In this experiment we're testing the impact of three techniques on oxygenating wort prior to pitching yeast, which is theorized to improve yeast health, fermentation and overall flavor of the beer.

A 7-gallon batch of a high-OG beer was mashed, boiled, and chilled together. After chilling, the 7-gallon batch was split into 4x 1.75 gallon conditions and into separate fermentation buckets. Condition A received 2x doses of pure 02 for 1-minute each time; once before pitching yeast, and once 12 hours after pitching yeast. Condition B received 1x dose of pure 02 for 1-minute prior to pitching yeast. Condition C received 3-minutes of shaking with natural air prior to pitching yeast. Condition D was the control and received no oxygenation prior to pitching yeast.

Preference for which beer tasted better was voted on by the club members at our April meeting using a simple token-in-cup voting system. The condition with the most tokens/votes in its' cup at the end of the meeting was determined to be the favored oxygenation-technique. The club members also voted, using a second set of tokens and cups, for which beer was considered the most phenolic. The condition with the most tokens/votes at the end of the meeting was determined to be the most phenolic. A group of 5 additional tasters assembled away from the main group and remarked more closely, using a BJCP score-sheet and a small questionnaire, on their preference and which beer they thought was the most phenolic.

To find out about the conclusion of the experiment and review the methodology, please see the write-up posted here:

**You must be a member to review the experiment write-up.