Pages: 1
Is all fermentation anaerobic?
Is all fermentation anaerobic?
I used to think that wine making fermentation was anaerobic, (air lock), and for beer making it's aerobic, (loose fitting lid).
But now I find out that all fermentation is considered to be anaerobic. So why no air lock for beer making?
After primary fermentation gets going you could, in theory go with no air lock as a layer of CO2 will form on top of the beer. However, wild yeasts can ferment the wort just as well as the yeast you are pitching so an airlock or cover of some kind helps to keep out contaminants.
Both fermentations are driven by yeast so anaerobic or aerobic doesn't play into it as yeast can metabolize with or without oxygen. You aerate wort to allow rapid yeast growth during the initial stages of fermentation, once the oxygen is gone, the yeast switch over to fermentation and metabolize more slowly, but produce alcohol.
The airlock has to do with preventing contamination not with creating an anaerobic or aerobic environment.
Pages: 1