Different wort aeration kits

[Bribie G]

Bump.

I'm going to invest in an oxygen kit for the forthcoming comp season. At the moment quite happy to get one from Brewman when I'm down that way in a few weeks, but just covering all bases and wondering if anything different or cheaper etc may have come onto the market in the last two years since this thread was current?

 

[Brownsworthy]

I'm thinking about one myself and am just wondering how much better the beer is than just pouring the wort through a strainer, into the fv, like I do now and if it is worth it or do I just get one of the the little black pumps with the air stone?

Got a little one on the way and renovating at the moment so $175 is a bit of a stretch for me and after spending $2500 recently on my 3v setup and telling SWMBO that was it I'm not sure how long I would survive.

Cheers

 

[gap]

I received the Brewman o2 kit for Christmas and saw an immediate improvement in my ferment.
Definitely worth it. pouring through a strainer is not in the same ball park.

 

[Bribie G]

I'm particularly interested in using the kit for lagers. I've brewed a few lagers that have placed in competitions but still unable to get them totally clean and non-fruity like a typical Euro lager.

With my current setup I can address nearly all the things that are required for a good lager: chilling rapidly, pitch rate, fermenting at the right temperatures, lagering properly etc, but the oxygenation is the one thing currently missing from my arsenal.

If I'm going to go to the expense of air pump and filter and a stone, might as well go the extra step with far less dicking around (30 min aeration etc).

I've been following Braukaiser's advice.

A healthy lager fermentation requires more oxygen than an ale of the same strength in order to reduce the stress on the yeast. The required oxygen level of 8-10 ppm (mg/L) is best achieved though 1 to 1.5 minutes of pure O2 or 20-30 minutes sterile air though a 2 micron stainless steel stone.

 

[fishingbrad]

That's it Bribie. I only use it on my Lagers now as I found it made little to no difference to MY ales.

Cheers.

 

[sp0rk]

I'm currently looking at an aquarium pump, filter and airstone setup
O2 out here in the middle of bumfuck nowhere is hard to find, and when you do it's hilariously overpriced

 

[Brownsworthy]

At $29 I think I'll give the air pump, filter and air stone a go first then once funds allow I'll grab a setup from Brewman.

Cheers

 

[Mardoo]

Having used a couple different setups the Brewman one is the best of the small ones, IMHO. Only way better is to get a full size reg and bottle, and that's a matter of opinion too. Get yourself an O2 flowmeter so you know how much you're putting in, and remember slow flow with smaller bubbles gets more O2 into the wort than blasting it in.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

My O2 rig. ~$440 to set up. Swap and go is ~$70. Well used this should last the home brewer 1 to 3 years between swaping. Or more!



The disconnect is the way I pump it into my kegmenter rather than an air stone. I then rock and roll the sealed kegmenter. Otherwise use a stainless steal airstone dipped into the wort and move around and it makes a big head of froth. Never too much! I'm just learning here.

PS.
Tank from your local hardware stores. Regulator from Total Tools, or other options etc. Hoses and disconnects from your home brew store. etc. I tried not to name haha. Go get that stuff.
Don't bother with anything smaller if you DIY. Those aerosol like O2 bottles are a waste of money and you cant get the fittings for them.

 

[Zorco]

The molecular weight of o2 is heavier than air according to my chemistry textbook. The o2 would then sit on top of the wort. Diffusion would be then be the primary means of dissolving o2 into the fluid I guess.

Using pressure in a kegmenter would be a second mechanism for dissolving o2 for dem yeastiez.

But I'm a way off buying a kegmenter. So I have questions about non pressurised fermentation:
To economise o2 usage, is it our objective to just purge the headspace of our fermentation vessel with o2 and allow the diffusion gradient to do its thing?

If we have a headspace of, say, 50% the volume of our wort, is that sufficient to strengthen yeast count/viability? More/less?

What is our target dissolved oxygen percentage?

I picked up a huge oxygen cylinder from a 'give-away' and rather unexpectedly I'm ready to try this business out.

Edit: I read the tip at the bottom of Bribie's post. I'm not sure that I understand the correlation of time to ppm yet.

 

[gezzanet]

+1 brewman's gear. Got it for a Xmas present last year. But the flow meter would make it even better. Thanks

 

[Danscraftbeer]

The molecular weight of o2 is heavier than air according to my chemistry textbook. The o2 would then sit on top of the wort. Diffusion would be then be the primary means of dissolving o2 into the fluid I guess.

Using pressure in a kegmenter would be a second mechanism for dissolving o2 for dem yeastiez.

But I'm a way off buying a kegmenter. So I have questions about non pressurised fermentation:
To economise o2 usage, is it our objective to just purge the headspace of our fermentation vessel with o2 and allow the diffusion gradient to do its thing?

If we have a headspace of, say, 50% the volume of our wort, is that sufficient to strengthen yeast count/viability? More/less?

What is our target dissolved oxygen percentage?

I picked up a huge oxygen cylinder from a 'give-away' and rather unexpectedly I'm ready to try this business out.

Edit: I read the tip at the bottom of Bribie's post. I'm not sure that I understand the correlation of time to ppm yet.

Get the necessary bits and pieces. It should be the same as any new bottles. If its older than current stuff then its your judjment.
If its all OK then that bottle could last you many years. Its an interesting addition to home brewing for sure.
A stainless steel sanitised air stone on a sanitized hose into the brew. Add O2 and watch what happens. When your satisfied seal the lid and shake the crap out of it anyway to mix it all properly.

 

[MHB]

If you use an Air Stone, you don't need to shake, in fact I suspect that's a bit like shaking a bottle of beer before you open it, same amount of dissolved gas (CO2 not O2) but a very different outcome, the gas comes out of solution a lot faster and quite messily. I think shaking might reduce the amount of dissolved O2.

Mark

 

[Kev R]

Just a word of caution, reading posts about filling kegs,coke bottles ect with pressurized O2. Any keg lube ect may not be oxy compatible nor keg seals and O rings,and i think plastic comes from oil and oil is definitely not o2 compattible.white thread tape is not.
In the gas industry ( BOC ect) in all oxy systems including low pressure systems oxy clean is taken very seriously.
Be careful you aren't making a bomb.

 

[Bribie G]

I got the Brewman kit, and have just done the first "straight through" oxygenation of a batch.

A 6% ABV English IPA fermented with Wyeast 1968.

I oxygenated starter wort and pitched the smack pack, stepping it up over a couple of days.

Then oxygenated the main wort when it was cool ... a minute on a slow "trickle" without raising too much foam.

Pitched and fermented at 20 degrees.

Pitched on Saturday Morning
Now finished and clearing from the top.

Bloody eck. :blink:

D rest and leave it to do its thing till the weekend.

 

[MHB]

Makes a gobsmacking difference doesn't it!
Although I hardly think you will need a diacetyl rest with an ale hopefully you will notice an improvement in your beer too.
Mark

 

[drsmurto]

I got the Brewman kit, and have just done the first "straight through" oxygenation of a batch.

A 6% ABV English IPA fermented with Wyeast 1968.

I oxygenated starter wort and pitched the smack pack, stepping it up over a couple of days.

Then oxygenated the main wort when it was cool ... a minute on a slow "trickle" without raising too much foam.

Pitched and fermented at 20 degrees.

Pitched on Saturday Morning
Now finished and clearing from the top.

Bloody eck. :blink:

D rest and leave it to do its thing till the weekend.

Oxygen definitely speeds up the time it takes to hit FG from my experience. I've also noticed that FG is a few points lower compared to just using an air pump.

I found one big difference when using oxygen was just how much cleaner the beers turned out from a flavour point of view. I assume that by providing a healthier environment for the yeast it is in turn behaving much better and cleaning up after itself leaving behind cleaner, brighter beer flavours.

From my analysis of sulfur compounds in wine at work (think hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl sulfide and several other stinky molecules) I've found that a lot of wines had detectable but low levels that didn't stand out when smelled/tasted. They are thought to contribute to the 'complexity' of the flavour and aroma. How, we don't understand just yet.

I wonder if, that by using oxygen, we are reducing the concentration of these molecules which to some degree, mask the desirable flavours and aromas we want in the beer, thereby giving those molecules more chance to sing.

 

[Mardoo]

I have definitely had insanely fast ferments since starting to use oxygen. 70 points and finished in three days, for example. However, I have found myself a bit frustrated by the lack of flavour production from English "character" yeasts. Very clean beers, but maybe a bit too clean. This arose when I started using oxygen. I'm not yet sure that it was the oxygen, but I'm trying some ferments with these yeasts without oxygen to see whether I'm happier with the results.

Any insights or advice?

 

[Benn]

Could raising the ferment temp in conjunction with o2 aeration create the desired flavours from the yeast at the same time as reducing the undesirable flavours produced by yeast in an oxygen poor wort?

 

[MHB]

I have definitely had insanely fast ferments since starting to use oxygen. 70 points and finished in three days, for example. However, I have found myself a bit frustrated by the lack of flavour production from English "character" yeasts. Very clean beers, but maybe a bit too clean. This arose when I started using oxygen. I'm not yet sure that it was the oxygen, but I'm trying some ferments with these yeasts without oxygen to see whether I'm happier with the results.

Any insights or advice?

Yep, that would be the O2 in action. Mind you even with good aeration 70 points in 3 days, you must have had a fair sized pitch.
There is a range for both the yeast and O2 you want in a brew, at the higher end of both (not talking over pitching OK) you will get cleaner beer, at the lower ends more yeast flavours slower brews and more chance of unwanted flavours.
If you want more of the yeast esters wind back the amount of O2 a bit, reduce the flow rate, the time or wait 5-10 minutes after aerating before pitching.
You might also try pitching then aerating a couple of hours to 1/2 a day later, some yeasts respond better to that regime.
Mark