Aeration prior to Primary

[Len_Andov]

Greetings from the 704; Charlotte area.

I have always used a stainless whisk and elbow power to stir and froth the primary before I seal and airlock it.

Id like your thoughts or wisdom on a couple ideas.

First, and correct me if I'm wrong but, the oxygenation occurs on the liquid surface- not in the bubbles' per say? So froth is kinda overkill since they won't sink- but they will reduce the surface area for oxygen saturation. Does that sound correct?

Second, is there any kind of tablet (like alkaseltzer) that can effervesce oxygen into the wort without harming it?

An lastly, what if I just bought (and kept clean/sanitized) a rod with an attachment that I could use a power drill with? Like the kind they use to stir/mix a big bucket of paint?

Cheers
(K)

 

[blackschnauzer]

i use an oxygen wand system now, but before i did that, i used to just put a solid stopper over my carboy and rock it back and forth, shaking it up for 5? 10 min?.... basically until i got tired of it, and that always worked pretty well for me.

 

[HollywoodTK]

Howdy!

1) Nope...

By aerating, you want to take the atmospheric air and mix it into the solution. Some oxygen will dissolve (or become entrained) into the wort and "oxygenate" it which will assist with the yeast development. Foam formation has to do with surface tension, when mixing, air is introduced into the liquid, the surface tension is broken, and bubbles are able to form; the science of foam/bubble formation is actually pretty in depth. Suffice it to say, foam forms as a result of (vigorous) mixing. A big foam generally indicates good mixing and therefore lots of entrained air (basically, if there are a lot of bubbles up top, there is a lot of air below).

Oxygenation (good) is the process of introducing oxygen into your solution. Oxidation is the result of introducing it at the wrong time. Technically, oxidation is the process of molecules losing electrons, and doesn't have to include oxygen at all! Though oxygen is typically the largest oxidizer homebrewers will deal with. Oxidation is basically the result of chemical reactions (and their products) that occur in the wort or beer when oxygen is introduced during/after fermentation where the yeast are not so prone to use it themselves.


2. I don't think so. But I could be wrong. Alkaseltzer releasese CO2. I don't know of any tablets that release oxygen.

3. That's definitely a viable option!!

 

[Doctor_M]

Greetings from the 704; Charlotte area.

I have always used a stainless whisk and elbow power to stir and froth the primary before I seal and airlock it.

Id like your thoughts or wisdom on a couple ideas.

First, and correct me if I'm wrong but, the oxygenation occurs on the liquid surface- not in the bubbles' per say? So froth is kinda overkill since they won't sink- but they will reduce the surface area for oxygen saturation. Does that sound correct?

Second, is there any kind of tablet (like alkaseltzer) that can effervesce oxygen into the wort without harming it?

An lastly, what if I just bought (and kept clean/sanitized) a rod with an attachment that I could use a power drill with? Like the kind they use to stir/mix a big bucket of paint?

Cheers
(K)

Your other questions have been answered but I will answer your third question and say rather then spending money on a drill attachement to put that money towards an actual o2 diffusion stone setup.
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/mobile/OXYGEN-REGULATOR-FOR-WELDING-TANK-P3476.aspx

And this
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/mobile/22-AERATION-WAND-w-2-MICRON-STONE-P490.aspx

The shake method/ using a drill attachement/ aquarium oxygen pump will net at most 8ppm of o2 which is fine if you only brew beers under 1.060 or so. For beers that need more than 8ppm of o2 the only way to achieve higher saturation is with a diffusion stone and o2 tank.

 

[Hoofer]

Spend tiny minimal $ and put together an O2 system...you will be glad you did.

 

[slym2none]

http://brulosophy.com/2015/05/25/wort-aeration-pt-1-shaken-vs-nothing-exbeeriment-results/

http://brulosophy.com/2015/07/13/wort-aeration-pt-2-shaken-vs-pure-oxygen-exbeeriment-results/

http://brulosophy.com/2015/10/19/wort-aeration-pt-3-nothing-vs-pure-oxygen-exbeeriment-results/

Basically, his experiments show that aerating wort is worth it, but it doesn't seem to matter much how you get it done.

 

[BuglessDuster]

I'm from the 919 (Raleigh) but was born in the (704). I use a stone, which is actually made of stainless steel, and oxygen from an oxygen tank I got from Home Depot. It works great and I usually have a bubbling airlock within a couple hours of pitching my yeast without using a yeast starter. I just use a regular smack pack.

 

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

I don't over think oxygenation to much. I've done the drill and mortar mixer attachment, I've done the shaking. Never went all out and got the oxygen tank, although maybe down the line when I find ways to make light work of it for older bones.

My method? I dump the wort from the boil pot to the fermenter bucket from a sufficient height. I put a paint strainer bag in the bucket to catch the hops. But pouring from 2-3 feet above the bucket gives me more foam and more oxygen just by the violent (controlled) transfer.

This may be harder with 10 gallon batches, though.

Don't over think it. Splashing, sloshing, violent stirring, bubbling, shaking. They all work and do the same thing. You're good however you want to do it.