20 replies to this topic

[Poptop]

My beautiful wife, at the suggestion of NB gave me an O2 kit for my birthday.  I graciously thanked her and silently thought to myself what am I going to do with this.  After 107 successful batches of beer I've never had issues with getting my yeast to do it's job.  I was hoping that CO2 would come in small tanks similar to O2 or Propane (camping) but I can't find it.  If there were CO2 adaptable tanks I'd consider keeping it.  But..........  

 

Can anyone convince me it's worth the $60?  I know some oxygenate their wort, but I'd bet most don't.

 

[Big Nake]

I still oxygenate my starters and also my batches.  Yes, many people say that it's no longer necessary but I have seen starters take off quicker and it makes sense because yeast has been trapped in a package and is probably gasping for oxygen.  I'll also just mention that the low-O2 guys (of all people!) make a special point of saying that adding O2 when pitching is acceptable because they pitch yeast FIRST and then oxygenate which allows the yeast to take the O2 without the O2 having any oxidation impact on the beer itself.  For me it may just be habit but I buy small O2 tanks at the hardware store and use O2 on every starter and in the wort of every batch.  Remember that batch that you said came out a little sweeter than you envisioned?  Could that be because the yeast was starved for O2?    

[Poptop]

I still oxygenate my starters and also my batches.  Yes, many people say that it's no longer necessary but I have seen starters take off quicker and it makes sense because yeast has been trapped in a package and is probably gasping for oxygen.  I'll also just mention that the low-O2 guys (of all people!) make a special point of saying that adding O2 when pitching is acceptable because they pitch yeast FIRST and then oxygenate which allows the yeast to take the O2 without the O2 having any oxidation impact on the beer itself.  For me it may just be habit but I buy small O2 tanks at the hardware store and use O2 on every starter and in the wort of every batch.  Remember that batch that you said came out a little sweeter than you envisioned?  Could that be because the yeast was starved for O2?    

 

Hey man, don't start using logic on me.  I'm impervious

All reasonable points my man.

[HVB]

I have a nice O2 kit ... it sits on the workbench as I have not used it in a few years.  Maybe I should pull it out again and give it a whirl.

[Big Nake]

It's also cheap insurance.  The tanks are like $8 and last me a year.  We all have an O2 setup so all you have to do is make sure it's clean and sanitized and then just go for about 60 seconds on brewday AFTER you pitch the yeast and you're good.  If there is scientific evidence that it's not necessary then I would be open-minded and listen.  But the guys on the low-O2 board are about as science-oriented as I have seen and they all oxygenate after pitching.

 

* not a paid spokesperson *

 

[Poptop]

Okay, okay, I'll give it a whirl, or in this case a fart bubble.

[BarelyBrews]

Okay, okay, I'll give it a whirl, or in this case a fart bubble.

 

LOL

 

I also still use mine, habit and i sometimes re-batch my yeast . I had many successful brews without it. Like you said I like insurance..

[Bklmt2000]

I bought an aeration kit from NB many years back, where an aquarium pump pushes air through a sterile HEPA filter and then thru a stainless aeration stone.  Use it on every batch, even when repitching fresh slurry, for a bit of insurance if nothing else.

 

Ended up modding the setup a bit (the stone connected to the pump/HEPA filter by a flimsy piece of tubing; swapped that tubing out for a new plastic racking cane), but definitely a core part of my brewing process.

[positiveContact]

Might help. Likely won't hurt.

[denny]

I have a nice O2 kit ... it sits on the workbench as I have not used it in a few years.  Maybe I should pull it out again and give it a whirl.

 

I gave mine away.  Too much hassle for no gain.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I gave mine away. Too much hassle for no gain.

What method, if any, of aeration/oxygenation do you use?

[Big Nake]

I gave mine away.  Too much hassle for no gain.

Seems the opposite for me.  I seem to get a benefit from it and it's no trouble at all.  My O2 setup just gets cleaned and sanitized with the rest of my stuff and I use it for one minute after I transfer.  

[Bklmt2000]

Seems the opposite for me.  I seem to get a benefit from it and it's no trouble at all.  My O2 setup just gets cleaned and sanitized with the rest of my stuff and I use it for one minute after I transfer.  

 

Similar here.  On kegging day, while I have a keg broken down and the interior components (dip tube, liquid out poppent, lid, etc.) soaking in a wall-paper tray filled w/ PBW and water, I let my aeration stone soak for a bit while running, to ensure any crud from the prior batch is cleaned off before the next brew day.

 

Occasionally the aeration stone gets boiled, or baked in the oven, to make sure no crud has built up on the interior.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I like the o2 stone because it's simple and easy to use and I don't have to shake a glass fermenter around for 2-3 minutes or whatever it is risking breaking it or sloshing the wort out. Now that I have a conical that's even harder to do.

[Big Nake]

I have heard quite a bit from brewers saying that they don't oxygenate anymore.  I seem to remember something about the yeast being healthy, active and plentiful enough to not require it and that may be true.  When I'm spunding back-to-back batches, the yeast is in the fermenter for maybe 5 days and then it's harvested and usually pitched that day or the next day into a new batch.  That's some very quick turnaround and I typically have signs of  fermentation activity very, very quickly.  But I'm not always brewing that way so the oxygen is added to help in those cases where the yeast is not quite up to optimum condition.  

[denny]

What method, if any, of aeration/oxygenation do you use?

 

Pretty much none for most batches.  I do pump to my fermenter so I get some aeration there.  But mainly I pitch a large amount of healthy yeast so it doesn't need O2.  Remember, the only we use O2 is that the yeast use it to synthesize sterols to ease budding.  The less need for cell reproduction, the less need for oxygen.  I'm not talking about you, but many homebrewers don't understand why O2 might be needed.  Once you understand the science, you can figure out other methods.

[armagh]

Oxygenating used to be considered de riguer for mead fermentations owing to the high OGs, but I don't much remember hearing about it being used in beer.  With all the new nutrients like Fermaid O, it really isn't necessary any more.

[denny]

Oxygenating used to be considered de riguer for mead fermentations owing to the high OGs, but I don't much remember hearing about it being used in beer.  With all the new nutrients like Fermaid O, it really isn't necessary any more.

 

Seems to be that O2 is for yeast growth and nutrients are for yeast health...kinda 2 different things.  Is that correct in your view?

[SchwanzBrewer]

Pretty much none for most batches.  I do pump to my fermenter so I get some aeration there.  But mainly I pitch a large amount of healthy yeast so it doesn't need O2.  Remember, the only we use O2 is that the yeast use it to synthesize sterols to ease budding.  The less need for cell reproduction, the less need for oxygen.  I'm not talking about you, but many homebrewers don't understand why O2 might be needed.  Once you understand the science, you can figure out other methods.

 

I kind of figured that was going to be your answer. Would you say that the method is sufficient for all gravity ranges?

 

FWIW, I use a shot of O2, but I gravity feed through my chiller and it's a slow and fairly low turbulent process. I almost always make a starter that's ready to pitch at the end of brew day. 

[denny]

I kind of figured that was going to be your answer. Would you say that the method is sufficient for all gravity ranges?

 

FWIW, I use a shot of O2, but I gravity feed through my chiller and it's a slow and fairly low turbulent process. I almost always make a starter that's ready to pitch at the end of brew day. 

 

I don't think I've made anything over 1.075 in years, but it's definitely sufficient for that.