Wort Airation

[tangent]

Since I've been dipping my toes in the mashing pool (not literally, well, maybe young virgins splashing the mash about a bit)
I've noticed my grain brews go like the clappers at the start of ferment but slow down to a crawl or stop before (i think) they should.
I'm attributing this to me boiling all of the wort instead of only part of it, thereby exhausting too much absorbed O2, even for my extremely "splashy" fermenter filling etc.

I've heard a lot about airstones and the such, but what do you use/do?

 

[JasonY]

Pretty hard to beat the SS airstone, I messed about with one of those sand aquarium ones but the bubbles are too big and I could only leave the pump running for 10mins at a time without too much foam building up. They also eventually fall apart <_<

I got a ss scinted filter from work that I use (7u I think) which makes really fine bubbles and I can now leave the pump on and it doesn't foam enough to fill the fermenter.

Apart from that I have tried the dropping from one fermenter into another but I can't be stuffed cleaning two fermenters

 

[Kai]

I just drop from fermenter to fermenter a couple of times. I don't always do it though, and I've had a problem with some of my brews lately not attenuating fully, but others have gone right down so I don't think it's related.

And that doesn't really help you, does it?

 

[Tony M]

At a recent perth brewgathering this topic was discussed and a few blokes dont bother any more and because I'm always looking for the lazy way, I stopped aeriating and found that there was little difference. It might take nine days instead of seven to get a lager down to secondary fermentation gravity.

 

[Guest Lurker]

I was one of the dont bothers. There is a bit of information around that below a starting gravity of about 1.050 its not a big deal. I aerate the crap out of my starter my manually shaking, expelling the CO2, and getting more air in there, but I dont bother with the brew. But I would look for a way to aerate if 1) I was starting much above 1.050 or 2) I was brewing with extract.

 

[Stagger]

I aerate from my boiler to the fermenter via a hose it seems to work fine, all my beers go of like a freight train. Most that i have seen brew use different methods some go from 1 to the other, others with a spoon.

Stagger

 

[Duff]

I aerate from my boiler to the fermenter via a hose it seems to work fine, all my beers go of like a freight train. Most that i have seen brew use different methods some go from 1 to the other, others with a spoon.

Stagger

[post="78793"][/post]​

Same as well Stagger, I siphon from the boiler at height through a straining bag held in place in the top of the fermenter (30L) and have foam coming right to the top every time.

 

[Batz]

Mine too is airated, from the boiler to the CCFC , then through a "T" that has a stainless airation stone fitted

Photo shows fittings before plumbing , tel-tru fitted as well so I can keep an eye on the cooling rate


Batz

 

[AndrewQLD]

And Borrets great idea here http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/Ace_Venturi-t6820.html
This is a cheap and easy to make aeration device, and it works really well.

Andrew

 

[vlbaby]

I used to aerate my brews with a s/s air stone. But my last 4 brews i havent done so because my sterile filter broke. To be honest, I havent noticed any differences without it.
I am starting to think lately that aeration might be just another tale of BS that seems to get about in homebrewing. h34r:

Feel free to correct me if u wish.


vlbaby.

 

[Doc]

Since I started doing inline aeration very similar to Batz's setup, I've definitely noticed that my beer reach high krauzen a lot quicker than they used to.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Batz]

I agree Doc
We know yeast requires sugars and oxygen to survive , yes many other things contribute as well.

So I believe in giving the yeast a kick start , sort of like fertilizing your hops , they will grow without it yes , but what a difference with a little TLC.

Batz

 

[AndrewQLD]

I tend to agree as well, since I started vigorous aeration I have found that my beers wiil ferment down very well, quite often exceding the yeasts stated attenuation levels, and this never happened before I started to aerate aggresively.

Andrew

 

[dicko]

Hi Batz,

What do you use for an air pump??
I am thinking of making a similar set up to yours.

Cheers

 

[Batz]

Now that's a photo I have too take and post Dicko

The guys who came to Batz brew day will agree it a big mother!

My sons asked me one xmas what I would like , told then an aquarium air pump for my s/s stone , but it needs to be a fairly gutzy one.
They when to an aquarium warehouse supplier...."Give me you biggest air pump !!"

It will run 90 aquariums
Bit of an over kill yes , but works a treat , cost them $80-$90 I believe.

Batz

 

[tangent]

i must admit, that venturi idea caught my eye
nice work

 

[JimD]

I've never aerated, and never had problems. That was when I used Gervin ale yeast. Now I've started on Wyeast 1318 and it's a swine to get going properly.

I've had to rouse it every other day just to keep it going (even at 22C), so I was seriously thinking of investing in some aeration equipment.

Does anyone else think that the need for aeration is mainly down to the yeast strain?

 

[Ziggy-san]

Jim - with 1st generation pitchings, I think it is down to the yeast strain and health. That is, more robust strains and healthier starting populations require less aeration.

However, all yeast will benefit from aeration in the early stages -- eg, heavily aerated starter, aerate at pitching, aerat 4hrs after pitching -- to assist in cell-wall development.

If you continuously buy new yeast for each batch then this isn't really an issue, but if you propagate your own then you should probably help em out.

 

[neonmeate]

interesting to read some of your experiences.
when i do aerate, i aerate with a crappy $20 aquarium pump for 10mins or so. usually i pitch before i go to bed then get up at 7 the next day and give it some more air.
if i've got 500ml of fat fresh slurry that i know will take off in an hour i don't bother aerating any more than a splash into the fermenter. but i notice the difference when i'm underpitching, or pitching old yeast, or making a 9% beer.

 

[tangent]

neon, do you have an airstone attached to that pump?