I’m not sure that I get that many batches out of a red bottle, but it has proven to be a lot of batches. If you can see bubbles at the surface of your wort, your O2 flow rate is too high or the diffuser isn’t deep enough. Anything escaping the wort is wasted. It takes a low flow rate and longer duration to properly use O2. Blasting…is wasting.
Below are links to two articles that have been previously been posted on this forum by other members. I expect there are many more out there (and I think this is probably true regarding most of the technical questions that come up here; we have access to so much professional literature these days).
The effect of wort aeration on fermentation, maturation and volatile components of beer produced on an industrial scale: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jib.392
Oxygen in brewery fermentation:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/j.2050-0416.1974.tb03614.x
Now? What do you mean “now”?
Off on one of those little red welding tanks? I should go back and clarify that I can get 6-10 batches but that was based off of when I did 12 gallon batches many years ago. Now I’m doing about 6 gallon and also 5L and I’ve had the same red tank for a pretty long time … no idea how many batches. But I find it nearly impossible to believe that you re using the little red welding o2 tanks and getting over 110 batches.
Yes, same bottles. As I wrote in my earlier comment, with my last bottle I got 155 minutes of aeration (I put a tick mark on the bottle for each minute). Most of my brews are ales, which get 1 min. My lagers get 2 min. 110 batches is an estimate, but it’s close.
Again, you just want a fine mist of bubbles coming from the stone. That way most of it dissolves. If you see froth on the surface of your wort, that’s wasted oxygen.
I’m obviously using a heck of a lot less oxygen than you. My guess is you’re still getting adequate oxygen dissolved into you wort, but with a lot of wasted oxygen as well.
EDIT: I recounted the tick marks. I got 147 minutes from the bottle, not 155. Still in the neighborhood of 100 batches.
Wow. That’s amazing. I only use a fine mist of bubbles so I’m still surprised. I saw another thread someone managed to hood a flow meter up to those red bottles. That would be a good start of understanding “how much” is added. But of course, without a DO meter it’s just a good guess.
Maybe I have a smaller-sized aeration stone? The one I use is 1" long by about 3/8" diameter.
I am definitely in the camp of majorvices on how many uses I get out of those little red disposable oxygen tanks. Over a hundred uses is mind boggling. Maybe I need to use less. I have had well attenuated beer for years now, though, since I started using those, so I am hesitant to mess with success, as I can afford those pricy little tanks.
I consulted my library (pile of beer books threatening to snap my shelf in half) and found the following:
Palmer used an aquarium pump with an in-line HEPA filter to oxygenate (How to Brew 4th ed. page 97) Avoids the dangers of over oxygenating when you’re using normal air.
He also follows Jamil’s thought process of getting off flavors when using too much straight O2.
No mention of needing a filter on an O2 bottle.