Forgot to Oxygenate my Wort

[Cervantes]

Before I left for a four week trip away from home I brewed my first lager.

I'm pretty sure that I forgot to oxygenate the wort.

It's been fermenting at 10 degrees C for four weeks and I'm guessing that the yeast has been struggling a bit and throwing out all sorts of unwanted flavours.

I get back home in a couple of days and was wondering if I can save this brew by oxygenating and adding another packet or two of yeast when I get back, and kick starting the fermentation.

The theory being that the new yeast would clean up after the old and complete the fermentation.

I'd love to hear whether you think this is feasible? Or whether there is a better way to save the day.

Thanks in advance

Edit:

Yeast was 2 packets of Saflager 34/70 in a 20 litre batch.

 

[rehabs_for_quitters]

I wouldn't be adding oxygen to it now you'll totally wreck it, bump it up to 18-20 for a couple of days check gravity to ensure its finished then bring it back down to 10 degrees over a week, crash chill and lager for a week or so it'll be fine,

The yeast will clean itself up I wouldn't be panicking about it

 

[carniebrew]

You definitely don't want to oxygenate once fermentation has begun, you'll turn your beer into undrinkable cardboard.

You're probably stressing for no reason, there's little need to oxygenate wort when pitching dry yeast, it's been packaged in such a way that's it's not really needed, compared to using liquid yeast. See here: http://www.danstaryeast.com/about/frequently-asked-questions (I realise your yeast is not Danstar but it should apply to other dry yeasts too).

 

[Cervantes]

Thanks for the replies Gents.

I'm glad that I asked the question, as I'd hate to have oxygenated the wort and made things worse.

The Danstar info was good. I certainly didn't know that dry yeast doesn't require oxygenating.

Feeling a bit happier about the situation now.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[wobbly]

I don't oxygenate, poor vigorously, whisk, aerate or any of the other procedures talked about to get any oxygen into the wort from my Braumeister when transferred into my WilliamsWarn.

I just rehydrate the yeast in water as per instructions before adding to the WW

For Ales I have used Nottingham and US-05 and fermentation has been over and done with at 23 C in 4 days at 1.5bar pressure before cold crashing to 1C and then clarification. Beer carbonated and ready for consumption generally on the 7th or 8th day

For Pilsners and Lagers I have used S23 and W34/70 and fermentation has been over and done with in 6 days (3 days at 15C and 3 days at 18C) at 1.5 bar pressure before cold crashing to 1C and then clarification. Beer carbonated and ready for consumption 9th or 10th day

Cheers

Wobbly

 

[mxd]

it'll be fine, lack of O2 the fg may finish a bit higher,

 

[TSMill]

So is that advice specific to transfer from a braumeister to a williamswarn, or can normal people do that too?

 

[wobbly]

So is that advice specific to transfer from a braumeister to a williamswarn, or can normal people do that too?

Depends on who/what you call normal!!!!

The point I was making was that like others I have found that it isn't a requirement to "oxygenate" wort when fermented in either a WilliamsWarn, plastic fermenter, SS conical or what ever you ferment in

Cheers

Wobbly

 

[Goose]

The point I was making was that like others I have found that it isn't a requirement to "oxygenate" wort when fermented in either a WilliamsWarn, plastic fermenter, SS conical or what ever you ferment in

Cheers

Wobbly

that is not conventional wisdom mr wobbles, but if it works for you, it works. I notice that you are using dried yeast and you do not re-use the slurry ?

I'm also intrigued your lagers can be drinking in 10 days, that is rapid "lagering" indeed .... :unsure:

 

[wobbly]

Goose

My comment was in relation to using a fresh packet of dry yeast every time and no I don't re-use the slurry because it would offer a number of potential infection issues to be managed which in my view are far out weighed by the price of another dry yeast

• Need to make a starter
• Need to "oxygenate" the wort
• Harvesting and storage
• Just to mention a few

Whilst not "on topic" as to the drinking a lager in just 10 days I don't intend to get into that argument here (I did once before on this site and will leave it at that) suffice to say if you visit the WW site here ( http://www.williamswarn.com/The-WilliamsWarn#.VST71vmUdu4) you can read for your self how this is achieved and the results that speak for themselves

Cheers

Wobbly

 

[TheWiggman]

Yeah a minor derail there. The WW is a premo bit of kit Goose and can most certainly knock out a lager in 10 days. Some other members here do pressurised fermentation which changes the fermenting game a great deal.

Liquid and dry need to be treated differently as carniebrew said. Some English yeasts (Burton Union, Ringwood Ale by memory) benefit from oxygen or a quick 'thrash' of the fermenter at about the 24h mark. Bribie G has posted about it before, specifically the Burton Union.
In all cases though when using liquid yeasts the wort should have oxygen prior to pitching. Degrees of oxygenation is another matter, and will affect flavour and attenuation, as well as rate of fermentation.

 

[Goose]

arrggghh

I hate this place (kidding of course). Just glanced over a multitude of information on pressurised fermentation.... I ferment in a sankey and now realise that with a "spunding" valve I can give this technique a try.....

where does one source such a valve ?

 

[TheWiggman]

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=1069 - but only goes to 100 kPa / 1 bar

 

[wobbly]

arrggghh

I hate this place (kidding of course). Just glanced over a multitude of information on pressurised fermentation.... I ferment in a sankey and now realise that with a "spunding" valve I can give this technique a try.....

where does one source such a valve ?

If you really want to do your head in here's 200 odd pages for you to read.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=44344

Cheers

Wobbly

 

[Cervantes]

arrggghh

I hate this place (kidding of course). Just glanced over a multitude of information on pressurised fermentation.... I ferment in a sankey and now realise that with a "spunding" valve I can give this technique a try.....

where does one source such a valve ?

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=1069 - but only goes to 100 kPa / 1 bar

I have something very similar but the thread on the valve adjustment is very course and it's hard to calibrate to the desired pressure. Even after fitting thread tape to the valve adjustment threads I find them not that reliable. If I leave one set and go away for a couple of weeks I find that they gradually leak all of the pressure from the keg.

I've now reverted to non-pressurised fermentation.

 

[Goose]

I have something very similar but the thread on the valve adjustment is very course and it's hard to calibrate to the desired pressure. Even after fitting thread tape to the valve adjustment threads I find them not that reliable. If I leave one set and go away for a couple of weeks I find that they gradually leak all of the pressure from the keg.

I've now reverted to non-pressurised fermentation.

thanks lads,
I looked at that one and also those on the morebeer and kegking websites but the one from craftbrewer appeared to be of stainless rather than brass construction fwiw so ordered that instead...

seems it can't hurt to try.

the motivation for me is not the saving in C02 though that benefit is a given if I can finish the ferment at a head space of 12 psi, but I am far more interested in the purported benefits of reduced byproduct production such as fusels and esters etc,as well as aroma retention. From reading the abstracts it appears that such pressure restricts yeast growth which is the cause of such byproducts, that part I can accept.

in my case where I have always fermented at atmospheric, my first batch of lager is just cack, the second is ok and the third and beyond are fantastic. I have put this down to insufficient yeast on first batch despite the fact I am pitching a 5 litre starter made from 2 x wyeast smackpacks. Of course, fermenting pressurised for first batch might restrict the yeast growth that is necessary for the fermentation of subsequent batches so perhaps its a technique I should only try on second and beyond batches ?

sorry, OP, getting a little off topic ...

 

[Cervantes]

Well I've just taken a sample prior to ramping up to a diacetyl rest and the gravity reading was spot on Beersmith's calculated final gravity of 1.010.

No hint of off flavours and tasted great out of the hydrometer tube. It looks like it's going to be a nice drop.

Thanks for all of the advice.

 

[wobbly]

Goose

If you haven't already have a read of this topic http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fermenting_Lagers

The point I am going to make is that a passing reference to fermenting under pressure and the reduction in diacetyl and hence reduction of required lagering time to 8 days is made in the paragraphs titled "Maturation of the beer" under the discussion about a number of graphs showing differing fermentation conditions. This is on the about half way down the page. In the discussion reference is made to work/research done by Naziss in 2005 where it was observed that fermenting at elevated temperature and under CO2 pressure limited unwanted esters and high alcohols and allowed a significant reduction in lagering times down from weeks in some instances to days

And to keep it in perspective Braukaiser indicted that fermenting was for the home brewer only of academical interest (though some have done it successfully) since it requires primary fermenters that can withstand pressure and a means of controlling that pressure without the benefit of an increase in beer quality.

If this subject was updated today one wonders what sort of closing statement re this method of fermenting would be made

Cheers

Wobbly