From: mmanning@icomsim.com (Michael Mannning)
Subject: Re: Aeration of wort?
Organization: Icom Simulations
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 20:13:20 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.181916.10115@aio.jsc.nasa.gov> andy rogers <rogers@ial3.jsc.nasa.gov> writes:
> In article <1992Dec16.161001.9327@sernews.raleigh.ibm.com> Charlie Murray,
> murray@rocky.raleigh.ibm.com writes:
> >My local homebrew shop (American Brewmaster in Raleigh, NC) is going to sell
> >an aeriation device that is basically a fish tank bubbler.  The claim is that
> >by leaving this thing in your primary for the first 24 hours, you will get
> >superior aeriation and subsequently fermentation (versus the slosh method).
> >Are they on the mark?
> 
> consider that you will be pumping air from the room into your beer and that
> air will be replacing the CO2 which would otherwise be resting in the
> fermenter headspace. unless you've also got a tank of 'clean' oxygen you're
> pumping from.
> 
> i wouldn't do it.
> my $o.o2
> 
> aNDY
> ----

I just got a fish tank bubbler setup like the one mentioned above. I haven't 
had a chance to try it yet, but I've heard enough good things that I'm willing
to(I will this weekend). It has a hospital grade bacterial filter on it so the 
air going through my wort should be squeaky clean. I considered finding a 
supply of clean compressed O2, perhaps a medical supply store and feeding it 
through a stone. I also thought it might be interesting to put the wort in a 
cornelius(sp?) keg and subject in to about 20psi of pure O2 overnight before 
pitching. That ought to give the little beasties something to breath for a 
while. Usually I pre-start my yeast in a half gallon on so of sterile wort 
before I brew the main batch. It's simpler to keep a half gallon ultra clean 
and prevent contamination. I use my microwave like an autoclave. Then when I 
pitch there's so much active yeast that nothing else stands a chance. The wort 
is literally churning with activity in about 45 minutes. The people who 
recommended this aeration setup to me claim that pre-starting will not be 
necessary anymore as they usually see extremely active fermentation in a 
couple of hours. I thought that the mixing action of the aerating stone may 
be part of the benefit, and buying a new bacterial filter $8 every so often 
should be cheaper than bottled O2.

- Michael

--
mmanning@icomsim.com
rwise be resting in the
> fermenter headspace. unless you've also got a tank of 'clean' oxygen you're
> pumping from.
> 
> i wouldn't do it.
> my $o.o2
> 
> aNDY
> ----

I just got a fish tank bubbler setup like the one mentioned above. I haven't 
had a chance to try it yet, but I've heard enough good things that I'm willing
to(I will this weekend). It has a hospital grade bacterial filter on it so the 
air going through my wort should be squeaky clean. I considered finding a 
supply of clean compressed O2, perhaps a medical supply store and feeding it 
through a stone. I also thought it might be interesting to put the wort in a 
cornelius(sp?) keg and subject in to about 20psi of pure O2 overnight before 
pitching. That ought to give the little beasties something to breath for a 
while. Usually I pre-start my yeast in a half gallon on so of sterile wort 
before I brew the main batch. It's simpler to keep a half gallon ultra clean 
and prevent contamination. I use my microwave like an autoclave. Then when I 
pitch there's so much active yeast that nothing else stands a chance. The wort 
is literally churning with activity in about 45 minutes. The people who 
recommended this aeration setup to me claim that pre-starting will not be 
necessary anymore as they usually see extremely active fermentation in a 
couple of hours. I thought that the mixing ac