I have been looking into lodo brewing and it looks pretty cool, i’m wondering do i need to replace my whole system to do lodo? or is there a way to modify
an existing set up? only been reading about it for a day or so and its completely new to me, so far i gather copper is a no no, and deoxygenating water, the use of SMS and other antioxidants etc, if anyone has some info in laymans terms that would be cool
I recommend going to the LODO website to read up on all the ins and outs. You can probably modify your current system to comply.
Here’s the link to the website:
Lot’s of good info there.
Don’t get overwhelmed, like most things you can make it as complex as you want to or not.
The referenced website is probably a good place to start. I would also (gently) suggest tightening down any other aspects of process before worrying too much about the low oxygen stuff. Strictly my opinion, of course! But…fermentation temperature control, sufficient time for conditioning, oxygen influx during kegging, storage temps for kegs, time until consumption of the keg, etc., are often much, much bigger factors in beer quality, especially at the homebrew scale. You may already have this all under control, in which case, off you go to LODO!
And as for your original question, the one thing I’ve learned in homebrewing is that if you ask the question, “Do I need to replace my whole system to do [X,Y,Z]” the answer will frequently be a hard YES or a hard NO, depending on who you ask (and how much money they have to burn)!
Themodernbrewhouse takes a holistic approach to making beer and isn’t simply focused on the hotside benefits of reducing oxygen, thus the name change to make that clearer. If you are thinking about the advantages of low oxygen and making changes to your system, then it doesn’t make sense to only concentrate on one aspect, such as the cold side, first then move on. But rather look at your process as a whole and see all the places where it might be improved. Simple changes to your equipment and process could solve problems on both hot and cold side. Having more knowledge about and being aware of all processes involved is never a bad thing.
I was in this same spot around the start of 2018 or so. I went over there and got some good information from some of the members there including Bilsch. What helped was the idea of not trying to do everything at once because it might be overwhelming. I did put some things on my site (link to the left) and it’s from a very simple angle and many of the hardcore LO brewers might still find plenty of holes or dislike some of my equipment. But I have been deoxing the water with yeast & sugar, underletting the mash, using trifecta mix, using a mash cap, naturally purging kegs with the CO2 from fermentation, doing closed transfers, etc. I did try spunding but I wasn’t very successful (unpredictable carb levels) so I may see if a Tilt hydrometer will help me. I think my beers are better and one VERY noticeable difference is how pale some of my beers have been. Some of the lightest-colored beers I have made in 21+ years of brewing. The LO stuff I put on my site is under BREWING PROCESS.
Also: Is that site still a pay site? I was a member at lowoxygenbrewing.com but without a Patreon donation my account was disabled.
Not sure why you had troubles. Most of the site is free with only a couple areas for group buys, advanced collaborative research etc that are patreon.
The forum went to pay-only, right? I remember trying to login and I was taken directly to the Patreon site. That said, my account was often mysteriously ‘disabled’. I contacted some of the admins and Big Monk and TexasWine looked into it for me but couldn’t understand what happened. They suggested I set up a new account which I did. The same thing happened again and eventually I was only taken to Patreon and that’s when I gave up. :-\
I checked my account over there and was able to login to the forum but I’m definitely not any kind of contributor.
Thanks for that. I should probably try it again.
Just to bring this full-circle, my old username and password are disabled. I went to set up another and when I hit the link to approve my registry I was taken to a screen that asked me to donate and there is no way around that. The smallest amount is $5 a month. I am not opposed to paying $5 (although it’s certainly unusual in terms of homebrewing sites) but I believe very strongly that the person who runs that forum does not care for me and has repeatedly played with my account so donating money to the site is not going to happen. For anyone who has been a member there for a long time, your account is probably fine and you wouldn’t be asked to pay. But if you begin a new account I think you’ll be asked for a donation. That said, I still have interest in the topic and I know that there are very good and helpful people over there. I’m on board with the concept but the person in charge of the site would prefer that I was not there.
i was interested in LODO brewing, and i think its generally a cool concept, but simply it doesnt fit my brewing philosophy. i could afford it, but i’d just feel really dumb drinking beers that in actuality cost 50 dollars each for the first year or so.
Its a cool and respectable way to brew, just like other ways to brew.
Over the last year and a half I started dabbling with low oxygen brewing and did not really need to change my system at all. I was a BIAB brewer and just used a smaller kettle lid as a “mash cap”, pre-treated water instead of using the boil quickly and chill, then underlet the grain method. So the lid was only real equipment change. Rest was just processes, water additions with sodium metabisulfate and BrewTan B, no splashing, pitching at a larger pitch rate, fermenting lagers cold and naturally carbing kegs with spunding valve.
Will say, for my lagers, LoDO is great. Wort is crystal clear post chilling thanks to BrewTan B & whirlfloc, so beer in keg is usually crystal clear. As for comps, low O2 beers are hit or miss with judges. I have made beers using normal and LoDo methods and submitted to my club for comparison and majority, including a National BJCP judge, always seem to prefer the regular version. Whether they are thrown off by the fresh malt flavors you get with low oxygen brewing or what, it’s just weird.
Anyway, now I am brewing on an Anvil Foundry with recirculating mash. So not really great for LoDo, especially when you pull the basket and the splashing that occurs. But I gave it a try recently with a Festbier, and while it probably was not really low oxygen with the splashing, the beer came out fantastic. I still use some LoDo methods on regular beers, adding BrewTan B and SMB, higher pitch rates, etc.
I have heard comments like yours about the competitions before… quite a few times. Is it possible that people are so used to oxidized beer that a true-LO beer tastes really foreign to them?
Well, that’s certainly one possibility. But it’s not the only one.
I’ve run off into a separate boil kettle using the pump and not pulling out the mash basket. I’m not a LODO brewer but I have always tried to minimize o2 pickup in my wort. It works like a champ, super clear vorlauf and run off.
On another board we discussed this and there was a sample Anvil Foundry video posted that ran about 18-20 minutes. Quite a few things DID NOT look low-oxygen. I was considering a Foundry system but there would have to be some workarounds.
I know this is an LO thread and not a Foundry thread but here’s the vid:
There are things going on over there that are well beyond just reducing oxidation and most brewers would be simply amazed.
One way to potentially get into low oxygen “like” brewing without changing things (other than your base malt) might be to give the new Viking “Pilsner Zero Malt” a try. This malt has been specially modified to have zero LOX (lipoxygenase) enzymes. The various LOX types of enzymes are well known to negatively impact beers flavor, stability, and head retention. The oxidation of the intermediate products generated via lipoxygenase enzyme activity during the mash lead to off-flavors, browning, and reduced head retention. The theory behind this malt is that if you get rid of the LOX enzymes which create the very products that oxygen subsequently negatively impacts, you will get rid of many of the negative effects caused by oxygen.
Disclaimer: I am not associated with Viking, and I have no idea as to whether or not they have solved the problem of the negative effects of oxygen via this approach.