Using Oxygen to Aerate Wort

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agroff383

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Hey guys I am going to make my first batch soon. next Saturday, and I have seen setups like this:
Oxygenation System with Filter

Or since I am a novice should I just shake the bucket? I just want to enhance my opportunity to do it right the first time! Is it worth the $35 bucks? My dad has oxygen so I wouldn't need to buy that.

Thanks for the help. I am SO excited to do this, everyone in my life is sick of hearing about it now I am sure!:rockin:
 
I just splash it as much as possible when I transfer from kettle to bucket, and then give it a good violent stir for a few minutes and my yeasties take right off. It's actually possible to overdo it with O2 and make things worse, from what I've read.

Another thing I do is to use gallon jugs of spring water for my top up water. So you can pour in about 1/3 of the jug, then recap it and shake the living crap out of it. So, the top-up water is pre-aerated.
 
I just dump it back and forth between two buckets about 10 times. I wouldn't say its wasted money but I think its money that could be better spent on other brew items when you start out.
 
Even know I'm greener than the beer I had on Tuesday. The fist 2 brews I dumped the wort into the primary with enthusiasm and then stirred with vigor while bringing down the wort to pitching temp. Both brews had airlock activity after 6 hours. I am sure it is some what important but not so much that I would buy equiptment to do it for me. I would probably get an immersion chiller or more fermenters before an aeration system. I think that is the beauty of this hobby. You can do it your own way but it is nice to pull ideas from the collective brain mass on this forum.
 
My first three batches were slow to start, so I got one of these. My next three batches took off like the blazes. Course, I also made yeast starters for two of the last set of three (and used dried yeast in one). So I cannot be sure its the oxygen. But I wanted to make sure my yeasties were as happy as possible, and shaking was too much like hard work for me.

So - is it absolutely necessary? No. But I think it might help, and it certainly does not hurt. I do not think, in practice, it is really possible to over oxygenate.
 
those O2 kits use a regulator that will NOT connect to a medical O2 tank. they connect to the 1.6 oz red oxygen cylinders you can buy at hardware stores near the welding/pipe soldering tools.
 
The fist 2 brews I dumped the wort into the primary with enthusiasm and then stirred with vigor while bringing down the wort to pitching temp.

If you are stirring vigorously before the wort has cooled below 80 degrees you might be getting hot side aeration. Check out this link and possibly the brew strong podcast on hot side aeration at the brewing network website.

Oxidation - Home Brewing Wiki

I dont do anything special when I add oxygen. I siphon from my kettle to my fermenter once my wort is cooled and keep the end of the hose out of the liquid to let it splash and then i top off by pouring water in which causes a lot of splashing. Still using dry yeast which makes it less important I think but dont really know.
 
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