors and air stones are dirt cheap - but I just pour it back and forth. Best to leave construction compressors out of the picture.

 

[Brewmoor]

I'm a fan of the paint-mixer-on-a-cordless-drill method

This is the way I have been doing it. Fast, easy, and cheap.

I actually made mine from a Whirley Pop Popcorn Popper top. Took the paddle and two shafts and screwed them together straight. Works great. Pretty much identical to a paint stir bar.

 

[Minky]

Just a word of caution if you plan to aerate with O2 through a stone. Do your aerating before adding the yeast. A direct blast of oxygen is very stressful to the yeast and can kill some of the cells.
I learned this after having several slow-starting, sluggish fermentations when I used O2. Once, when I ran out of the O2, I used an aquarium pump instead and got a fast start and a healthy, complete fermentation.

 

[carrotmalt]

After I chill with my IMC, I just lift it and sort of dunk it in and out of the wort. Don't know how it compares to the other methods, but it sure has a lot of bubbles and foam after only a few passes. I did it for about 30 seconds this last time, and I had bubbles several inches high. Not sure how long it took to take off since I don't have an airlock on it, but there was some huge Krausen after a day and a half when I peeked in.:rockin: