O2 Snafu

[Iowa Brewer]

Hey all,
Added pure o2 to my conical with a carbstone, but turns out I only had 20sec worth left in the canister (should’ve added o2 for 60sec). All stores are closed right now (past business hours). Is it worth going and getting a canister tomorrow to add more? Am I splitting hairs?
Thanks!

 

[RM-MN]

Opinion only! I think there is optimum and "good enough". While your 20 seconds may not be optimum it is probably good enough. Adding more may not be worthwhile.

 

[Broothru]

Opinion only! I think there is optimum and "good enough". While your 20 seconds may not be optimum it is probably good enough. Adding more may not be worthwhile.

Agree. My 'understanding' (since I'm certainly not a microbiologist) is the O2 is necessary during the yeast's adaptive phase of fermentation to prevent the yeast from using all their reserves, which in turn leads to a quicker and more robust start of visible fermentation. Your yeast have likely completed the adaptive phase, so additional O2 at this point could possibly end up oxidizing your beer.

Just my $.02.

 

[Iowa Brewer]

Cheers, RM-MN & Brooothru! That was helpful. Yes, I think it was enough. The brew is bubbling along happily this morning. Thanks again!

 

[Bobby_M]

The necessity of O2 in this particular batch is going to depend mostly on what form of yeast you use (dry vs liquid), what the pitch rate was, if liquid what the package date was, how many packs, and what the wort volume and gravity is.

If you use dry yeast, no oxygen needed.

 

[BrewZer]

If you use dry yeast, no oxygen needed.

I've never had to add oxygen, as we pour from the kettle into the fermenter thru a sanitized strainer -- I figure that gives us plenty of aeration going in. And that's with using liquid yeasts, building a starter, and pitching about a quart of slurry.

So I wasn't prepared for how quickly and vigorously a packet of dry yeast would jump in and take off! I used one 11g packet of LalBew's voss kveik in 6.5 gallons of 1.060 wort, after rehydrating according to package directions, and I had airlock bubbles in under an hour and high kreusen in under 24 hours. I'm assuming the dried yeast had plenty of oxygen already on hand, 'cause it ripped thru the wort in no time.
Now, just under 48 hours in, the airlock bubbles 5 or 6 times a minute, the kreusen's gone, and the wort temperature, that peaked at about 85F, has dropped to 78F.

I may become a dry yeast user if this is typical behavior!

 

[Iowa Brewer]

The necessity of O2 in this particular batch is going to depend mostly on what form of yeast you use (dry vs liquid), what the pitch rate was, if liquid what the package date was, how many packs, and what the wort volume and gravity is.

If you use dry yeast, no oxygen needed.

Cheers, Bobby.
- The brew is a chocolate stout with a measured OG of 1.068.
- I made a 1.5L starter with 2 packs of Omega-004 and 5.1oz of DME for 8.5 gal of wort.
- I pitched the whole 1.5L (calculated into wort size) just after high krausen to set up 395B cells for a target pitch-rate of 377B.
- The yeast packs were only 4-days old, so very fresh.

 

[Iowa Brewer]

Additionally, I did a whirlpool for 20min, if that makes a difference.

 

[Golddiggie]

If you want to avoid the red can running out early, get an actual O2 regulator and connect it up to an actual O2 bottle (even a small, 20 cubic foot bottle). You'll get a LOT more use out of the 20 cubic. Not to mention the regulator those use actually have a gauge on them so you KNOW how much is left inside the bottle. Plus, those regulators will let you select a true flow rate (liters per minute) and not have to guestimate the flow you're getting.

 

[Iowa Brewer]

If you want to avoid the red can running out early, get an actual O2 regulator and connect it up to an actual O2 bottle (even a small, 20 cubic foot bottle). You'll get a LOT more use out of the 20 cubic. Not to mention the regulator those use actually have a gauge on them so you KNOW how much is left inside the bottle. Plus, those regulators will let you select a true flow rate (liters per minute) and not have to guestimate the flow you're getting.

Solid idea, Golddiggie! Where do you take them for refills?

 

[Golddiggie]

Solid idea, Golddiggie! Where do you take them for refills?

I haven't needed to actually refill mine yet. Got it back around 2011 (traded in a 40 cubic for a pair of 20's). When it's time I'll take it to any of the local gas suppliers in my area (there's at least two that I can work with) and swap it out for a fresh one. It's easier/faster to do the swap for a full bottle.

 

[Iowa Brewer]

I haven't needed to actually refill mine yet. Got it back around 2011 (traded in a 40 cubic for a pair of 20's). When it's time I'll take it to any of the local gas suppliers in my area (there's at least two that I can work with) and swap it out for a fresh one. It's easier/faster to do the swap for a full bottle.

Cheers!

 

[matt_m]

Any welding gas shop can supply the cylinder and refills. My supplier actually swapped my old 10lb CO2 tank for the O2 tank though I got the impression that was more of a favor than company policy.

 

[Iowa Brewer]

Any welding gas shop can supply the cylinder and refills. My supplier actually swapped my old 10lb CO2 tank for the O2 tank though I got the impression that was more of a favor than company policy.

het, thanks, matt_m!

 

[hamachi]

I wasn't prepared for how quickly and vigorously a packet of dry yeast would jump in and take off! I used one 11g packet of LalBew's voss kveik in 6.5 gallons of 1.060 wort, after rehydrating according to package directions, and I had airlock bubbles in under an hour and high kreusen in under 24 hours. I'm assuming the dried yeast had plenty of oxygen already on hand, 'cause it ripped thru the wort in no time.
...
I may become a dry yeast user if this is typical behavior!

The quick takeoff is not typical of dry yeast in general, but from what I have read, it is typical of Kveik strains, which are unique both in how quickly they ferment and in the high temperatures (like 90-100 F) they are happy at.

I have never used Kveik, though I have used several other dry yeasts, and the non-Kveik strains do not get going that quickly. So if you get a packet of US-05 or Nottingham, don't expect it to take off like a rocket.

But none of the dry yeast strains require aeration/oxygenation because they already have all the sterols and fatty acids they need. Being able to skip the aeration step does make them more convenient.