I would like to know more about oxygenation and how important it really is to making a better beer.
What is the right equipment to oxygenate my wort? How necessary is it? Do you buy the disposable cans from the hardware store or can small paint ball tanks be used to refill?
After brewing for six years just shaking a carboy and thinking it really wasnt that important, I tried O2 a few months ago, and I’ve seen it make a huge difference to the lag time. I’ve not tasted any of the new brews yet but I’d expect shorter lag time means healthier yeast, cleaner ferment, less change for other bugs to take over etc.
I use the red O2 cans from Lowes ~$8, and this kit from Austin
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=2437&osCsid=1a60fd8c77958970a829638970a98dcc
I wont brew without it now.
I think oxegenation is very important. In the initial growth stage the yeast require a lot of o2 to consruct lipids they require for reproduction. However, except for the really big beers shaking, pouring roughly back and forth between two buckets or using a ‘mix stir’ device is more than sufficient. Honestly even with big beers that’s all I do but I am sure I could make better beer with pure o2 I just don’t know that I am at a level yet where it will make a big difference. There are many other things that I can imporve without additional capital outlay.
I use a MixStir to aerate (not oxygenate) my beer…
Under $20 and in my unscientific survey as effective as O2 or an aquarium pump.
I gotta get me one of them. while shaking 6 gallons of wort makes me feel super manly it seems like it would by much easier and more effective. Where did you get yours? my local hardware store only has the metal kind which looks to have too many places that will be hard to reach for cleaning.
You can a mix-stir from pretty much any LHBS. Look in the wine making section. Here’s one example:
They have stainless versions too.
Paul
I got mine at my LHBS. Around $15 IIRC.
Would you recommend using the Mixstir in a Better Bottle, as long as you don’t whack the sides with it?
I just broke my aeration stone the other day trying to disconnect it from the tubing so the timing of this thread is perfect.
Seems like that ought to work.
I also use a mix stir and it works great for making mead and wine too.
I have the stainless steel shafted mix stir, it’s pretty sweet. I had some problems with it wobbling like crazy and figured out that the blades were coming lose enough to not hold the positions they’re supposed to stay in. So I tightened them up and that fixed the problem. My drill isn’t super high rev, so it doesn’t whip up a huge amount of foam after several minutes. Not sure if that’s bad or not. Thoughts?
I’ve used a mixstir for years and it definitely helps with fermentation and I think it made my beer taste a lot better too. I just started using pure O2 from the disposable red tanks and I get visible fermentation in ~2 hours as compared to 4-6 with the mixstir. I’m not sure those few hours decrease in lag time will have any impact on the tast of the beer, but I’m hoping to find out soon…
How does that mixstir get the O2 in the wort?
Unless you have to splash a lot.
And do you have trouble with the foam up?
Constant aeration is a really good way to go for yeast starters. But since you usually only can add oxygen to wort at the beginning of fermentation, I think that oxygenation is a better way to go over aeration to begin your fermentation. You do have to be careful and not overdo it with oxygen since you can bring the dissolved oxygen levels much higher than you can with aeration. Excessive oxygen levels MAY create higher alcohols and more solventy perceptions in the finished beer. I have not seen definitive proof of that, but several prominent brewers have mentioned they notice it.
I use an in-line sintered stainless stone followed by 25 ft of transfer tubing after my chiller. That gives me the chance to introduce a fine stream of oxygen bubbles into the wort and it has a good chance to transfer to the wort before dumping into my fermenter.
You don’t want to drop a hose into your wort and blast it with oxygen for a minute. You want to use a stone and introduce very fine bubbles at a very low rate for a much longer time. I probably have my oxygen tank on for 10 minutes during the transfer, but its at a very low rate. I probably get 10 to 12 (5 gal) batches from one of those little red disposable oxygen cylinders, so I don’t think I’m overdosing the wort. My ferments are rapid and strong (a good starter helps too). If you’re dropping a oxygenation stone into the bottom of your fermenter, you should reduce the oxygenation rate until you can just barely see fine bubbles coming to the surface and let that go for many minutes. How many is many? I can’t say for sure, but I’ve mentioned my duration above.
It’s the results that count.
It pulls surrounding O2 into the wort. And foam up is not a problem. I run it until the fermenter is full of foam.
I also use the mixstir for aerating the wort. It’s fast and easy to use. I’ve also used pure O2 from a sintered stone, but have switched back to the mixstir. Both methods work well.
Is the Mixstir powerful enough to get a whirlpool going in the kettle ( 10 gal ) or would a paint stirrer be more appropriate for this?
Either would work well.
I pour wort through funnel into Better Bottle, put a tennis ball under the center indent in the BB and swirl it.
like this http://www.better-bottle.com/products_master.html
I have been pondering this for a while the Mix-Stir, are sold as wine “de-gassers” so if it it’s degassing wine how is getting oxygen (which is a gas) into the wort?