How to use oxygen to aerate wort?

[lakedawgs]

I have been reading through the old posts regarding aerating wort with oxygen.
I have seen posts from " a light stream of bubbles for the last couple of minutes of chilling" to 5 or 10 liters per minute with no time frame given.

I have a couple of medical oxygen tanks since my mother passed in December and was wondering how to put them to use. I can get a 2 micron stone but would like to know how to most efficiently use it.
Thank you

 

[avidhomebrewer]

How I've oxygenated brews before is to cool them, transfer to the primary, then drop in a sanitized stone (don't touch it - the oils from your skin will clog the small holes in the stone) and line, then slowly turn on the O2 until the wort foams out of the top. Cover it to let the foam subside and repeat as necessary. I usually try for oxygenation time to be around 60-90 seconds.

 

[Reelale]

IIRC, 3 lpm for 1 minute gives a dissolved O2 concentration of around 10ppm. This link from Wyyeast confirms that ball park figure, as they didn't give a flow rate. http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_oxygenation.cfm

 

[lakedawgs]

Thanks to both, good info.
I have read that you oxygenate before you pitch yeast, do you guys do that?
Any reason to use oxygen after pitching or initial fermentation?
THANKS

 

[Carter1932]

Thanks to both, good info.
I have read that you oxygenate before you pitch yeast, do you guys do that?

Yes, yeast want oxygen during fermentation.

Any reason to use oxygen after pitching or initial fermentation?

No, you'll risk oxidizing your beer so it will taste like cardboard and there is no reason to do it anyway.

If you have the oxygen tank I might suggest you look at getting one of these. http://www.williamsbrewing.com/22-AERATION-WAND-P490.aspx Love mine.

 

[Reelale]

I oxygenate the wort prior to pitching. You boil all the oxygen out during the boil, just need to replace it for initial yeast growth. No need for oxygen after the growth phase.

 

[Shaneoco1981]

You want to use oxygen before pitching for the yeast to help it reproduce quickly. At any other stage of fermentation, oxygen is your enemy. I know it sounds kinda back-ass-wards, but that's the way it is. As Revvy likes to say "Oxygenated beer = liquid cardboard". He is right. Palmer explains it best here:

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-9-3.html

He does a much better job then most people could.

 

[McGreen]

honestly, i've been in water treatment for many years and the best way to aerate is forced air or the WAY easier method: stirring.

 

[pokerfreak2]

Is there a way to measure ppm ?

 

[Shaneoco1981]

No, not with what we have available to us as home brewers. Just do a google search and ask how long to shake a carboy, or use a aquarium pump to aerate wort. You will find different times for all. If I remember correctly, I believe I heard/read that shaking the carboy and aquarium pump both take about 15 minutes. The oxygen tank with a regulator takes about 3 minutes...

 

[bja]

honestly, i've been in water treatment for many years and the best way to aerate is forced air or the WAY easier method: stirring.

That may be the cheapest, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's the best.

 

[RugerRedhawk]

I dump my wort in the bucket and stir it vigorously. Seems to be working so far.

 

[Carter1932]

The oxygen tank with a regulator takes about 3 minutes...

Actually you only need to use pure oxygen for approx. 20-40 secs. provided its added as fine bubbles and not a big blast.

 

[edie]

we use a strainer as we poor from pot to bucket and then just splash away while topping off. wonder if i should be stirring a little also?

 

[Bobby_M]

I run .25 lpm for 1-2 minutes. It barely creates foam on the top which means it's working.

 

[McGreen]

That may be the cheapest, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's the best.

Let me clarify: with time and a bit more effort, it works just as good, and it's way cheaper, which makes it IMHO, the best. But to each, his own.

 

[bja]

Let me clarify: with time and a bit more effort, it works just as good, and it's way cheaper, which makes it IMHO, the best. But to each, his own.

I guess everyone's definition of "best" is different. Personally, I try to introduce as little unfiltered air by stirring or agitation as necessary since it's, unfiltered.

 

[android]

I run .25 lpm for 1-2 minutes. It barely creates foam on the top which means it's working.

Bobby, do you use one of the williams regulators? Are there numbers on the dial or something to know what LPM you are running it at?

if not, do any of you williams regulator users have a specific place you set the dial to know what rate you are pumping o2 in?

 

[mmonacel]

if not, do any of you williams regulator users have a specific place you set the dial to know what rate you are pumping o2 in?

Bump for this question. Just purchased mine and would love to know.

 

[Carter1932]

I've not ever paid attention to my dial setting, I just know you should aim for a slow steady stream of small O2 bubbles. You want to avoid blasting it.

 

[bja]

if not, do any of you williams regulator users have a specific place you set the dial to know what rate you are pumping o2 in?

It's simple. Watch the bubbles. If most of them are reaching the top, you're using too much.

 

[OldStyler]

You guys sound like you're in this pretty deep, but I'm going to go ahead and cite Palmer when he states that using pure oxygen vs stirring/pouring back and forth, while the differences are nearly impossible to discern immediately, the pure oxygen brews routinely score lower than the stirred-in air approach.

I don't think "unfiltered" air should be of any great concern unless you're brewing in a lumber yard or a factory or something.

That being said, I realize it can be fun to make things a little more complicated...

 

[billtzk]

You guys sound like you're in this pretty deep, but I'm going to go ahead and cite Palmer when he states that using pure oxygen vs stirring/pouring back and forth, while the differences are nearly impossible to discern immediately, the pure oxygen brews routinely score lower than the stirred-in air approach.

I don't think "unfiltered" air should be of any great concern unless you're brewing in a lumber yard or a factory or something.

That being said, I realize it can be fun to make things a little more complicated...

If you don't mind, could you link to where Palmer said that the pure oxygen brews score lower than the stirred ones? I couldn't find it in How To Brew. I either overlooked it or perhaps it was somewhere else? Thanks.

 

[dnichols]

Hey guys this might sound crazy but here is a very cool article about an alternate method to aeration. Give it a look.

http://brewcrazy.com/hull-olive-oil-thesis.pdf

 

[neomantra]

The olive oil thing has been discussed at length here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/using-olive-oil-instead-oxygen-47872/

 

[dnichols]

The olive oil thing has been discussed at length here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/using-olive-oil-instead-oxygen-47872/

Sorry just never saw it. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Seven]

You guys sound like you're in this pretty deep, but I'm going to go ahead and cite Palmer when he states that using pure oxygen vs stirring/pouring back and forth, while the differences are nearly impossible to discern immediately, the pure oxygen brews routinely score lower than the stirred-in air approach.

I don't think "unfiltered" air should be of any great concern unless you're brewing in a lumber yard or a factory or something.

That being said, I realize it can be fun to make things a little more complicated...

There's nothing complicated about aerating with O2 at all. In fact, I think it's much easier than pouring back and forth or shaking a heavy carboy/bucket.

 

[jdlawlis]

I was talking to a master brewer in Albuquerque, NM about aeration of wort, and I mentioned that I used an aquarium pump and a sintered stone. He told me that I should consider purchasing an oxygen tank to aerate the wort, because it is relatively inexpensive and does a better job of increasing the partial pressure of oxygen in the wort. If there was an effect on taste, I am pretty sure that he would have learned this through the American Brewer's Guild, where he earned his degree.

 

[kombat]

Hmm... before I found this thread, I was advised that an easy way to aerate your wort was with a paint mixer attachment on a drill. So I bought one at Home Depot and gave it a good wash - is it safe to use this in my wort, even though it was intended (but never yet used for) mixing paint? Will 2-3 minutes of vigorous mixing with this thing on my drill sufficiently aerate my wort?

 

[eastoak]

Bobby, do you use one of the williams regulators? Are there numbers on the dial or something to know what LPM you are running it at?

if not, do any of you williams regulator users have a specific place you set the dial to know what rate you are pumping o2 in?

I think it's a stretch to call that thing a regulator since it does not regulate at all as far as i can tell. for the price of that kit you are half way to a O2 cylinder that would last for hundreds of batches if not more, a real regulator would be around $40 at harbor freight.