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Aeration Methods?
basementbrewer wrote:
Some of you are stating that this has been a great addition to your beer. How is it helping? I understand then yeast wants o2 for its process, and probably speeds up fermentation time, but does it help with the taste? Is there any other positive to the aeration process other than finishing fementation faster?
Yeast are sort of like you......they need Oxygen in the first phase of their life........how healthy are you going to be if someone took your oxygen away??????? probably not going to get much work done anyway and neither will the yeast....
basementbrewer wrote:
Some of you are stating that this has been a great addition to your beer. How is it helping? I understand then yeast wants o2 for its process, and probably speeds up fermentation time, but does it help with the taste? Is there any other positive to the aeration process other than finishing fementation faster?
I oxygenate before pitching. One minute with just enough of a trickle out of the tank. Full blast and you are wasting the O2. Even with the stone on there.
As for basementbrewer's question, The O2 helps the yeast during its quick growth phase in the beer, even with a starter. You do need a little yeast growth to help develop yeast flavors characteristic to the strain you are using. The O2 is important for good yeast health. Good yeast health promotes the proper characters from the strain you have selected. Certainly good beer can be had with suboptimal yeast. But you pitch the right amount, with the right nutrient level and the best possible health in the yeast cells thats when you get a ferment that is optimal to the strain.
You can improperly pitch the 5 or so different English Ale yeasts available from whitelabs in the same recipe and all the beers will be good, but they will be pretty similar. If you take the care an use the 5 strains all at their optimum health, thats when the individual differences come out of the strain.
So yes virginia proper O2 matters and helps; but only as a part of good healthy yeast, management.
Great answer to my question Brewchez, but I have one for you. Who is Virginia? 
I just used the O2 with stone system for the first time. I did not see any bubbles, or any activity for that matter but I assume O2 was flowing? I took a close look through the side of the tank and put the setting on high and saw some tiny bubbles coming out, I guess this is the normal flow. I think I was expecting a bunch of bubbles. I definitlely need a wand to put the stone on for next time as I found it challenging to get the stone to the bottom of the carboy with it being on the end of flexible hose!
If you are supposed to boil the stone to clean it, and you are not supposed to touch it, how the heck to you gently get the stone off the end of the tube (or wand). Man, its on tight, not sure how to go about that without getting my hands all over it and yanking like hell.
Thanks,
edgerelease wrote:
If you are supposed to boil the stone to clean it, and you are not supposed to touch it, how the heck to you gently get the stone off the end of the tube (or wand). Man, its on tight, not sure how to go about that without getting my hands all over it and yanking like hell.
Thanks,
I have two stones, one for carbonating and one for my O2 system. I only bother with the boiling thing a couple times a year. My O2 stone gets a good dunk in PBW and then a quick soak in sanitizer each use.
I haven't had any problems yet.
Get a small plastic bag like a sandwhich baggie and use that to grab onto the stone if you have to get it off the tubing. Or put the whole thing in the boiling water and the tubing will loosen up enough to make pulling the stone off easier.
Thanks Mike.
So what should I expect with regard to seeing any bubble activity when turned to high? After looking closely I did see some very, very small bubble activity when set to high, but was trying to keep it low to make sure the O2 was absorbed and not wasted. I'm not sure how the heck I am going to know when the bottle is empty if I can't even tell if O2 is flowing!
Most my beers are dark, so I can't really see much. I just dunked the stone, turned on for a minute and was hoping it was working.