"WILLIAM'S OXYGEN AERATION SYSTEM" Does it help?

[LSDracula]

I am pretty new to brewing. Only 15 gallons under my belt.
<extract and steeping grain LHBS recipes only>
Problem is, I have also been getting less that satisfactory attenuation. I use the Shake My Ale Pale Method to aerate my wort. Also my starter making process so far has probably been counterproductive.
(I plan to remedy my starter problem with my next brew I don't want any advice on starter making!)
I just want to know...
Is oxygenation really worth it?
Is there enough gain in attenuation to grant the $50 for the system?
Or, can I just use an aquarium pump and hydroponic aeration stone?

 

[springer]

The pump will work but takes a lot longer. Also get a inline HEPA inline filter lots of nasties floating around in the air. I use the O2 kit

 

[BioBeing]

I use the O2 kit. You can get a higher amount of oxygen in the wort with O2 than you can with air. Shaking or air should be sufficient for most yeast growth, but I wanted to have optimum growth. I also use starters now for the most part. I haven't made enough beer to say if it definitely helps though.

 

[Medo]

Ahoy hoy,
I have the one from williams that uses oxygen tanks. I run it for about a minute, stirring the while. i have it bubbling at the low end, you get a feel for it after you overfoam the jug once
All my yeasts have seemed to enjoy themselves after this, and its not too pricey in the long run, so i do it every time before adding yeast.
FYI

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

+1 O2 kit. I haven't had a fermentation take longer than 12 hours to start since using it, and some pretty lively ones.

 

[malkore]

I like my O2 kit as well. that 22" stainless airstone wand is damn near worth $50 on its own, which is why I got this one and not a competitor product that has no wand (so you have to find a way to sink it to the bottom cuz it wants to float otherwise).

i have no attenuation problems, and very active fermentations even when I keep it under 70F during primary.

 

[BioBeing]

I like my O2 kit as well. that 22" stainless airstone wand is damn near worth $50 on its own, which is why I got this one and not a competitor product that has no wand (so you have to find a way to sink it to the bottom cuz it wants to float otherwise).

i have no attenuation problems, and very active fermentations even when I keep it under 70F during primary.

I got one of the other ones, not the wand. Wish now I had gone for the wand, as it would make stirring easier.

 

[Duster72]

Get the o2 kit...and a blowoff tube setup at the same time. Trust me.

 

[Gderem]

Could someone post a link to one of these O2 kits. I've never had an issue with fermentation not taking off within 12 hours and I don't really do anything other than open a packet of dry yeast and dump it in... I'm all for getting better results though.

Is this the #1 thing to do to yield better results?

 

[BioBeing]

Williams: WILLIAM'S OXYGEN AERATION SYSTEM @ Williams Brewing

Think I got this one: Austin Homebrew Supply

 

[maui808]

Just ordered the William's Oxygen Aeration System.

 

[Boondoggie]

why do these kits cost so much? It seems like $15 worth of hardware store bits.

 

[Bobby_M]

Because it's a specialty item in a specialty market with no lower cost competition. The regulator is certainly just the same as a propane torch but with left hand threads. However, I'd guess that there are 1000x more propane torch heads sold.

 

[rexbanner]

I've got to say how awesome this thing is. It's a breeze to use (no more shaking, ever). You can keep the wand submerged in starsan until you need it. I use it on every beer I make since I got it. Also, since I got it, lag times have been no more than 5 hours for all the beers I've made. It's pretty cool to finish brewing at 8 and see your beer bubbling before you go to bed.

If you brew bigger beers, it's totally worth the $50 bucks, since from what I've read, you will never get the proper O2 levels any other way. But just to have in general...it's just great.

 

[Sciyan]

How much did you paid for the oxygen tank ?

 

[0110x011]

Yes, oxygenation is definitely worth it, but if you aren't making good starters yet, I would focus on that. Having an appropriate sized pitch of healthy, viable yeast is much more important than aeration when you're starting out. Temperature control as well.

 

[JonM]

I use the Williams system too. What I love about it is that it frees me up to do higher gravity brews. Shaking is fine for 1.050 and below, but once you start making beers that are 1.060 and up, you really need to add pure O2. Go for it!

 

[samc]

I use the Williams system too. What I love about it is that it frees me up to do higher gravity brews. Shaking is fine for 1.050 and below, but once you start making beers that are 1.060 and up, you really need to add pure O2. Go for it!

What about the forgotten 1.050-1.060 beers? No love for those guys?

I use the Williams, valve is very flaky however. If I was going to do it again I'd go to welding supply and get a small tank from them with a real regulator.

 

[944play]

I, as well, have the William's O2 kit. I attribute to it my recent string of successes. Since I got it, fermentations are healthier and a "house flavor" bug has gone away.

 

[Golddiggie]

I got the kit from Williams and used it as it comes until I used up one bottle. I remembered that I have a larger O2 tank from a welding setup, with normal regulator. So I altered the regulator to accept a swivel nut and set up to use that. After a couple of batches that way, I'm loving it even more. I do intend to get a flow meter setup for it soon. That way I can see how much volume I'm sending through the stone.

On top of getting happier yeast, becoming VERY active sooner, I'm getting cleaner tasting brews now.

I would get the setup again in a heartbeat. It would be nice if they offered an advanced version for those of us that would spend the extra $$.

 

[Brewham]

You can get little bottles of O2 in the plumbing section with all the torch stuff. They cost less than $10 and last for many sessions. I read 30 seconds is all you need in 5 gallons but I usually do about 45 seconds. Makes a big difference in getting things going.

 

[logdrum]

Have it, use it , love it. The #1 thing for better beer tho, is controlling fermentation temperature.

-d

 

[Rundownhouse]

There's a big thread around here on using them and what difference they make. If I remember right, I got up around 15ppm of O2 into the last lager I brewed. No way to do that without an O2 setup.

 

[Mpavlik22]

I agree with everyone else. Great product. Noticeable difference with fermentation lag times and over all how healthy fermentation is.

 

[Zeppman]

This, and controlling fermentation temps where the two biggest improvements I could "taste" in my beer... temp being #1, pure O2 being #2.

 

[MisterGreen]

Regarding the regulator, I was curious as to how far to open it. I have always just done full open. What is everyone else doing?

 

[JonM]

I open it just to the point where bubbles start breaking the surface.

Doing it that way, all of my high grav beers have reached projected FG and I've gotten so many batches out of one Bernzomatic O2 tank that I've lost count. Lots. (I bet the people who complain about a tank only lasting a couple batches are opening the regulator full blast.)

 

[MisterGreen]

I open it just to the point where bubbles start breaking the surface.

Doing it that way, all of my high grav beers have reached projected FG and I've gotten so many batches out of one Bernzomatic O2 tank that I've lost count. Lots. (I bet the people who complain about a tank only lasting a couple batches are opening the regulator full blast.)

Yeah, full blast gets me about 3-4 batches. It's good to know I can go lower.

 

[PseudoChef]

Yes, oxygenation is definitely worth it, but if you aren't making good starters yet, I would focus on that. Having an appropriate sized pitch of healthy, viable yeast is much more important than aeration when you're starting out. Temperature control as well.

It's almost one and the same, however. In order to have healthy and viable yeast, oxygen is a necessity. I oxygenate both the starter and the wort.

 

[Zeppman]

From what I've heard, you don't need to have it full open. If you see bubbles at the surface, that means that the o2 you see bubbling is not being absorbed. You want to open it enough just to the point before where you start to see bubbles on the surface of your wort.