I was curious what everyone uses to aerate their wort and what procedure they use along with it. Right now, I'm just swishing and splashing the crap out of my carboys for 5 minutes (although it's a decent workout).

As I understand it, "swishing and splashing" does little for wort aeration.

I use pure oxygen with a diffusion stone.

If I'm in a carboy, (help, how did i get in a carboy!) then I usually do what you do, and rock it back and forth for awhile. If I'm in a bucket, then I just use a whisk and stir the hell out of it. Both seem to work great, and I figure, if it ain't broke... oxygen infusion is the way to go if you've got the stuff, but I just can't justify the expense if a whisk works for me.

I use a MixStir....

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6040

Same as Denny but I made my own with a plastic coat hanger which I put into a drill. Works great and it's cheap. Fits into a carboy too.

Pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/3fingerbrewing/3Fing3rBrewingEquipment/photo#5189309704105942578

http://picasaweb.google.com/3fingerbrewing/3Fing3rBrewingEquipment/photo#5189309721285811778

http://picasaweb.google.com/3fingerbrewing/3Fing3rBrewingEquipment/photo#5189309772825419378

How long do you guys usually mix using the drill mixstir/coat hangers?

A few minutes...whatever it takes to fill the fermenter with foam.

Lately I have been agitating the wort with my immersion chiller for the last couple of minutes of chilling. I haven't had any problems with it so far, but I haven't used this method on any big beers yet.

That doesn't hurt, but it doesn't help a lot, either.

"Lately I have been agitating the wort with my immersion chiller for the last couple of minutes of chilling. I haven't had any problems with it so far, but I haven't used this method on any big beers yet."

This is what I do, but for 10 minutes plus. Fill with foam, it also helps in dropping the temp to pitching temps.

Fred

A paint stirrer from Home Depot that fits right into my cordless drill - sterilized, of course - about $6. A good 5-10 minutes to fill the pail with foamy goodness . . .

Ya, I started out shaking my carboy. That got boring quick. Then I saw the MixStir in the local brewing supply place. I decided I could go "Tim Taylor" on my wort. So I pulled out my stainless steel 240V, 1 amp, commercial milkshake mixer and, bam! Huston, we have foam! It seems to work good, and it's a lot of fun to use.

Agitate with the chiller some and then dump through a strainer on the way into the bucket.

Use a wisk, fill the fermenter with foam(about 2-3 min), never had a problem with vigorous fermentation.... Just get's my arm tired. Need to make a mixstir from a coat hanger like a bunch of guys have.

Bud weiser like the coat hanger nice

I am tired of shaken the carboy coat hanger time!

30 seconds of pure oxygen is the best. :p

Ever since I've been using a strainer, I've never had any problems with aeration or slow fermentations.

I know HSA is usually done from the mlt to the kettle, but I don't know if it matters during the cool-down portion of the process. I'm guessing not so much because of the immersion chiller agitation and whatnot, but having a reassuring word or two would be nice for me. I'd love to make the hanger one, it looks simple and effective.

as your draining your wort into the carboy splash the wort by wiggling the hose back and forth the whole time its draining(from the top of the carboy or bucket),really nice foam,then I follow with the oxygen...bought from your local hardware store welding section.

I don't agitate with the chiller until it is pretty cool, so I don't think HSA would be a problem. I am not sure what the cut-off temp is for HSA, but I get the wort below 100F before agitating.

Also, from what I understand, HSA won't really be a problem unles you are storing the beer for a relatively long time. If it will be gone a month after bottling or kegging, don't worry about it.

Wow I have never really worried about HSA.....so much info out there it seems that point to it not being an issue...but then again there are a lot of folks that feel it is an issue.

Has anyone done a side by side?

The commonly cited "safe" temp for HSA is 85F or below.

Bud, I've done some things that you'd think should result in HSA but haven't. OTOH, I also helped a friend brew a batch where he got massive amounts of air in the mash runoff and after a couple months had a badly oxidized CA common. For me, the safe approach it to assume it can happen and take care to prevent it.

I get bubbles in my line every time I sparge. Not really sure how to stop it.

Use smaller tubing and don't use a ball valve is my solution.

The smaller tubing might help, but I can't see how a ball valve could cause any problems.

All I can tell ya is that every time I've put a ball valve in a cooler, I get air when I try to throttle it down. When I use a cheap nylon roatry valve, that doesn't happen.

I just pour my cooled wort through a china cap to catch the trub and hops. It also aerates the wort beautifully. Simply pouring the wort vigorously into the bucket or carboy should be enough to get plenty of O2 into the solution. But, do whatever makes one comfortable. Getting an O2 tank and air-stone is overkill IMO but many swear by it so aerate on...

I use medical oxygen and a fish tank air-stone.

My ball valve works great, perhaps the little aeration screw isn't tight? I've tightened mine very very tight, and I have yet to have bubbles there. I don't run it full throttle probably less than half to reduce the chance of channelling with a fly sparge.

http://www.maltosefalcons.com/tech/MB_Raines_Guide_to_Yeast_Culturing.php

Some of the best info out there on yeast handling, including starters and aeration.

My wife insists that I aerate with homemade methane (I won't discuss the connnections - kinda PG-13 rated) . . . she says brew day smells like ass anyway.




Okay, maybe that was a little uncalled for. If you manage to get that image out of your head, let me know how you did it.

Paint stirrer in a drill......sweet sucess.

Hmmm, don't remember seeing anything to tighten on any of the ball valves I've worked with. I'll give 'em another look.

I can't see that a ball valve is any different than a rotary valve. In fact, that's the benefit of a ball valve, very little restriction/friction.

I use o2 and a stone.

My ball valves work fine.

All I can say is that I've had very different experiences with ball valves and rotaries....

As far as the tube from the cooler, I don't use no stinkin valve. I just wrap the tube around the cooler handle to stop the flow.

Burp, you get today's Gold Start For Pragmatism!

Thanks Denny.

Come to think of it, it could be just basic physics in regards to the ball valve. I usually 'prime' my tube by lifting it above the cooler, opening the valve, and then putting it down. I suppose that any air could get stuck if the valve were opened while the tube was down. That and I like run thin mash (about 1.5qt to 2.0qt per # of grain) and with the fly sparging, there is always a good amount of water above the grain to create positive pressure.

I think channeling is what's causing bubbles in mine toward the end of the sparge, but I'm not sure how to stop it.

Great idea, Matovichi!

Mine bubbles at the end of runoff, too, and I try not to think about it....

"Mine bubbles at the end of runoff, too, and I try not to think about it..."

Well hell, maybe I have nothing to worry about then.

(stands up) I'm brewsci, I batch sparge and I get bubbles too. (sits down) Near the end I will shut off the valve and wait a few minutes and then reopen to get the last bit without many bubbles. IME, I don't think HSA has been an issue. Sometimes I even had to pour the wort from a bucket into the kettle. That gets you some aeration!

"Sometimes I even had to pour the wort from a bucket into the kettle. That gets you some aeration!"


Combo HLT and boil kettle, here. I do that every time.

i'm in the same situation...bubbles at the end and pouring from bucket to kettle. no issues that i can notice so far in regards to hsa...but i don't know if i would recognize it if it was there.

no valve for me, just one of those cheap plastic clips on my outflow tube. seems to work just fine and only cost me 25 cents.

Hey Bud Weiser, nice tip on the coat hanger mixer. It worked real well

Thanks
Grant

I've been thinking about buying a carbonation stone.

Anyone here have one?
Just wondering if you like it and how it works for you.

Grant- I can't take full credit for it...someone a few posts back(within the last few months) had posted about it and I made one myself. But ya it works good enuff!

Cheers.

Coat hanger stir/aeration thingy - props go to Jeff Williams

Thanks Jeff!

Couldnt remember who had posted about that.

BB, My last sparge did that bubbling thing also. With the new mill and closing the gap a bit("close till a stuck sparge, then back off" I thought it was a case of draining faster than the liquid was flowing....air actually coming back up the drain line, like pouring water to fast out of a container and you get that gurgle.
Witch might explain dennys thought of smaller dia. slower draining.

BWTFDIK!

thanks jeff

I tried cranking it way down the other day and it still bubbled. Actually, I've always had bubbles during the last part of the runoff, so I'm going to quit worrying about it. Now where's that glass of homebrew?

I feel like the bubbles at the end of the lauter are inevitable. Usually, I've long since hit my 7 gal. mark by then, so it's just running off to save for starters. Then I don't worry about it so much.