42 replies to this topic

[al_bob]

I do it just like Mtn. I've had mine 4 years and it still looks brand new. As soon as you're done put it in a bucket of sanitizer and open it up a little. After a while the sanitizer will actually creep up the tubing an inch or so. Then ease the liquid out with O2 and put it away in a clean place. When I get ready to use it I'll put it in the bucket of sanitizer about 15 min. or so before I use it. The sanitizer creeps up the inside of the tube again and I ease it out before using it. Never a problem.Don't over oxygenate. It can be as bad as not doing it (do a search, as I can't explain it). I find that 30 sec is plenty on an average gravity 5 gallon batch. I get at least 10 batches from a bottle, and I think even more.

[ChefLamont]

I have one similar to the link, but mine has a ss wand/tube attached to the stone. So I can kind of stir as I oxygenate. I love it and wouldn't trade it.A couple of years ago I traded a spare 20# CO2 tank for a similarly sized and priced O2 tank at the welding store. I also got an appropriate medical regulator for it off ebay. That was a HUGE improvement in three ways. 1) It has a high pressure gauge so I know when I am getting low. 2) One tank has enough O2 in it to last me years worth of batches. I have lost count how many I have done with it and it is not even half empty. 3) when I finally do have to refill it, the cost/per batch will be a small small fraction of what it was with the little torch bottles. I think it is a great and smart upgrade for anyone who is committed to staying with O2 injection.

[DaBearSox]

So i was thinkin about it....couldn't there be a way to do this in drop form?I found this on Ebay: https://cgi.ebay.com...id=p3286.c0.m14I figure that if the LHBS doesn't have it then there is some reason oxygen in drop form doesn't work for homebrewing...

[MtnBrewer]

So i was thinkin about it....couldn't there be a way to do this in drop form?

Olive oil.

[DaBearSox]

Olive oil.

yea i read that thread a little while back...and i think the conclusion was that olive oil COULD help yeast cell membranes, but as to if they consume the olive oil or not is unknown...

[tag]

I use the MB in-line oxygen stone and it works great. The thermometer is right after the chiller and then the O2 stone and then straight into the fermenter.I clean everything by recirculating hot PBW for 30 minutes after every brew. The chiller and stone get sanitized before using with StarSan or in the oven.

[Mindblock]

I use the MB in-line oxygen stone and it works great. The thermometer is right after the chiller and then the O2 stone and then straight into the fermenter.I clean everything by recirculating hot PBW for 30 minutes after every brew. The chiller and stone get sanitized before using with StarSan or in the oven.

+1A lot less screwing around when using a CFC

[Pseudolus]

All I do with mine is dip it in StarSan before and after using. I open the regulator and blow some oxygen through it while it's in the StarSan after it's been used. I"ve had it for 5 or 6 years and it's never clogged. Also I get a lot more than 4 or 5 batches from a cannister of O₂.

Ditto. I'll also spray the stone down with water after use. I never touch it with my fingers - I'll wrap it up in a bit of Al foil between uses. I get at least a dozen uses per O2 canister and also have never had a clog or a problem of any kind with it. Works for me - quick, simple, low effort, gets the job done.

[BrewerGeorge]

I guess I was just using too much O2.

[Thirsty]

Quick to use, easy to sanitize (just boil the stone in some water).Works great.

+1 on that. I boil my chill plate after every session, and the stone/wand go in there as well for 5 minutes, then in a bucket of starsan til the next use. I have a swivel nut to break the line in half, so the wand stays sanitized, and the bottle/reg are attached to my brewstand.

They're $8 a canister from Lowes' around here, and you only get 4 or 5 batches per canister.

I was getting that at first, then I realized once a flow of O2 comes out, you can dial back on the regulator so it is much less, and now a bottle seems to last for a dozen or more batches, 2 fermenters/batch. Reminds me I need to go buy a backup!

[Pseudolus]

You guys are freaking jinxes. Between my last post and now I just went down to aerate my batch. Tank ran out. OK. In putting on the replacement tank it seems I forced the regulator knob too hard (you know, the one that says "do not force"?). Now it's stuck.

[tag]

I've got a big old Oxygen tank from a welding supply place. It should last me for years.

[CoastieSteve]

I stopped using the stones (both carbonating and aeration)- PITA for all the more you get with using them. Like George, I shoot O2 into the carboy and use my regular drill driven whip to aerate. Sometimes, I just shoot the O2 into the headspace and then whip- nothing add'l to clean and there's more O2 than not doing it at all. I see much more activity when using a bit (30 sec) of O2 vice the batches when I don't. However, I cannot say with any certainty that the beer tastes any different.

[3rd party JKor]

I'll echo the O2 users here. I've been using the same stone for as long as I can remember, no clogs. I never measured how many batches I get from a bottle, but it's definitely more than 4-5. I find that it's pretty easy to sanitize and oxygenate. I've never thought of using another method, because it really isn't very difficult and it's the most effective way to get oxygen in your beer. I'm actually surprised that many of the people here aren't using the pure O2. I thought pretty much everyone (at least among avid brewers) was using it.

Edited by JKoravos, 21 August 2009 - 04:51 PM.

[gnef]

I use a small 20Cf welding tank for O2. Those disposable tanks are only 1.1 CF, I believe. I would highly recommend getting a welding tank and regulator for those of you using pure oxygen. I haven't had to pay for oxygen in years now. Cheflamont's tank is about 4x the size of my tank, and expect his to last at least a decade as long as he doesn't develop some sort of leak.

[3rd party JKor]

So i was thinkin about it....couldn't there be a way to do this in drop form?I found this on Ebay: https://cgi.ebay.com...id=p3286.c0.m14I figure that if the LHBS doesn't have it then there is some reason oxygen in drop form doesn't work for homebrewing...

Well, for one. That's not liquid oxygen. Liquid oxygen boils at -297°F.The bottle says "Oxygen activated water" and it lists 45,000 ppm. Oxygen is saturated in water at room temperature at 9.1 ppm....so, ummm, yeah.

[gnef]

If you have access to liquid nitrogen, you could get drops of oxygen into the wort.You can pour liquid nitrogen into a stainless steel container, once the container's temperature drops to that of the nitrogen, liquid oxygen will begin to condense on the outside of the container. If you do this above your wort, you could get pure liquid oxygen dropping (then boiling) on top of your wort. I don't know how much would get in solution, but it is always fun to play with liquid nitrogen.

[tag]

Just don't forget to wear gloves!

[Lonnie Mac]

As I have been known to step outside the box...I present to you:This, with a standard aeration filter and a SS aeration wand from Williams...I hit my 11 gals hard with this setup for about 3-4 minutes with the compressor cracked open just enough to create aeration wort havoc bliss...Before we laugh my good friends, I have been doing this for a while. My last comp entry yield me 5 ribbons. I only entered 5 beers in a 400 entry comp...

Edited by Lonnie Mac, 21 August 2009 - 07:53 PM.

[3rd party JKor]

As I have been known to step outside the box...I present to you:This, with a standard aeration filter and a SS aeration wand from Williams...I hit my 11 gals hard with this setup for about 3-4 minutes with the compressor cracked open just enough to create aeration wort havoc bliss...Before we laugh my good friends, I have been doing this for a while. My last comp entry yield me 5 ribbons. I only entered 5 beers in a 400 entry comp...

I'd definitely put a sterile filter in the line, but otherwise it's a perfectly logical idea.