Are their negatives to overaerating?

[yourlastchance89]

So I’ve been using a whirlpool paddle attached to a drill to whip and aerate my wort once cooled below 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Link is http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Brewing_Paddle_Ultimate_Whirlpool_Paddle.html

Yesterday I brewed a Schwarzbier and whipped that thing around like crazy in the kettle for a few minutes. It was right under 5.5 gallons and when I transferred it into my 7 gallon SS Chronical, the wort with foam hit right at the brim. Gravity reading was at 1.055. I cooled it down to 46 degrees Fahrenheit and pitched the yeast from my starter which should’ve been around a 435 billion cell count. I’ve heard mention that over-aerating may cause head retention problems when the beer is finished. Anyone have any experience or further info on this or why it is true? Also I went to check on it 24 hours later and I had some krausen blow-off through the tube, which is phenomenal considering its only at 48 degrees Fahrenheit right now with almost 1.5 gallons of headspace and a domed lid. Anyone have any experience or insight on how this may affect the finished product? I think my next investment is definitely going to be in an oxygen tank and stone if this is the kind of mess I have to look forward to. Sorry for the lack of pics.

 

[thehaze]

I don't believe I've read anything that would imply that overaerating the wort prior to pitching would negatively impact head retention. I don't think that would be possible. Head retention or lack thereof, is related to other things that would have a direct effect on the final beer.

 

[yourlastchance89]

In “Yeast The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation” by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff. On page 78 about half way down the page.

“Using an aquarium pump with a sintered stone will not result in more than 8 ppm, even with extended times. In fact, extended aeration can be detrimental to the head formation and retention.”

Literally the only mention I’ve ever found of that and there’s nothing in the book to state why that is.

 

[ESBrewer]

In theory, foaming may cause some protein to denature (lose the structure and thus solubility) at the gas/liquid interface and eventually drop out of the solution during fermentation. This would decrease the protein content and foam in the final product. But honestly, I believe that the effect of your aeration regime will be totally negligible and you are not going to notice any difference in the final product. Thinking about the boil, you have already been agitating the wort for an hour (or two).

 

[kingmatt]

You can easily overaerate using pure oxygen, via an oxygenation stone, but if you are just shaking or whipping your wort you don't have to worry about it.