Aerate large amount of wort?

Hi there,

Over the next week I'll be brewing a couple of 30g batches of beer. I just got all the equipment and am getting everything set up now.

My question is around aeration. When I do 5g or 10g batches I would just use my aquarium pump and diffusion stone. But how would I aerate a 30g batch? Is there a way I can do in-line aeration while I'm pumping from the boil kettle to the fermenter?

I suppose I could use my aquarium pump and diffusion stone in the fermenter, but I'm assuming that would take a long time to sufficiently aerate.

I searched for this topic on Google and Homebrewtalk, but didn't find any relevant threads. Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Robert.

I am on my phone so can not link the thread. However there is a thread describing using a Venturi effect. Drill a hole in your tubing and place two hose clamps on either side of the hole. I use it in my five gallon batches and it works wonderfully.

tankcrash said:

I am on my phone so can not link the thread. However there is a thread describing using a Venturi effect. Drill a hole in your tubing and place two hose clamps on either side of the hole. I use it in my five gallon batches and it works wonderfully.

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! I looked up the Venturi effect and while I understand the concept, I don't see where I would inject the oxygen. Do you have a picture of your setup you could share?

Thanks!
Robert.

Sorry on vacation. I don't inject any oxygen it's all plain air. You could use a fitting like a short hose barb and inject pure oxygen into the hole.

For those size batches, I would really look in to aerating with pure O2.

Thanks for your help! Have you guys heard of aerating via olive oil? Perhaps that's a better method for what I'm trying to do?

Thanks!
Robert.

Here's the thread on Venturi devices. I'd definitely say that is your best bet for batches that size if you don't want to invest in an aeration stone.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-aeration-gadget-68218/

rlindsley said:

Thanks for your help! Have you guys heard of aerating via olive oil? Perhaps that's a better method for what I'm trying to do?

Thanks!
Robert.

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I've heard of it, but I wouldn't trust it personaly.

One screwed up 30gal batch would be more than a valve and O2 tank from Lowes or HD.

What type of yeast do you plan on using on these batches?

I only ask because the aeration requirement for aeration for rehydrated dry yeasts is much lower than that for liquid yeasts.

kombat said:

What type of yeast do you plan on using on these batches?

I only ask because the aeration requirement for aeration for rehydrated dry yeasts is much lower than that for liquid yeasts.

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Good point!

Plus a 30 gal starter would be huge!!

There is another thread out there that shows how to build an in-line aeration tool that could use you pump and stone.

Basically a "T" with the stone at the top of the "T" an all the wort flows around it on it's way to the fermenter.

I would just slow the cooled ort down so it all has a bit of time to absorb so O2.

Then if you are unsure you could then drop the stone in the fermentor for a few minutes....

If it was me I would probably give the first few gallons out a really good "whisk" to be sure...

Ya... I just use a kitchen whisk to aerate my beer but I am only doing 11 gallon batches.

Hi, this setup works very well for my 10g batches. I have to turn the pump off, add a lot of Fermcap and wait most times because there is so much foam:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/mazzei-venturi-aeration-system-321481/

Hope this helps

Wow, thanks a ton for all the thoughts.

For now I think I will skip the olive oil. I'm dealing with enough new equipment as is, I don't want to be dealing with entirely new processes which could potentially screw up a 30g batch!

I'm using dry yeast, so hydration requirements are nowhere near as intense as liquid. At the end of the day I could just use my aeration stone in the fermenter before pitching, but I'd like to do it in-line if at all possible.

I think for the first run I'll use this method:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-aeration-gadget-68218/

If it doesn't produce a good enough result I'll follow up with this method:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/mazzei-venturi-aeration-system-321481/

So my path from kettle to fermenter will look like this:

Boil kettle -> Pump -> Plate Chiller -> Aeration tube -> Fermenter

I *love* that I can do this all inline. It seriously is going to reduce my brew day by at least an hour!

Thanks!
Robert.