Oxygenation during bottling

SamHain · Mar 23, 2012

I just finished bottling my 1st batch. It was a partial mash Pale Ale recipe I came up with using the ingredient profiles. I have to say it smelled awesome and initial taste was delicious but did I do some damage while bottling?

When I transferred into my bottling bucket I add the priming sugar, no problem there. After the transfer is done I gave it a good stir. Not an aggressive stir but enough that I generated some foam.

Did I introduce some oxygen into the beer? and what negative effects does oxygen have on bottled beer?

Thanks!

Stauffbier · Mar 23, 2012

Generating foam makes it sound like it was indeed to vigorous of a stir! Hopefully, your beer will be fine. Next time you might want to stir more gently and just very little. Oxygenating your beer will cause it to have unpleasant flavors..

Grumpybumpy · Mar 23, 2012

Just a few swirls from the bottom should do the trick. It's already pretty well mixed if you get a good whirlpool while racking

pjj2ba · Mar 23, 2012

You should be fine. I bet enough CO2 came out of solution to provide enough of a blanket to limit much 02 getting to our beer. However, next time do be gentler.

homebrewdad · Mar 23, 2012

Yep. Foam during stirring = too much stirring. You are still probably fine; beer is very resilient.

Just keep an eye on it as it ages. If it starts to go downlhill or get wet cardboard notes in the taste, get ready to drink it up fast - at that point, age will no longer help, only hurt, this beer.

SamHain · Mar 23, 2012

Thanks everyone....I looked at the pics and realize it wasnt quite a foam but bubbles. Also it was kind of bubbly to begin with...not as much as this though Heres the pic and next time Ill be more cautious. I hope its ok because it was really good!

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MimersMead · Mar 23, 2012

Generally when I'm bottling, I boil the priming sugar in a bit of water to make a syrup. I put that at the bottom of the bottling bucket, and then I siphon the brew on top of it. This usually mixes by itself, it's very rarely that I feel the need to stir. Maybe a couple of lazy passes.