Recirculation pump?

Jhogan0101

Member
Trial Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2019
Messages
53
Reaction score
13
Points
8
Location
Philadelphia
Just wondering if anyone has tried and has had good results with putting a small recirculation pump inside the primary fermenter.
 
One obvious issue to overcome would be the risk of oxidizing. Once fermentation has finished up, the CO2 blanket may be compromised.
 
Like keeping the pump in from the beginning. No new intro of o2
Surface “air” disturbance due to recirculating. I dunno, I’m just visually speculating, but that’s what I would say to myself to justify why I wouldn’t do it.
 
Surface “air” disturbance due to recirculating. I dunno, I’m just visually speculating, but that’s what I would say to myself to justify why I wouldn’t do it.
But there is a airlock and the interior is co2. Once fermentation flat lines or near end i would think to turn off, also waiting to turn on until fermentation gets going.
 
Great point... the only other “oxidizing” source would be from pulling a hydrometer sample.
 
The yeast in primary fermentation will provide a fair bit of turbulence all by themselves without agetation.

I don't think the pros outweigh the cons with doing this.
 
I have to ask why one would want to do so in the first place? If you have ever watched active fermentation through a clear carboy, you would see that fermentation does a good job on its own of keeping things circulating
not my video, just one I found on YouTube, but a good example of the power of yeast.
 
Bottom line...bad idea.
No good reason to do it and several potential risks.
 
Yeah, i was thinking that it could be a way to fight flocculation and improve attenuation, but if not done correctly could cause problems too
 
  • Like
Reactions: J A
Pitch more yeast ramp temp towards end of fermentation allow adequate airation choose right yeast strain for style your brewing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: J A
Yeah, all that^^^
I'll add that with some yeasts that are known to really take off and blow out early, I've had better luck pitching on the low end of the range and raising after a day or two. I use S-04 or Nottingham dry yeast sometimes and they tend to go crazy for 24 hours and drop a little too quickly. By starting at 60 rather than 68, fermentation still starts pretty quickly but eases along at a little slower pace. After the first 24-36 hours of active fermentation, it can be raised up to 70 or so and will finish out pretty quickly,
Another thing that's always had a positive impact on attenuation is a sugar addition right after high krausen. if I'm adding any adjunct sugar, I'll save it for a fermenter addition and use it to keep the yeast colony happy and occupied when the maltos starts to run a little low.
If "recirculaiton" is needed, then swirling the fermenter will usually get things going again.
 
Yeah, i was thinking that it could be a way to fight flocculation and improve attenuation, but if not done correctly could cause problems too.
 
Most everything we may think of has likely been thought of, and maybe even tried by someone, in the past. If it isn't in common use, there's almost always a good reason. It either doesn't work, or it screws something up. Diminishing return fits in there somewhere :)
 
Yeah, i was thinking that it could be a way to fight flocculation and improve attenuation, but if not done correctly could cause problems too.
Maybe you,could find a way to stir the beer gently... But I'm with Bob, diminishing returns.
 
Most everything we may think of has likely been thought of, and maybe even tried by someone, in the past. If it isn't in common use, there's almost always a good reason. It either doesn't work, or it screws something up. Diminishing return fits in there somewhere :)

Yeah...somewhere in that 5000 plus years of global experience, there's been a lot of different stuff was tried and if it was a fail, we are not doing it today. I think the only "new" ideas that will come to brewing will be fostered by new or future technologies that maybe facilitate minor challenges we face in the process. If the big boys aren't doing it on the scale that they operate at, then what's a home brewer going to gain.

With all that said, don't let me rain on your parade, keep thinking, keep tinkering, keep questioning convention! What's the process again...thesis, antithesis, synthesis...repeat as necessary!
 
Most everything we may think of has likely been thought of, and maybe even tried by someone, in the past. If it isn't in common use, there's almost always a good reason. It either doesn't work, or it screws something up. Diminishing return fits in there somewhere :)

Yeah...somewhere in that 5000 plus years of global brewing experience, there's been a lot of different stuff tried and if it was a fail, we are not doing it today. I think the only "new" ideas that will come to brewing will be fostered by new or future technologies that may facilitate minor challenges we face in the process. If the big boys aren't doing it on the scale that they operate at, then what's a home brewer going to gain.

With all that said, don't let me rain on your parade, keep thinking, keep tinkering, keep questioning convention! What's the process again...thesis, antithesis, synthesis...repeat as necessary!
 
I keep seeing examples that some of the new stuff we think we're doing is just old stuff that's been lost and forgotten. The pre-German countries have brewing books on hop creep and kettle souring. But as hopping rates started dropping people stopped worrying about hop-creep and it dropped off the radar. Kettle souring (or it's very close cousin) was never popular, the Berliners preferred the brett flavours. So that also disappeared. And there's African sorghum booze making techiniques that are a dead ringer for kettle souring.
 

Back
Top