Am I Stuffing My Brew By Over Stirring?

[the_purple_dragon]

Greeting my friends,

I've just put down a Coopers European Lager with BE2, and while mixing in the BE2 the wort frothed it's head off (parden the pun ).

Is this going to damage the brew in the long run?

Cheers.

 

[tdack]

From what everyone on here says, it won't hurt. Apparently oxygenation of the wort prior to pitching the yeast is good. It gives the yeast a bit of a hand as they start off. Just don't stir it up after pitching the yeast.

 

[white.grant]

Oxygenating the wort only matter if your brewing an AG beer and have boiled most of the oxygen out through the brewing process and is important if you are using a liquid yeast.

cheers

Grant

 

[the_purple_dragon]

Thanks guys... all makes sense.

 

[afromaiko]

No need for concern, in fact it's good to have more oxygen in your beer prior to fermentation. The only thing that might bother you is when you pitch the yeast. It may sit up on the foam if using the dried stuff, but that's OK too as the foam will subside after a while. You can get around that by rehydrating your yeast in warm water beforehand, which is generally a good idea anyway to ensure the ferment kicks off quickly.

 

[pablo_h]

Oxygenating the wort only matter if your brewing an AG beer and have boiled most of the oxygen out through the brewing process and is important if you are using a liquid yeast.

cheers

Grant

I do kits and extracts, but still boil the hell out of everything for sanatation reasons, so it's not just AG, but how you brew, no matter if its AG or extracts.
Also a lot of stuck fermentations that happen, even by kit brewers and cold tap water, could have maybe been prevented by a little extra aeration before pitching to help the yeast of to a better start.

 

[Kleiny]

I did this with k&k and now i still do it with AG
never had any problem and as the rest have said it actually helps the yeast in its first stages of fermentation

Just rehydrate dry yeast so as it doesn't sit on the top of the foam

 

[brendanos]

It's impossible to "over-oxygenate" wort in this way, so you could stir/spash for hours without any detrimental effects (so long as it remains sanitary). In it's initial stages, yeast needs oxygen to reproduce (aerobic phase), so you get a healthy quantity of yeast less likely to stress and produce off flavours.

 

[chris.taylor.98]

Just a bit more info on yeast preparation that might come in handy:

i) You should always aerate the wort (ie stir the crap out of it, pump air in through an aeration stone, or pump in O2 through an aeration stone if you are really lucky ) and the higher the OG the more critical this becomes.

Note if you are doing what I am which is just stirring the crap out of it you need to me a little mindful that there is not too much airflow ( risk of wild yeasts, bacteria spores etc dropping in ) and preferably indoors. Note I have had no infections from doing it this way yet.

I usually do this after pitching the yeast. Really it wont hurt them, and after all they are the ones that need the oxygen, not the wort.

ii) Always hydrate your dried yeast in warm (not hot water) before pitching.

Being dehydrated the yeast will suck in whatever liquid you put it into, without being able to filter it. If this liquid happens to be chock full of sugars (ie wort ) it can burst the cell walls and kill off some of the yeast cells. So you are making it harder for the yeast before you even start.

Its a bit like throwing someone out of a moving vehicle and expecting them to start running. Much easier if you stop first and then let them get out.

Note this is a very very very very ( have a put in enough verys ) LOW sanitation risk. (Because you are of course going to do it in a presanitised container, with water that has been boiled then allowed to cool down right?)