[Village Taphouse]

Would anyone envision using SMB along with everything else that I'm already doing (WRT brewtan)?  I did buy some SMB and I actually used it in one batch but the batch was ruined because my new SS chiller had some sort of chemical coating on it and the beer was tossed.  After that I switched to brewtan and didn't use the SMB.  Should I incorporate it into what I'm doing or is it useless unless I'm going full-tilt low-O2?  Cheers.

[Big Monk]

Would anyone envision using SMB along with everything else that I'm already doing (WRT brewtan)?  I did buy some SMB and I actually used it in one batch but the batch was ruined because my new SS chiller had some sort of chemical coating on it and the beer was tossed.  After that I switched to brewtan and didn't use the SMB.  Should I incorporate it into what I'm doing or is it useless unless I'm going full-tilt low-O2?  Cheers.

If I were you, given the fact that you have everything you need to mash using Low O2 methods, I would say do it. If you have a stainless chiller, preboil, use SMB and stick to the other practices related to reducing O2 you are going full tilt.

[Village Taphouse]

Would anyone envision using SMB along with everything else that I'm already doing (WRT brewtan)?  I did buy some SMB and I actually used it in one batch but the batch was ruined because my new SS chiller had some sort of chemical coating on it and the beer was tossed.  After that I switched to brewtan and didn't use the SMB.  Should I incorporate it into what I'm doing or is it useless unless I'm going full-tilt low-O2?  Cheers.

If I were you, given the fact that you have everything you need to mash using Low O2 methods, I would say do it. If you have a stainless chiller, preboil, use SMB and stick to the other practices related to reducing O2 you are going full tilt.

Yes, but I wouldn't really consider preboiling and then chilling to strike temps... too time-consuming.  I can underlet the transfer to the mash and sparge with some high-temp tubing I picked up.  I also have a larger MT and would prefer to not build the small cover (or whatever) to keep O2 out.  I'm sure that there are some other pieces that I'm forgetting but I do remember looking at all of the things required for low-O2 brewing and shook my head wondering how I would do that *AND* make sure that I was doing everything properly.  It sounded like "one wrong move..." and all of that would be for nothing.

[Big Monk]

Would anyone envision using SMB along with everything else that I'm already doing (WRT brewtan)?  I did buy some SMB and I actually used it in one batch but the batch was ruined because my new SS chiller had some sort of chemical coating on it and the beer was tossed.  After that I switched to brewtan and didn't use the SMB.  Should I incorporate it into what I'm doing or is it useless unless I'm going full-tilt low-O2?  Cheers.

If I were you, given the fact that you have everything you need to mash using Low O2 methods, I would say do it. If you have a stainless chiller, preboil, use SMB and stick to the other practices related to reducing O2 you are going full tilt.

Yes, but I wouldn't really consider preboiling and then chilling to strike temps... too time-consuming.  I can underlet the transfer to the mash and sparge with some high-temp tubing I picked up.  I also have a larger MT and would prefer to not build the small cover (or whatever) to keep O2 out.  I'm sure that there are some other pieces that I'm forgetting but I do remember looking at all of the things required for low-O2 brewing and shook my head wondering how I would do that *AND* make sure that I was doing everything properly.  It sounded like "one wrong move..." and all of that would be for nothing.

I would say stick with what you've been doing if you don't plan on preboiling. SMB alone won't give you much margin.

[Stevie]

Pre-boiling is the biggest hurdle for me. Maybe when I switch to electric, or NG, I will reevaluate. This will likely happen when I have dedicated space and the ability to leave all vessels in place from start to clean (read garage or workshop). I would also likely add a third vessel, but don't know if I'd move to fly sparging right away.

[natebrews]

I have been a bit puzzled by the pre-boiling thing.  Granted, it will reduce the oxygen in the strike water, but at a strike temp about 70C (to get 65C for the rest), the saturated DO in water is going to be around 5.25ppm.  Using typical dosing of SMB, doesn't that give you an oxygen "buffer" of 15ppm or so (according to the literature I was reading)?  So, shouldn't you be able to handle the DO in the strike water even without doing anything special.  Granted, you will have less O2 buffer for later at that point. 

I still don't understand how people are chilling fast in a manner that doesn't agitate the wort.  I guess everyone could be using a counterflow or plate chiller, but for anyone using an immersion chiller it seems like it would be hard to get fast cooling without agitation (hence the whirlpool chiller that many of us use).  With all that surface exchange of the liquid and dropping temp, I would think that you would use up the SMB "buffer" way before you finished chilling.

I'm not trying to troll, I'm honestly curious about what/why people are doing things the way they are.

[The Beerery]

Remember all. You don't HAVE to preboil. The yeast method is a very valid and easy solution.


http://forum.germanbrewing.net/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=355

[Big Monk]

Remember all. You don't HAVE to preboil. The yeast method is a very valid and easy solution.


http://forum.germanbrewing.net/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=355

Thanks Bryan. With all the talk of preboil I neglected to remember the yeast scavenge method.

[brewinhard]

Remember all. You don't HAVE to preboil. The yeast method is a very valid and easy solution.


http://forum.germanbrewing.net/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=355

Yes, I am intrigued by this method.

I have another question for those of you doing low DO methods....Does this process benefit ALL styles of beer including ales, or just more delicate styles like lagers and kolsch?

I am working my way to a much needed upgrade in my system after about 12 years of brewing and would possibly consider putting together a system that would benefit from this process if all styles of beer would see improvements. I only ask this simply because I saw another post in this thread of someone who was performing Low DO brewing and indicated that he did see improvements in his lagers, but did not care for the fresh "nose in the grain bag" aroma/flavor he got from it for his ales.  Thoughts?

[Stevie]

Pretty cool. Again will require me to have dedicated space as I brew outdoors on a balcony where I get 15mph breezes.

[hopfenundmalz]

Has anyone tried using argon to blanket the mash/water/keg?  It is pretty heavy and can make a pretty good blanket to keep the air out unlike a blanket of CO2 or nitrogen.  I think I heard Jamil talking about using argon to blanket a kettle sour they did at his brewery, but I've never heard of anyone else using it.  It seems like it might make a lot of low O2 stuff a lot easier.

Additionally, could you just put 5" of argon in the keg when you fill it and not worry about purging it by doing the sanitizer push out technique?

I know mead makers that do this, as it helps to keep O2 out, and they have a still mead as it does not diffuse in and carbonate the mead.

[narvin]

I did use my plate chiller to chill to strike temp.  I have a thermocouple probe on the output so it was easy to dial in the temp.

The time to preboiling was longer, but I mostly made up for it doing no sparge.

[The Beerery]

Remember all. You don't HAVE to preboil. The yeast method is a very valid and easy solution.


http://forum.germanbrewing.net/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=355

Yes, I am intrigued by this method.

I have another question for those of you doing low DO methods....Does this process benefit ALL styles of beer including ales, or just more delicate styles like lagers and kolsch?

I am working my way to a much needed upgrade in my system after about 12 years of brewing and would possibly consider putting together a system that would benefit from this process if all styles of beer would see improvements. I only ask this simply because I saw another post in this thread of someone who was performing Low DO brewing and indicated that he did see improvements in his lagers, but did not care for the fresh "nose in the grain bag" aroma/flavor he got from it for his ales.  Thoughts?

I will never brew another beer without using the low oxygen techniques. Everyone I have had try my pale ales and the like nearly fall over. The clarity of the hops and malt is amazing.

[natebrews]

Remember all. You don't HAVE to preboil. The yeast method is a very valid and easy solution.


http://forum.germanbrewing.net/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=355

I will never brew another beer without using the low oxygen techniques. Everyone I have had try my pale ales and the like nearly fall over. The clarity of the hops and malt is amazing.

What chilling method do you use (just kind of bumping that question from before)?  With some of the newer hopping methods using whirlpools at lower temps (170F for example), that would seem like a problematic thing to do with the Low DO methods.

[The Beerery]

Remember all. You don't HAVE to preboil. The yeast method is a very valid and easy solution.


http://forum.germanbrewing.net/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=355

I will never brew another beer without using the low oxygen techniques. Everyone I have had try my pale ales and the like nearly fall over. The clarity of the hops and malt is amazing.

What chilling method do you use (just kind of bumping that question from before)?  With some of the newer hopping methods using whirlpools at lower temps (170F for example), that would seem like a problematic thing
do with the Low DO methods.

My pale ales and the like are only late hopped 15/10/0,  then they get a custom pre-isomerized hop extract dosed inline going to spund.