E93Bausch
Member
On high gravity beers I have read it is beneficial to add a second dose of oxygen 12-18 hours after the yeast has been pitched (Yeast by White & Zainasheff). Last year I had a Barley Wine go from 1.103 to 1.017 with WLP007 using this technique.
So today I brewed this years Barley Wine (OG 1.102) and pitched it on top of a fresh WLP007 yeast cake from a stout. Two hours later there was already activity in the air lock. I decided to add more O2 with a stintered stone.
What a mess, a few moments after the O2 started flowing the beer began to foam at an incredible rate. I could see it coming and pulled the stone out and pressed my palm against the carboy opening. I could feel the pressure building and sticky unfermented beer started spraying out. I removed my hand and it went everywhere. To prove I am a dumb ass I figured I would add the O2 at a slower rate and watch more carefully on the other carboy. Same thing happened. I lost the better part of a gallon out of each carboy.
This does not happen every time I add a second dose of O2 but it is not the first time it has happened either. There was 3 eye droppers full of Fermcap-S in each carboy. How can I add O2 and avoid the mess?
Edit to add - The yeast was pitched into 60 Deg F wort, temp controller is set at 63.
So today I brewed this years Barley Wine (OG 1.102) and pitched it on top of a fresh WLP007 yeast cake from a stout. Two hours later there was already activity in the air lock. I decided to add more O2 with a stintered stone.
What a mess, a few moments after the O2 started flowing the beer began to foam at an incredible rate. I could see it coming and pulled the stone out and pressed my palm against the carboy opening. I could feel the pressure building and sticky unfermented beer started spraying out. I removed my hand and it went everywhere. To prove I am a dumb ass I figured I would add the O2 at a slower rate and watch more carefully on the other carboy. Same thing happened. I lost the better part of a gallon out of each carboy.
This does not happen every time I add a second dose of O2 but it is not the first time it has happened either. There was 3 eye droppers full of Fermcap-S in each carboy. How can I add O2 and avoid the mess?
Edit to add - The yeast was pitched into 60 Deg F wort, temp controller is set at 63.
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