Beer Forum

Oy,
I've been trying to track down a disturbing off flavor in the last 2 beers I've made, and I think I may have narrowed it down to the oxygenation.

I bought a kit from more beer, the airstone/regulator pair that's supposed to go with a hardware store oxygen tank. The tank I'm using is from bernzomatic, purchased at lowes:
http://www.bernzomatic.com/bernzomatic/ ... Prod100033

3 beers have been made on my brewery since I started oxygenating with this system. 2 of them were oxygenated for 60 seconds just before pitching and came out tasting really off, and the other one had no oxygenation at all and tasted fine.

I've read people say that they have not had any trouble with oxygen, even the same bernzomatic tanks that I use. So the question is, how likely is it that I got a weird tank that isn't pure O2? I would imagine that if they're expecting you to use this crap to weld with, they're not being to picky about being food-grade. Has anyone else ever had any off flavors from using hardware-store grade oxygen? Has anyone ever noticed any variation at all between tanks of the same brand?

The more I think about it, the more my stomach turns at the thought of pumping something I bought at Lowes through by beer. Is this a valid worry?
- TP

I've used those bottles for about a year. I have not noticed any off flavors. Many look elsewhere in your process?


Mylo

I use them also and don't have a problem.

Do you have a filter between the tank and the stone?

I do and even though it is technically overkill it may give you peace of mind.

Maybe there is an infection in your stone that isn't being cleaned out enough. I would imagine it would be tough to clean down to the .5 micron level.
Hope things go better next time for you

ColdBraue wrote:Maybe there is an infection in your stone that isn't being cleaned out enough. I would imagine it would be tough to clean down to the .5 micron level.
Hope things go better next time for you

easy solution, BOIL IT.
boil it for ten minutes or so and you should be good. I dont do this(no oxygenating, just shaking around for a bit), but have read that its possibly the best way to clean rather than soaking in cleaner and sanitizer.
-Crut

Good call on the boiling, that would not only sanitize/sterilize it, but it would get water moving in an around it to break up particles. That sounds like the best way to do it for sure.
Or you could microwave it...... CRACKLE BOOOOM!

I boil my air stone after every use. It works. I have been using the same one for over ten years now.