Aeration and liquid yeast.

[GDubs]

As i sit here with my coffee, waiting for the family to wake up so I can start my brew day (which will include a liquid yeast for the first time), I was reading about the importance of aerating liquid yeast. I typically pitch my dry yeast and just half heartedly shake my fermenter for a minute or two. Considering i paid 3x as much for the liquid yeast, not only do I want a good finished product but i was also hoping to harvest some yeast (also a first) from this batch. It seems to me that an “energetic” transfer from my kettle would be a good option to aerate my wort but i couldnt find any reference to anyone doing this for the purpose of aeration. Is that because everybody simply does it that way and I missed that part in Home Brewing 101 or is there another reason, like risk of contamination?
I boil on my back deck, then gravity drain to my fermenter on the first step. Its a rather gentle process. If i were to move the fermenter down a couple steps and keep the hose up off the bottom, it seems to me that would do a much better job of aerating the wort than shaking a full fermenter with minimal headspace would. Also, why is it that we wait until after the transfer to pitch yeast? Why not add the yeast during the transfer??
Thank you again for you continued patience with my questions.

GDubs

 

[Minbari]

If it is cooled to pitch temp, no reason you can't pitch in the kettle and then transfer.. a reason you might not want to is because trub and other losses in the kettle will leave some small amount of yeast behind.

As for the aeration, the shake method had been used by alot of people. I use 100% oxygen with an airstone. The difference is 8ppm vs 20ppm of dissolved oxygen. It does make a difference in how quickly the yeast gets to work

 

[GDubs]

If it is cooled to pitch temp, no reason you can't pitch in the kettle and then transfer.. a reason you might not want to is because trub and other losses in the kettle will leave some small amount of yeast behind.

As for the aeration, the shake method had been used by alot of people. I use 100% oxygen with an airstone. The difference is 8ppm vs 20ppm of dissolved oxygen. It does make a difference in how quickly the yeast gets to work

Perhaps i didnt word it well, I was actually asking about adding the yeast to the fermenter before or during the transfer and allowing the wort and yeast to agitate/aerate together as the fermenter filled. I have always waited till after

 

[Minbari]

Perhaps i didnt word it well, I was actually asking about adding the yeast to the fermenter before or during the transfer and allowing the wort and yeast to agitate/aerate together as the fermenter filled. I have always waited till after

Have always added after transfer and chilling, never had an issue. Most fermentation start within 18-24 hours. Once fermentation starts the churning will stir it (assuming it needs it in the first place)

 

[Ward Chillington]

was actually asking about adding the yeast to the fermenter before or during the transfer and allowing the wort and yeast to agitate/aerate together as the fermenter filled. I have always waited till after

Though I've never heard of that as a practice, I get what you are trying to do and I don't think you'll get are more likely to introduce something unwanted into the yeast herd.

The practice is to introduce aeration TO the wort FOR the benefit of the yeast. This is about the only time you want to introduce air ....specifically oxyen, to the wort. Oxygenated wort provides a more hospitable environment for the yeast to begin propagation.

Rocking the carboy, injecting air or pure oxygen via an air stone are common methods to achieve this in home brewing. Your idea of an "energetic" transfer could achieve the same thing and you'll probably get a lot of surface bubbles in the process. Pay attention to your temps, keep it clean and be patient are the best practices I can suggest in using liquid yeast over dry.

Have a great brew day....what's in the kettle?

 

[GDubs]

Thank you Ward. I made the switch to kegs 3 batches ago so todays brew is intended to work on that process a bit… streamline my closed loop transfer (to the keg) and experiment with some keg hopping. I am keeping it simple with a summer pale… 5g BIAB
Two row with a touch of wheat… Simcoe/Chinook/Amarillo… WhiteLabs Burlington… mashing now at 150 to keep it dry-ish…. Hoping to hit 1.062SG
.

 

[Josh Hughes]

Perhaps i didnt word it well, I was actually asking about adding the yeast to the fermenter before or during the transfer and allowing the wort and yeast to agitate/aerate together as the fermenter filled. I have always waited till after

I do that as long as my wort is the right temp Which for an ale it always is for me.

 

[Steve Ruch]

What size batch? What original gravity?

 

[GDubs]

5g…. 1.062 TG

 

[philjohnwilliams]

I aerate by doing an energetic transfer as you describe, then once yeast is added I cap the carboy and shake it for about 60 seconds. I've always had fermentation within the first 24 hours, usually much sooner.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I always drain my brew kettle through a double-mesh strainer to filter out hops and some trub. One of the methods I use to oxygenate my wort is to have some vertical separation between the kettle spout and the strainer. When the wort stream hits the strainer mesh it splashes quite a bit and generates quite a few bubbles. My other method is to use a stir stick on a drill. I spin the paddles near the surface so it really whips up the air bubbles. I then drop it near the bottom of the fermenter and spin at high speed. I add the yeast after that because I don't think the high speed spinning of the stir stick paddles would be good for the yeast. If you are doing the gravity drop to oxygenate your wort, and your wort is at pitching temp, I don't see any reason you couldn't add the yeast to the fermenter first.

 

[GDubs]

I ended up doing as we discussed. I moved the fermenter down 3 more steps and had enough pressure to build a frothy layer of foam before pitching the yeast. If everything progresses well, as i suspect it will, I think i will add that to my standard routine.

Thanks again. Cheers…

GDubs

 

[Donoroto]

I ended up doing as we discussed. I moved the fermenter down 3 more steps and had enough pressure to build a frothy layer of foam before pitching the yeast. If everything progresses well, as i suspect it will, I think i will add that to my standard routine.

Thanks again. Cheers…

GDubs

That'll be fine.

 

[west1m]

When I cool with an imersion cooler I have the circulation pump going and pump some across an exposed tube . Makes a good splash and kind of foams up a bit . Looks like it is getting plenty that way.

 

[Simonpyman]

I ended up doing as we discussed. I moved the fermenter down 3 more steps and had enough pressure to build a frothy layer of foam before pitching the yeast. If everything progresses well, as i suspect it will, I think i will add that to my standard routine.

Thanks again. Cheers…

GDubs

I do the exact same thing with good results!

 

[Bigbre04]

As i sit here with my coffee, waiting for the family to wake up so I can start my brew day (which will include a liquid yeast for the first time), I was reading about the importance of aerating liquid yeast. I typically pitch my dry yeast and just half heartedly shake my fermenter for a minute or two. Considering i paid 3x as much for the liquid yeast, not only do I want a good finished product but i was also hoping to harvest some yeast (also a first) from this batch. It seems to me that an “energetic” transfer from my kettle would be a good option to aerate my wort but i couldnt find any reference to anyone doing this for the purpose of aeration. Is that because everybody simply does it that way and I missed that part in Home Brewing 101 or is there another reason, like risk of contamination?
I boil on my back deck, then gravity drain to my fermenter on the first step. Its a rather gentle process. If i were to move the fermenter down a couple steps and keep the hose up off the bottom, it seems to me that would do a much better job of aerating the wort than shaking a full fermenter with minimal headspace would. Also, why is it that we wait until after the transfer to pitch yeast? Why not add the yeast during the transfer??
Thank you again for you continued patience with my questions.

GDubs

It is super common/desirable to add the yeast during the knockout. It helps to mix it in and it gets started faster!

We add pure o2 via an in-line carb stone while knocking out.

As long as your vessel is sealed and you arent picking up bugs falling in, i dont see why a more vigorous knockout wouldnt help things?