I have been doing the “shake” method for the last 10 years. I have been considering getting an air pump and stone. Who uses them and is it worth the $35?
I was reading Yeast from Chris White of Yeast Labs, and Jamil’s book which said you can only achieve the minimum PPM’s by shaking, and that with pure oxy and a stone you can achieve best results every time on all beer styles. I have been using pure oxy and a stone for years now and wouldn’t change. Just one of the little things of several new things I believe that have helped me to making better beer.
I would say, go for it, yes it was well worth it for me.
Not sure if I’m qualified to answer this being a noob but, I went to oxygen and the air stone. The results have been very good for me. Seems like ferm starts quicker and gets more “violent” than me doing the “carboy boogie”. I got the stone, hose and valve from NB and the oxygen bottle from Ace Hardware. Beats the heck out of shaking a carboy and less strenuous.
I’d go oxygen over an aquarium air pump for the reasons cited above.
I am still a shaker and quite happy with my results BUT from my research there is no advantage to pumping air over shaking/mixstir/whatever. Only bottled O2 will allow you to saturate wort with more O2 than using air. That said, the O2 vs shake is heavily debated and there is no conclusive evidence to prove or disprove either technique. There was a study that compared various methods and found that just pouring wort into the carboy was nearly suffice dissolved O2 needed for fermentation. There’s no argument that injecting O2 is far easier than shaking tho. :cheers:
I’ve used a stone and o2 tank but honestly can’t tell any difference from the natural aeration I get from pumping the wort through my plate chiller then letting it splash into the fermemter. I end up with a heavy foam on top after it’s chilled and have noticed no difference in lag time when i use the O2 bottle.
I use this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Workforce-5- ... bkZ1z0sv1qI use my cordless drill and the paint mixer for a minute while the wort is in the bucket and I get great results. I guess though that this is not feasible for the carboy users since the mixer will not fit through the neck of the carboy.
[quote=“in_the_basement”]I use this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Workforce-5- ... bkZ1z0sv1qI use my cordless drill and the paint mixer for a minute while the wort is in the bucket and I get great results. I guess though that this is not feasible for the carboy users since the mixer will not fit through the neck of the carboy.[/quote]
I’ve got an old-fashioned propeller-blade style mixer, and it works great too. For carboy users, you can get mixers that have hinged blades which push out when they are spun. That allows them to go through the neck of the carboy and still agitate the wort sufficiently. But like many things with carboys, be careful. Don’t want to bang the walls too hard with power tools.
I got a stone and all as a gift and have yet to use it because I don’t have an O2 tank yet, but haven’t had any problems with shaking so not sure if it’s worth it.
[quote=“rebuiltcellars”][quote=“in_the_basement”]I use this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Workforce-5- ... bkZ1z0sv1qI use my cordless drill and the paint mixer for a minute while the wort is in the bucket and I get great results. I guess though that this is not feasible for the carboy users since the mixer will not fit through the neck of the carboy.[/quote]
I’ve got an old-fashioned propeller-blade style mixer, and it works great too. For carboy users, you can get mixers that have hinged blades which push out when they are spun. That allows them to go through the neck of the carboy and still agitate the wort sufficiently. But like many things with carboys, be careful. Don’t want to bang the walls too hard with power tools.[/quote]My method too. Google Mix-Stir
Hey Gregg, that looks like my set-up for mixing grain into my mash tun before mashing. I use a regular wide plastic paint paddle that’s shorter. No more lumps and it’s lightnin’ fast.
[quote=“rebuiltcellars”]I’ve got an old-fashioned propeller-blade style mixer, and it works great too. For carboy users, you can get mixers that have hinged blades which push out when they are spun. That allows them to go through the neck of the carboy and still agitate the wort sufficiently. But like many things with carboys, be careful. Don’t want to bang the walls too hard with power tools.
[/quote]
I have glass carboys and use the same type stir-stick that Muller-Brau has pictured. To keep from scraping the side of the carboy neck I put the stir-stick shaft through the same type stopper used for fermentation. Since the blades are plastic and the carboys are glass I don’t worry too much about scraping the sides. So as long as I keep the tip of the shaft off of the bottom, my carboy is safe. I find this method much quicker and far easier than shake & swirl method. I’ve never used the O2 method. Mainly because it is an additional cost without much, if any, benefit.
Nope, it’s not worth it IMO. I bought one but sold it after trying a MixStir. MixStir is equally effective for less money.
$40 plus shipping or tax at LHBS for a Mixstir… For that, I am gonna continue my tricep workout until I invent an overpriced homebrewing gadget so I can pay for overpriced brewing gadgets. :cheers:
This is one of those items you don’t buy at a home brew store. Go to a home improvement store and look in the paint tools section. Compared to the US, these type of things are much more expensive here, but I still only spent 12 euros for mine.
Nope, it’s not worth it IMO. I bought one but sold it after trying a MixStir. MixStir is equally effective for less money.[/quote]
I’ve tried them all, but haven’t done any tests to see which is more effective.
I just wanted to add that MixStir with the SS shank is worth the extra cost. I originally bought the plastic one and it eventually twisted in half mid-stir.
I paid $15 at the LHBS. And if you’re shaking, please don’t use carboys!
If you want the stainless steel one and your LHBS doesn’t have it, I found it on Amazon for a bit less than $40 including shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/NorthernBrewer-Th ... B0064OG79EOnly a few left in stock.
I paid $15 at the LHBS. And if you’re shaking, please don’t use carboys![/quote]
+1 there. A friend of mine lost a great job and is disabled after dropping a carboy and lacerating most of the tendons in his arm.
