How Can You Prevent Oxidation in Beer?

How Can You Prevent Oxidation in Beer?

There’s not much YOU can do about oxidation as a humble beer lover. But homebrewers or craft beer producers can prevent oxidized beer by getting rid of oxygen after fermentation. Generally, it is advisable not to let any air into the aerate wort after oxygenation when pitching the yeast.

As the yeast gobbles up oxygen to grow and prepare for fermentation, oxygen is essential. Yeast’s oxygen consumption declines when yeast begins to work, so avoiding aeration is crucial.

• Make sure that the wort is not splashed or agitated after fermentation, especially when it’s racking.

• Maintain a full airlock.

• You should ensure that fermentation containers, kegs, and bottles are entirely airtight.

• Purge fermented wort from kegs, bottles, and fermenters with CO2 whenever possible.

Is it Safe to Drink Oxidized Beer?

Your nose might disagree but yes, it is safe to drink oxidized beer once (or if) you get past its unpleasant taste.

Oxidation can be beneficial for homebrewers, especially early in the brewing process. Aerating your wort correctly on the brewing day can be crucial for successful homebrew since yeast needs oxygen to grow. Take a few minutes to stir or shake and rock your wort rapidly after it’s boiled and cooled, then move it into your primary fermenter. You should build a frothy head on your wort at this early stage, as pitched yeast needs air to grow and takes away oxygen during fermentation. To help this process, you can purchase aeration devices.

Following your yeast pitch and the beginning of fermentation, you will want to avoid agitating and shaking your beer too much.

Few beer styles can (NOT ALWAYS) benefit from prolonged exposure to oxygen. They are typically dark, high in alcohol, and malt-centered. Melanoid in dark beers becomes oxidized to produce sherry-like flavors that pair well with dark malts and do not work well with Pils-colored beers. It is, however, not a reason to intentionally add oxygen to your beer. You’ll probably pick some up on the way.

In summary, do all you can to avoid exposing your beer to oxygen after fermentation. Reducing the time your beer gets oxygen exposure will help it maintain its freshness.