15 replies to this topic

[VirginiaBeach]

Anyone have any insight into this? Is this do-able?

[Slainte]

No. Do not do this.Hydrogen peroxide is a sanitizer and will kill your yeast rather than make them grow.

[Greatfookin]

To answer your question, from Dr. George Fix, author of The Principles of Brewing Science (1). Based on his answer, I would not even try to use peroxide for aerating. Here's why.Hydrogen peroxide is basically a water molecule with a second oxygen atom loosely attached. That loose oxygen is highly reactive and makes peroxide a powerful sanitizer. As you might expect, adding a dose of sanitizer to a freshly pitched wort clashes with the mission of your yeast. When Dr. Fix tried using peroxide to oxygenate wort, he managed to kill most of the yeast rather than make it grow. The resulting fermentation was typically problematic - long lag period, slow and incomplete attenuation, high levels of by-products, and so forth. Based on Dr. Fix's findings, I do not recommend peroxide as a substitute for air or oxygen in cold wort

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

To answer your question, from Dr. George Fix, author of The Principles of Brewing Science (1). Based on his answer, I would not even try to use peroxide for aerating. Here's why.Hydrogen peroxide is basically a water molecule with a second oxygen atom loosely attached. That loose oxygen is highly reactive and makes peroxide a powerful sanitizer. As you might expect, adding a dose of sanitizer to a freshly pitched wort clashes with the mission of your yeast. When Dr. Fix tried using peroxide to oxygenate wort, he managed to kill most of the yeast rather than make it grow. The resulting fermentation was typically problematic - long lag period, slow and incomplete attenuation, high levels of by-products, and so forth. Based on Dr. Fix's findings, I do not recommend peroxide as a substitute for air or oxygen in cold wort

/thread

[Stout_fan]

Yea, human flesh can metabolize H2O2. Microbes and simple single cell organisms can't. Regrettably, yeast is in the later group.Anyway That's why it kills them, not our skin.

[McNuggets]

There was a note on the Burgundian Babble Belt about an H2O2 experiment in the March/April 2004 Zymurgy. They said it was not favorable, but I'm not sure what they did.Higher strength H2O2 is pretty reactive stuff, you don't want to get it on your body. I use 52% at work have seen it do really crazy stuff. I would have thought that it could work in small amounts by the yeast using the extra O2 molecule for re-production, but it's pretty hard to argue with G Fix. It probably just burns them to death.

[Howie]

No. Do not do this.Hydrogen peroxide is a sanitizer and will kill your yeast rather than make them grow.

Not to mention it stinks

[Jimmy James]

In addition to killing your yeast peroxide is a powerful oxidizer and will oxidize the crap out of your wort.

[siouxbrewer]

Consumption of peroxide induces vomiting, not something I'm really looking for

[MakeMeHoppy]

In addition to killing your yeast peroxide is a powerful oxidizer and will oxidize the crap out of your wort.

isn't that his goal?

[Jimmy James]

isn't that his goal?

Not unless the goal is a rank beer that spoils quickly and tastes like cardboard. Oxygenation (dissolving oxygen into the wort) and oxidation (a chemical reaction) are different.

[CoastieSteve]

/thread

+1

[RommelMagic]

/thread

+1

+2

[BrewerGeorge]

This comes up every few years. Search the Brews and Views bulletin board for some pretty informative posts on the subject, including IIRC, some experiments.The bottom line is that while is does oxygenate very efficiently, it also causes yeast mutations. The end result is bad beer.

[djinkc]

This comes up every few years. Search the Brews and Views bulletin board for some pretty informative posts on the subject, including IIRC, some experiments.The bottom line is that while is does oxygenate very efficiently, it also causes yeast mutations. The end result is bad beer.

Where's Oldfart when you need him?

[ChefLamont]

Where's Oldfart when you need him?

Why is there a CO2 shortage?