I've been trying out some oxygenation stones (both 0.5 micron + O2 tank, and aquarium pump + 2 micron stone) lately. My standing process is I pass the wort through a strainer as I transfer from kettle to fermentor and let that aerate/splash. I did two trials where I split my wort into 3 fermentors and had: 1) Wort transferred through strainer and splashed, 2) Strainer + Pure O2 oxygen stone, 3) Strainer + Air oxygen stone.
I did a simple Amber Ale recipe and WLP001 California Ale Yeast, and then a hoppy wheat ale with WLP008 East Coast Ale Yeast. I measured/tracked gravity in the batches using Tilt hydrometers, so I was able to see when fermentation started, ended, etc. and could compare the fermentation progress in that way. Per the plots below, I didn't really see much difference between these 3 methods. I did a taste test after and found no difference in the Amber Ale, and maybe a slightly detectable difference in the wheat ale.
I know a lot of people use oxygenation stones, so I'm trying to figure out a good experiment to test the benefit out. Interested in anyone's suggestions on particular styles/recipes/ingredients/processes where they think this would be a notable contributor.
I did a simple Amber Ale recipe and WLP001 California Ale Yeast, and then a hoppy wheat ale with WLP008 East Coast Ale Yeast. I measured/tracked gravity in the batches using Tilt hydrometers, so I was able to see when fermentation started, ended, etc. and could compare the fermentation progress in that way. Per the plots below, I didn't really see much difference between these 3 methods. I did a taste test after and found no difference in the Amber Ale, and maybe a slightly detectable difference in the wheat ale.
I know a lot of people use oxygenation stones, so I'm trying to figure out a good experiment to test the benefit out. Interested in anyone's suggestions on particular styles/recipes/ingredients/processes where they think this would be a notable contributor.