New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association
Brewing => Equipment => Topic started by: Chris Craig on November 02, 2012, 02:43:27 PM
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I picked one of these wort aerators up on eBay a few days ago. Should be here next week. It hooks up to a standard disposable oxygen bottle that you can get from the hardware store for $10.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/360498130899?ssP ... 2336wt_952 (http://www.ebay.ca/itm/360498130899?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_2336wt_952)
Anybody use one? Tips or warnings?
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Nice find on the price and shipping, definitely the cheapest I've seen yet. Just grabbed one myself as well as I'd been looking for a while.
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Really hope this comes in this week. I want to brew on Monday, and it'd be nice to try it out.
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Still waiting on mine as well. PITA that USPS tracking drops off as soon as the package hits the last US point on the journey.
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I bought a stone awhile back and now I need to buy a regulator....it's getting old shaking the fermenter for 10 minutes lol
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I just use an aeration paddle, it seems to work fine.
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I just use an aeration paddle, it seems to work fine.
I've read that you need about 10ppm oxygen for optimal yeast performance. By shaking or using a paddle, the most you can hope for is 4ppm. I'm not saying you can't make great beer without using an oxygen bottle, it just reduces lag time, and makes the yeast healthier throughout the fermentation reducing the risk of contamination.
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Good to know.
I've always found that the paddle works well, but, never knew how much O2 it added.
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I've been using oxygen and aeration stone for some time now.
my rules of thumb have been:
-any OG under 1.046, I don't bother with oxygen.
-OG 1.050 to 1.060, hit with oxygen for 30 seconds
-OG 1.060 to 1.070, hit with oxygen for 40 seconds
-OG 1.070 to 1.080, hit with oxygen for 50 seconds, etc.
-boil aeration stone before use.
-use a gas hose that fairly easy to remove from the stone.....hoses don't take to boiling very much.
The amount of oxygen to OG ratio I mentioned above isn't necessarily optimal or ideal, but it's what I've set as a constant.
I will say, there is a noticeable fermentation lag period in high gravity wort when I don't use oxygen.
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I've been reading the book "Yeast". It says to use about 2 minutes at 1 litre per minute flow rate. I have no idea how to gauge this though.
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2 minutes for 5 gallons? wow, that's much higher than I've read. I've heard up to 2 minutes with regular air though.
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I'll look it up again and post what I find. I could be mistaken.
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From Yeast: A Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff:
To help homebrewers with the question of how much oxygen to add to a batch of beer, White Labs ran an experiment injecting pure oxygen into 5.4 gallons of 1.077 wort using a 0.5 micron stainless steel sintered stone at a flow rate of 1 litre per minute. The results show that to reach the desired 8 to 10 ppm, you would need to inject oxygen for one minute.
Shaking, 5 minutes = 2.71ppm
30 seconds O2 = 5.12 ppm
60 seconds O2 = 9.2ppm
120 seconds O2 = 14.08 ppm
and...
To demonstrate the effect of varying dissolved oxygen levels on fermentation, White Labs then pitched WLP001 at a rate of 12 million cells per milliliter into the worts from the dissolved oxygen tests. The wort samples around 3 and 5 ppm of oxygen did not attenuate as fully as the other samples, which attenuated a full degree Plato over the shaken sample.
They go on to say that the optimal O2 level is tied to the yeast cell count, which should be tied to the OG, so fakr is right, the bigger the beer, the more oxygen required. They also say that really big beers benefit from a second hit of oxygen after the first few hours.
Now, I have no idea how to achieve a 1 litre/min flow rate from these regulators. Maybe full-open is 1 litre/min? either way, about 40 - 60 seconds should be good for most beer.
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I think I got my info from the following wyest article:
http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_oxygenation.cfm (http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_oxygenation.cfm)
it mentions near the bottom the absorption rates of O2 according to what method of aeration is used.
I think that's where I got my info...and according to the info, looks like I might be under aerating my wort. Then again, it doesn't mention flow rates. I think I'll aerate a litle longer and see if there is a noticeable difference.
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I have been thinking about getting an aeration stone as well. My lag times drag on sometimes... opening myself up to potential contamination.
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Honestly, I've seen a solid 2 day lag when forgetting to use oxygen. On top of that, fermentation wasn't as aggressive as usual either. it took the krausen a couple of days longer to hit it's highest.
This was observed when pitching into 20C wort using the same type dry yeast, the fermentation chamber set to a constant temp, same OG, etc.
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I have been thinking about getting an aeration stone as well. My lag times drag on sometimes... opening myself up to potential contamination.
That's my biggest reason for getting this.
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I have a spare SS T fitting that I think I'm going to retrofit to the end of my CFC for aeration. I'm going to install the aeration stone in one end of the T and blast 02 in it as wort passes through it, instead of fishing the stone on the end of a hose to the bottom of my fermenters.
I'll have to figure out how to seal it etc.
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Interesting idea...
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I'm going to install the aeration stone in one end of the T and blast 02 in it as wort passes through it, instead of fishing the stone on the end of a hose to the bottom of my fermenters
Essentially what many of the commercial breweries do.
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I have a spare SS T fitting that I think I'm going to retrofit to the end of my CFC for aeration. I'm going to install the aeration stone in one end of the T and blast 02 in it as wort passes through it, instead of fishing the stone on the end of a hose to the bottom of my fermenters.
I'll have to figure out how to seal it etc.
That's what I'm hoping to eventually do as well. Will be interested to see what you put together.
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Ok, I just remembered that I have a 1/2" end cap that I could use to thread into one of the holes of the T. I bought 2 or 3 of them to use as plugs for holes in kettles, etc.
If I drill a hole in the end cap, the same size as the SS tube coming off the aeration stone, that would be a start....Could probably just silver solder the stone in place.
I'll check when I get home to see if there is enough clearance. If so, then I can provide a solid parts list for making one of these puppies.
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Awesome.
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Well, unfortunately, I'm unable to fit my stone in a half inch Tee. I think the stone is a half inch and just won't go past the threads. I'll have to either think of another solution, or look at buying a different stone. That's disappointing.
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What about using a bigger diameter T, and then use reducers on the ends to connect to the 1/2" fittings? You have Pinnacle locally, should be something usable there.
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yeah, good point Kyle, thanks. A 3/4' T would definitely hold the stone. I'll look into it.
Ideally, a longer, more narrow stone would be ideal though.
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This sort of what youre talking about fakr?
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/12-NPT-5 ... P3076.aspx (http://www.williamsbrewing.com/12-NPT-5-MICRON-OXYGEN-STONE-P3076.aspx)
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Seems like some good buys for oxygen systems here too..
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/WILLIAMS ... -P699.aspx (http://www.williamsbrewing.com/WILLIAMS-OXYGEN-AERATION-SYSTEM-P699.aspx)
After a super long lag time with this winter warmer im thinking an oxygenation system might be a good idea.
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Thanks Dandy, that's exactly what I was looking for. screws right into a 1/2 ntp. Think I'm going grab one.
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Yeah think I'm going to try this as well - I have O2 from a kit we always take along diving, and a stone, but I really like the stainless rod in the link you posted Dandy...
Fakr I'd be interested to see how much foaming you get with the stone / tee setup out of your CFC. Sounds like a nice setup. I know Dean had used a small piece of tubing with some small pin holes in them to aerate wort coming out of his CFC. I always wanted to try that as well...
Fakr if you order the 1/2 NPT stone, lemme know maybe order 2 and I'll go in with you?
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I may be interested as well.
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Haven't considered it before, now you've got me thinking...I think I want to get in on this too. Starting to look like a bulk buy.
JQ
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Shaking my carboys post filling is the most exercise I get all week. There was a wyeast video where the guy said that shaking the carboy for 45 seconds is enough aeration ... If I eliminate this, how am I supposed to exercise?
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Just an FYI, the aeration kit with the wand uses a 2 micron stone instead of the .5 micron stone. Bigger bubbles are less likely to stay in the wort.
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Now THIS I like a lot: http://www.williamsbrewing.com/INLINE-T ... 8C106.aspx (http://www.williamsbrewing.com/INLINE-THERMOMETER-WITH-AIRSTONE-P2918C106.aspx)
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All this oxygenation talk is definitely getting me thinking too...
Saw that chris! very neat... I figured you guys can build one for less than 80 bucks though...
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Yeah. I already started looking at the parts, but I can't seem to find everything in one place, so that'll cost on shipping. OBK has everything except the SS hose barbs and the stone.
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Thats a good point...
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Ran across this on HBT (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/need-help-dial-thermometer-line-plate-chiller-197403/#post2297938). Looks like a compression fitting with some tubing pushed through. I'm guessing a couple of o-rings on the tubing would likely provide a pretty decent seal.
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Thanks nice link - yeah I think this is on the list for next addition to the CFC...
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Guys, i pulled the trigger on ordering 1 for myself. I found out that the shipping address i used (usa) was incorrect so i emailed them and asked that they add 2 more 1/2 ntp stones...
If you guys want one let me know asap and i'll call them and have it added to the order.
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letting you know asap - add one for me if you can... really appreciate it ...
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Crap, just talked to the company and the item was already shipped....and to the wrong address.
If you guys are willing to wait a little bit, i might have to place another order, to the correct address, and will include your orders.
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Yeah I'd really like one of these... we are doing a hops order soon, maybe another run to the US to do the pickup - maybe we could ship it to the same address? Jake is doing the pick up I believe...
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I'm very tempted, but I think I'm going to roll with dropping the stone into the fermenter on the end of some tubing for a while and see how that works. I keep telling myself I need to stop adding to my brew rig…
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I keep telling myself I need to stop adding to my brew rig…
You keep telling yourself that son...let us know how that goes... :twisted:
JQ
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I got this today. I quickly decided that the tubing provided was too flimsy. The stone would likely float to the top when the O2 was flowing. So I Frankenstein'd it. I put a piece of racking cane in-line near the stone. I should have no problems now :)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img32/5549/imag0162sd.jpg)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img266/8337/imag0161k.jpg)
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Nice! Hoping mine arrives shortly as well.
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Got my stone and regulator today in the mail. I gave it a try in a few gallons of water, I don't think there's going to be any concern of the stone floating to the top, it seems to stick right to the bottom when the O2 is flowing. Though, perhaps it'll be different in the denser wort.
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Just tracked my order and it has been delivered.
John, don't you have a PO Box in Houlton...same place as my dad?
Did you know they changed their shipping address?
I dad will be heading over for a pickup sometime in the next week or so...I'll see if my stone is in or if I have to re order to the new address.
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I knew they were at a locale, but they haven't advised us that the address has changed. I thought the old address still worked.
JQ
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I hope it does.