Poll: How do people aerate their wort?

[Snafu]

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but the guy at my LHBS that sold me the de-gasser to aerate my wort said that its used mainly to remove O2 from wine by starting from the bottom of the container and slowly raising the stir paddles to the (near) top. If I wanted to add O2, start at the top and pull O2 down into the wort by slowly lowering the paddles.

 

[Trokair]

Strain through a grain bag, into funnel, down the neck of the carboy. Fermentation has been fine so far.

 

[Pilgarlic]

I was looking through the Fermentis Tricks & Tips http://www.fermentis.com/fo/pdf/Tips-Tricks.pdf

It states "Oxygen is required to assure a healthy cell multiplication. Oxygenation is either made by top filling and splashing wort against the wall of the fermenter, aeration or direct oxygen injection. It is usually recommended to make the oxygenation on cooled wort."

Their information seems to be contradictory. I aerate to be on the safe side.

There's another place on the site, too, as I recall that contradicts the "dry doesn't need it" dictum. But hell, few homebrewing truths are uncontradicted, beyond sanitation. A thread of "irrefutable homebrewing process truths" would make an interesting (and explosive) thread, wouldn't it?

 

[BuddyWeiser]

My faucet has a spray/shower setting that I use to fill my fermenter after the wort has been cooled and been added. This setting causes the wort to foam up like crazy, and seems to be aerating adequately.

I have not noticed any issues with using straight cold tap water, but I am located in a rural area with tasty/clear/clean water and my house is only a handful of years old.

 

[DroolingNeoBrewery]

my first brew i stired it until my arm hurt. it took forever to start (about 30 hours). Since then i have shaken it by rocking the fermenter back and forth until the wort froths. With this technique i am getting visable signs of fermentation in 3-6 hours.

 

[akervin]

I thought I would post some pictures of what I use.




This strainer I picked up on clearance for $12. The handles expand to fit different size containers out to 30" wide.





A little hop sediment captured by the strainer.





My paint mixer going to town. Use this for 3-5 mins.

 

[Bobby_M]

The biggest detriment to the splashy, swirly, whisk methods is the clear exposure to room contaminants. I'd be curious to know how different wort stability tests would look between two identical samples hit with pure O2 vs an open top whippy-do aeration.

 

[brian2can]

ambient O2 infusion (fish tank pump)

 

[JonK331]

Pure O2

 

[Brewskii]

The biggest detriment to the splashy, swirly, whisk methods is the clear exposure to room contaminants. I'd be curious to know how different wort stability tests would look between two identical samples hit with pure O2 vs an open top whippy-do aeration.

You got me there.'I won't say I've never had an infection, I have had 2 in the past year to be honest. I don't believe that the aeration method was an issue in either one and believe my fermentations lag times due to this method are short enough to quell any opportunistic contaminants. I have this and my copper IC that are rather "old fashioned"'methods that I believe make the difference in The beers I make and although I want to make big modern improvements in my brewery in the near future, I'm not interested
In changing those as I believe they directly impact the quality of the fermentation.

But; Who knows?!