Couple questions… I’ve heard that as an alternative to shaking or other manual methods, you can use a wine whip to oxgenate wort.
First, what’s the best procedure for doing this? How long?
Second, if a wine whip removes dissolved CO2 from wine, how does it aerate wort and dissolve O2?
I have tried just about every method and finally settled on pure O2 with a stainless wand and .5 micron tip. Everyone has their opinion, and there’s more than one way to skin kittens, but in my opinion and experience, pure O2 is by far best and most dependable
I have been wondering about this myself?
I use a mix stir, which is similar to a wine whip to aerate wort and “degas” mead. By “removing co2” all that is meant is that by moving the fermenting wine or mead around rapidly more co2 gets released because it is not trapped in the liquid. When degassing mead and wine it foams up dramatically.
I think it does a great job aerating wort.
Same here. I run it until my fermenter is filled with foam.
+1
Be sure to boil the stone/wand between brews - it can trap wort easily and become a breeding ground for microbes.
I have one and use it only on the occasional big beer. The wine whip in a drill set on high oxygenates my lighter beers very effectively, though I wonder if it is even necessary…
I honestly feel that “it depends”. I almost never boil my wand/stone. What I do:
dunk it in bucket of star san I have on hand during brew day / when about to aerate and pitch, while turned on low thru flow meter.
aerate wort
immediately carry over to sink and run hot water over stone with it turned on low.
go back and dip in star san bucket again while turned on
set aside to dry until next use.
From start to finish including aerating time takes maybe 5 minutes.
Also, just for kicks I decided on my last batch, a 1.050 ESB to skip aerating since I repitched with plenty of yeast and had added Wyeast nutrient to the boil. I noticed it took a full 24 hrs to form <1" of krauesen - slower than if I had aerated. In terms of growth phase and overall yeast health Idecided to go back to my BMP of aerating every batch. It still made great beer - but it’s just so easy to aerate. And I use a swappable 10-lb tank of 02 so I’m not worried about using a little extra. It was a pain when I bought the little expensive disposable red tanks at Home Depot! YMMV.
I do BIAB. To aerate, I simply open the valve and drain it into a two-quart sanitized pitcher and then pour that into a sanitized fermenter. Shake dry yeast into that, cover the fermenter, put into the fridge with temp controller, and let the yeast do the heavy lifting.
Never had a bad fermentation yet. However, about 1.060 OG is about the highest I aim for. I know liquid yeast with higher OGs require more care, but I like the results I’m getting.
Cheers!
I put my wand in starsan before I aerate then immediately go to the starsan bucket and turn on the gas to blow out wort trapped in the stone for 4-5 seconds.
Playing devils advocate here,
How are people sanitizing their drills?
So the spinning whip, mixstir, paint stirrer, what have you… is spinning the wort. The swirling vortex then pulls air into the vessel from outside. And what is directly outside? The whirling ventilated fan/motor of a drill. Hurling God knows what into the air directly above the opening of the vessel.
And we pick at people who only soak their O2 wand in sanitizer…
And then immediately pitching a big starter of healthy yeast which will outcompete everything.
If one were concerned, and I have done this too many times with no infections to be concerned, one could easily rig up a system with a whole in a bucket lid or through a bung in a carboy so air couldn’t get in.
If anyone uses a mix stir with a carboy the bung is a good idea anyway so that the metal rod doesn’t wack the glass.
Then you would agree, no need to go crazy sterilizing an O2 wand.
Like anything in brewing, everything depends on everything else. So long as you pitch plenty of healthy active yeast to we’ll oxygenated wort that is properly mashed, and then drink it cold and quick… nothing else matters.
Remember that outnumbering bacteria with yeast doesn’t kill the bacteria. And the bacteria can eat things the yeast leave behind. But it may take some time to develop so, just drink fast and it’s fine
Who sanitizes the room air?
Yes, I agree, no need to go crazy sterilizing your O2 wand. Clean it and sanitize it sanely, but don’t go crazy sterilizing it.
The same air with the same microbes that contacts my drill contacts my wort every time the lid is open. I worry more about things coming in contact with my wort and beer that have been soiled with organic material that is conducive to microbe growth.
People with clean rooms?
Yep, rooms with positive pressure through a HEPA filter.
People with clean rooms?
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Yep, rooms with positive pressure through a HEPA filter.
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I aerate in my basement. The air is not sanitized. But my aeration stone is.
I’ve had very few infections in 20+ years of brewing.
That would work! I pity the person whom used sandalwood hibiscus bathroom spray with an open fermenter nearby! ;D