I receintly attended a talk with two presenters from one of the big yeast companies. They were both homebrewers and one was focused on yeast growth. He made a series of experiments with aeration, ranging from shaking the carboy (he was about 6'4" and young enough to do it) & aquarium pumps, up to in-stream oxygenation with counter-flow coolers. He then ran wort samples through his company's test gear. His basic conclusion was you can't get enough oxygen for optimum growth with a single aeration using air. Air gives you about 1/3 the dissolved O2 that using straight O2 would, so he recommends using a pump & filter and aerating for 10 minutes an hour for the first six hours.
I've tried it and I've gotten very good ferments. The next step will be to auotmate by getting a timer and a two-hole bung, one for the air trap and one for the air line.
Yesterday I was reading an article on super high gravity brewing. They recommended daily aeration for the first week!
I've tried it and I've gotten very good ferments. The next step will be to auotmate by getting a timer and a two-hole bung, one for the air trap and one for the air line.
Yesterday I was reading an article on super high gravity brewing. They recommended daily aeration for the first week!
