Seconds of O2 based on O.G.

I have good news and bad news...

Here's the thread... http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/recap-2012-the-good-the-bad-the-bubbles.56165/#post-751600

But I dialed in my process with a 0.5 micron stone. I don't know what would be best with a 2 micron stone. Whenever I tried a 2 micron stone, I got excessive foaming.

 

Isn't excessive foaming the goal of O2?

 

No. Excessive foaming is a sign the O2 is not going into solution, rather bubbling out. If you can get the same volume per second goiing into the beer with less bubbling, this is preferred.

 

Keep it off your shoes. That's my motto. Otherwise, it's getting a lid slammed on there and 40 minutes later I won't know the difference between 8 and 10 PPM. Both are better than nothing, and I don't think I've ever tasted an over oxigenated beer.

 

I'd suggest getting a flow meter. It's very hard to correlate bubbles to the real volume of O2.

In the book Yeast it tells you some settings for ppm and time. You still need to decide on how many ppm total of course.

http://www.dwyer-inst.com/Product/Flow/Flowmeters/VariableArea/SeriesOMA/Ordering

 

Oxygen is cheap and there is no real problem with injecting too much oxygen. My technique is to start injecting O2 into the wort as it is transferred to the primary bucket. I set the regulator on 2 liters per minute and let it rip until the yeast is pitched, probably 5-6 minutes but I have never really timed it.

Oxygen bottles are cheap if you shop flea markets or yard sales. I have picked up two type E portable bottles (full) with regulators for $20 each. This is the type bottle you see attached to wheelchairs in a hospital or nursing home, although any size would work. Buy some plastic tubing from Home Depot system and you are ready. My type E bottle holds 680 liters and after using it about six times it is still half full.

Any industrial gas supplier can refill these portable bottles. I have a pal who keeps a large O2 bottle and he has a three-pin adapater, so he gives me free oxygen for a 12 pack of Miller Lite (insert ironic joke here). Your only other expense is a hydro test every five years which costs about $25 in south Florida. I'll probably just pick up another bottle as that is even cheaper.

Here's Wyeast's take on the subject:

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_oxygenation.cfm

 

It is possible to over-oxygenate, resulting in oxidized beer. Anything the yeast can't use will be available to form staling compounds.

Edit: I should have also mentioned Ester formation. Increased O2 levels can inhibit (desirable) esters.

 

Relax, have a home brew, and inject oxygen for about a minute. For a monster barleywine (say 1.100) I might go a minute and a half, and possibly another 30s the next morning.

 

Two minutes @ 1 L/m is 14.08 ppm. Overuse of pure oxygen leads to high levels of fusel alcohols, increased acetaldehyde and other flavor problems. p78-79 from the Yeast book.

If this works for you then your oxygen must be filling up the head space and flowing out.

 

Thanks for the informed replies.

By no means am I an expert on the subject. I relied on Wyeast's comments that over oxygenation is generally not a concern. They state that all oxygen is gone in 3-9 hours through the yeast or it will just diffuse out of solution. This makes sense as we all know how fast CO2 comes out of solution when you pop a cap.

I have injected at a rate of 2L/min for about five minutes which according to Yeast is way too much. But all the bubbles that come to the surface (and there are lots of them) are not absorbed in the wort. So it is unclear what my oxygen level really is. I did notice an increase in fermentation levels which I started adding oxygen (as expected). Taste has been good, but difficult to compare as I am using different recipes.

Would appreciate any comments from others.