Get into O2 guys, if you're serious about nicer beer

[Futur]

From that article:
In summery, excessive aeration with a stick blender or paint stirrer on a drill can get your wort up to 7.0 ppm, but an oxygen setup will often get your wort up to 11.0 ppm or higher. The end resulting beer will be the same, but your fermentation will be much quicker and healthier and have a far less chance of coming into contact with airborne contaminants.

Note that 7.0 ppm figure is at 19C, if your pitching temperature is lower you can achieve higher. See this other great article on oxygen in brewing.

According to that article for standard 12P worts if your pitch temperature is at 15C, you can achieve 8 ppm through normal aeration and up to 10 ppm at 5C (for lagers). For high gravity brewing though, pure o2 is required.

 

[fungrel]

From that article:
In summery, excessive aeration with a stick blender or paint stirrer on a drill can get your wort up to 7.0 ppm, but an oxygen setup will often get your wort up to 11.0 ppm or higher. The end resulting beer will be the same, but your fermentation will be much quicker and healthier and have a far less chance of coming into contact with airborne contaminants.

I can attest to this.
With o2 and addition of ALDC (enzyme that speeds maturation and formation of diacetyl during fermentation) i can get a moderate gravity beer to packaging state in 7 days. Without the addition of the enzyme, i can go to packaging state in around 7-9 days. Without o2, and without the enzyme, it is more like 9-12 days.

I have seen a difference in the quality of my beer, but i don't necessarily believe that the one defining factor in overall quality is the use of pure o2.

 

[verysupple]

Just to stir the pot but has anyone considered a dissolved oxygen meter to be the first investment before buying o2 equipment? IMO every one of you is flying blind with your o2 dosage which will depend on so many different factors, e.g. flow rate, temperature, wort volume, size of bubbles & time.

There could be a whole lot of you with this new expensive gear who are going to either over or under dose on o2 which both are detrimental to fermentation.

I take your point but would argue a DO meter isn't really necessary.

I'd love to get one and do everything as precicely as possible but I don't think I really need to. The range of DO levels in wort that is perfectly fine is not that narrow. It's not like anyone's aiming for exatly 9.85 ppm or anything like that. I have a cheap flow meter which means I can at least be consistent and change the dosages relatively batch to batch. Sure, I don't know what ppm I'm actually getting, but I can observe the results (both fermentation performance and final beer taste) and adjust next time if necessary. It's not like you know what the ideal DO level is before you brew a beer anyway. We only have a recommended range.

In that respect it's a bit like yeast starters. Very few homebrewers actually count the yeast density using a microscope to find out if they're pitching at the exact rate they were aiming for. I do have a microscope and haemocytometer and have used it exactly once to count yeast cells. It was a bit of fun but it's a lot of effort and typically far too expensive to be worth it for most homebrewers. I only did it because I got mine free when the Uni was getting rid of the really, really outdated microscopes. The point is, as long as you're consistent with your methodology so that you can make controlled adjustments in the future if necessary, you have to be better off than not doing it at all.

Also, using bottled O2 is a lot better on my body than shaking a full FV and a lot faster than aeration (atmospheric).

 

[Futur]

I take your point but would argue a DO meter isn't really necessary.

I'd love to get one and do everything as precicely as possible but I don't think I really need to. The range of DO levels in wort that is perfectly fine is not that narrow. It's not like anyone's aiming for exatly 9.85 ppm or anything like that. I have a cheap flow meter which means I can at least be consistent and change the dosages relatively batch to batch. Sure, I don't know what ppm I'm actually getting, but I can observe the results (both fermentation performance and final beer taste) and adjust next time if necessary. It's not like you know what the ideal DO level is before you brew a beer anyway. We only have a recommended range.

I guess part of my point is that there is an argument that pure O2 isn't really necessary either depending on your situation. If the recommended O2 rates for ales and lagers @ 12P can be achieved with standard aeration without buying a bottle, regulator, wand and stone then that I can imagine that would suit the vast majority of people. However if you brew high gravity beers, pitch at higher temperatures then you would be at an advantage using pure O2.

Also, using bottled O2 is a lot better on my body than shaking a full FV and a lot faster than aeration (atmospheric).

There are easy ways to aerate wort without pure O2 and not do your back in

 

[Liam_snorkel]

but we really like buying extra gadgets

 

[Zorco]

and we really like nicer beer.

 

[verysupple]

<snip> If the recommended O2 rates for ales and lagers @ 12P can be achieved with standard aeration without buying a bottle, regulator, wand and stone ... <snip>

According to everything I've ever read from yeast manufacturers and brewing texts, they can't.

 

[Zorco]

I have seen a difference in the quality of my beer, but i don't necessarily believe that the one defining factor in overall quality is the use of pure o2.

Correct, it isn't.

The defining factor is whether the brewer has pants on when brewing!

 

[TidalPete]

Quote
I have a cheap flow meter which means I can at least be consistent and change the dosages relatively batch to batch. Sure, I don't know what ppm I'm actually getting, but I can observe the results (both fermentation performance and final beer taste) and adjust next time if necessary. It's not like you know what the ideal DO level is before you brew a beer anyway. We only have a recommended range.

+1

 

[Mr B]

Masters is now at about 50% off on Cigweld O2 regs. So about 50 bucks, if thats the way you want to roll.

 

[Batz]

Masters is now at about 50% off on Cigweld O2 regs. So about 50 bucks, if thats the way you want to roll.

Bargain, get into it!

 

[Mr B]

Yes, that is a bargain, isn't it.

Gosh, with all the discussion, it can be really hard to know in which setup to invest in this confusing world of bottles, regulators, gas suitability, and potential suppliers.

I must say, the advice on standards does give one serious consideration in trying to work out what might be a safe setup.

Just great to see the support of the community in sourcing appropriate, and most of all safe products to improve beer quality.

Have to note the patience and time that people have put in, it really is a sign of a great forum.

Tick for reg, wont be long till the bubbles start, have been scoping for entry for a while.

 

[Glomp]

BOC has these at just over 53 bucks.

https://www.boc.com.au/shop/en/au/magmate-flame-oxygen-regulator.

I bought one and they look pretty decent

 

[Batz]

OK Batz give away. The first tp PM me can have it.

You'll have to send me a 3kg addressed post bag and I'll send it off to you.

Merry Xmas.

Batz

 

[SBOB]

Very generous...
Hopefully someone who needs it, and will make use of it, grabs it rather than just someone scoring the freebie

 

[Batz]

Gone to Coodgee.

Enjoy it mate!

 

[alfadog]

Masters is now at about 50% off on Cigweld O2 regs. So about 50 bucks, if thats the way you want to roll.

Yesterday there was one unit left at the Coomera Masters. there are still a good 7 or 8 O2 regs left at the Tingalpa Masters.

 

[Futur]

According to everything I've ever read from yeast manufacturers and brewing texts, they can't.

That might be true, but what temperature was this done at and via what method? If it was shaking and at room temperature that wouldn't surprise me.

The science says otherwise, 8-10ppm should be achievable without using pure O2. Braukaiser has validated this using a paint mixer on a drill. Once I get my meter in the next few weeks I'll take some measurements for a lager being oxgenated using this same method @ 5-6C.

 

[Rocker1986]

I pitched my latest Bo Pils yesterday, unfortunately at about 20C instead of closer to the 10C ferment temp that I'd have preferred, but it should be ok. It was down to 11/12 in about 7 hours. Anyway, I tried to be careful tipping the cube in this time so it didn't foam up too much because I was using my oxy rig on it. I found some spare gas line lying around and cleaned it up to use with the 0.5 micron diffusion stone that Zorco kindly got for me on Friday. Turned on the oxy and sanitised the stone and line then dropped it into the wort for about a minute or so and bubbled oxygen into it, then pitched the yeast and into the fridge.

It was pitched about 2pm, and it is now sitting at 10C with no visible action although I'm used to this with the 2001 yeast so not reading too much into that. I'll take a sample on Friday and see where the SG is sitting. The OG was 1.0476 and I have 25L in the FV.

I might have to find a less splashy way to transfer the wort to the FV from the cubes using this set up now because it does tend to foam up the wort on top of the foam already there from transfer. Either that or not bubble it as vigorously through the stone.

 

[Killer Brew]

Is the process to pitch and then oxygenate or oxygenate then pitch? Or does it not matter?