Wash aeration

[Almanac]

I've always advocated active and vigorous aeration of washes to provide plenty of oxygen in the wash for the yeast to use during the initial aerobic phase of fermentation. Like many here I have, in recent times, been using a stick blender to add air to the wash just in advance of yeast pitching.This has been reasonably successful but I was always a little frustrated that my ferments could take anything from 5-10 days to finish even at optimal temperatures.

A very experienced beer brewer who was visiting me around New Year to look at my new SD Hybrid at work, advised me to invest in an aquarium air pump and an air curtain diffuser like these



I've been using these in the past week and have completed 6 25lt washes (4 lentil and 2 VS just because they were in my yeast box) all of which finished at 0.985 - 0.990 after just three days. I use this new equipment in the boiler I use to bring my brew water to 30oC and let the air pump create a wall of air through the water for about 25 minutes while the water heats. As a control I did one wash with the older stick blender method and it is still bubbling away now at 5 days and the gravity is 1.020 - getting there but slower.

I had tried a smaller air pump and a small airstone before but wasn't impressed with performance but this air pump delivers 200 Llt/h through a 60cm long air diffuser which I form into a ring and drop into the bottom of my converted 50 Lt Keg HLT that I usually use to heat strike water for grain mashing.

This is a real discovery. Obviously the stick blender method works but this has revolutionised my ferments. Can't wait to use it in the 60lt grain ferments. Highly recommend this development if you want to get your washes to turn around quickly

AM

[Admiral Toad]

I like the sound of this
Coincidently I happened to be in one of my regular pub haunts this week (yes I do go in pubs as well !) Which has well-known 15 barrel brewery attached to it
The head Barman happened to mention he had to go and turn off the air in one of fermenting vessels and after chatting to him it transpires that their brewers use larger scale version of what Aidan mentions here to get the fermentation going quickly and they actually regulate the speed of the fermentation by adding or removing air apparently

I suspect a visit to the garden centre or eBay might be on this afternoon

[Admiral Toad]

That's one ordered off E bay for just over a Tenner

Impulse buying just can help myself

[Anavrin]

I was thinking of getting this type of aereater, not for my booze but for my pond in the summer, I'll certainly try it on a few washes first, if it works the fish can do without lol

[Admiral Toad]

Well tried the aquarium pump on a neutral wash and must say bubbling lovely this morning

Good tip I would say

[Mash]

I too am off to eBay.
To check then you run toys for the first 25 mins before adding the yeast..yes?

[Almanac]

To be really useful the pump should have a capacity of 200Lt/hr and the Air Curtain should be 60cm or greater. This allows forming a full circle that will fit the bottom of the fermenter. This type of Air Curtain or any Air Stone should only be used in water before adding sugar or anything else for that matter.

If you use any type of Air Stone/Curtain in water containing sugar from any source the sugar will contaminate and block the tiny air holes in the Air Stone/Curtain. It's a bugger to get out and sometimes impossible. As I said you should only use this type of equipment in plain water, no matter what anyone else tells you, or you will end up replacing the Air Stone/Curtain quite often. I'm not saying you can't put it in sugar water, or even a complete wash, you can, if you're a plonker

I leave mine running in my boiler for about an hour as it uses very little power. Of course you have to keep it away from any heating element. My HLT has the element in a separate chamber and the water is pumped through to heat it so the Air Curtain can't touch off it.

AM

[Easydrinker]

Much as I would prefer not to,I raise a dissenting voice here.
My little aquarium bubbler claims a measly 180L/h out put.
And I use a simple stone,not a "curtain",tho' next time it needs replacing,I might consider a "curtain".
I drop this stone into a 25 litre fermenter,containing sugar and water,with the aquarium heater running,and leave it for 30 minutes before adding lentils (in my case a lentil brew) and then yeast.
I actually do this with two fermenters,and then share the contents between 3 fermenters to control the yeast monster,for two days,and then reduce to 2 fermenters.
It ferments out in 3 days.
As AT states,the brewery he visited are oxygenating active washes,I don't see a problem oxygenating a sugar solution? It only seems to help me.It doesn't have to be plain water in my opinion and experience,unless your bubbler is very different and more powerful than mine.
Of course,I reserve the right to vary this practice when I restart all grain brewing.
It may prove different.


Robert.

Edit.
I'll forgive AM sneaking a little edit in there,(the whole middle paragraph),after I posted,we all know he considers me a plonker!
You simply rinse/run the air stone in water for a few minutes before drying.
Simples.
Hey Ho.

[Almanac]

Just in from my freezing workshop where I was checking the current washes in my hotbox. I had pitched two 25Lt washes on Saturday night at 19.00 and all airlock activity had ceased when I checked the box yesterday evening at 19.00. This morning I checked the gravity and the hydrometer reads 0.980 from a SG of 1.082 at 20oC and I expect this will fall further while the washes sit in the hotbox until Saturday when I'll get to rack them for clearing.

This means the primary fermentation was completed in 3 days which, in my case, is a great improvement on previous performance using a stick blender to aerate the assembled wash, rather than the brewing water, before adding ingredients.

In any instance you can use equipment whatever way you want, there are no penalties for not following a particular set of instructions or guidelines offered here.

Best practice is where some here seek to make the most efficient use of equipment and get best outcomes and longest service from that equipment by not using it in any way that will shorten the efficient or useful life requirng early replacement.

In my experience, using the type of aeration equipment I posted, in the manner I posted above has resulted in greatly improved conversion, shortened fermentation times and better yields - for me and hopefully this information may be of use to others here who genuinely want to improve their craft and skills.

AM

[Mash]

I have used a plaster's paddle on a power drill in the past. That works well.

Once more air pump & stone arrive I will be interested to see how long it needs to be pumping for to get the best results - I am considering leaving it on for the first day!

A lot of brewers are air-phobic - there is a time and a place for aeration and I think optimising that could be produce fantastic results

[Icefever]

for what it's worth I've used a air stone for years when brewing, a forum at the time that I was a member, some of the guys went over to using stainless steel air stones.

For anyone interested there's an old (2007) video Here about using a stone, and this guy's using it straight into the wort...so it's down to you, to make your choice.

[Mash]

Does it have to be red lentils? - will green ones do? (Found some lurking in the pantry)

[Easydrinker]

Any colour here.Red ones,Green ones,Yellow split Peas,I suspect chick peas might also work.

Robert.

[Almanac]

Does it have to be red lentils? - will green ones do? (Found some lurking in the pantry)

Sorry for using the Mod Jackboot here but the subject of this thread is "Wash Aeration" not recipes. Let's keep things on topic and tidy.

Thanks guys

AM

[Mash]

fair cop.

I will go and stand in the corner