Ageing Via Aeration

[troutscout48]

Does anyone here aerate their new product with pure O2 from a bottle? Techniques? Links?
thanx,
trout

[Dnderhead]

aerating does help, but using o2 is overkill, and added expense.

[troutscout48]

Point is, I've already got the cylinder and regulator. Already in use when pitching yeast but I wondered how much difference folks are seeing when aerating the finished product.
thanx,
rich

[LWTCS]

I merely transfer from vessel to vessel by pouring from a slight distance.
I think it helps.........But I'm easy to trick.

[Forest Beekeeper]

How does this help?

[LWTCS]

Aerating allows some of the more volitile compounds within the likker to evaporate.
Helps smooth things out a bit.

[airhill]

o2 would also alter ( oxidize) some of the more unpleasant smelling esters and alderhydes.

Edit
I assume you realise that what is coming off is fairly explosive

[Ayay]

It may simply be the agitation caused by the blowing of bubbles and venting out the top of the container. I recently got a fishtank airator and blowing air into the bottom of the container of 65% drives alcohol fumes out the top. Since it's happening at room temperature the highest volatiles will be driven off (more or less I hope). I find an improvement in smoothness after a few 20 minute sessions, specially if the cuts went a little too far into the heads. There is a loss of alcohol noted by a drop in the ABV and the fluid level after the bubbles treatment.

Bubbles will speed up the natural airing process. There may be a time-related oxidation thing going on but air has lots of Ox will do that more cheaper than pure Ox. The lil fishtank airator only sucks 20W, cheap to run and it blows plenty of bubbles.

[Whitedog]

Edit
I assume you realise that what is coming off is fairly explosive

Very valid point!!! Adding pure O2 to any volatile mixture is a recipe for disaster!!! I would strongly recommend against this for safety reasons! One spark generated from an unsuspecting source, i.e. refridgerator, a/c, etc, could conceivably set off a chain of events that would not be pretty. Use compressed air or a fish aerator and be on the safe side....

[Forest Beekeeper]

If bubbling air up through the liquid will reduce the bad components, will the temperature of the liquid have any effect?

I mean if the liquid was at room temp, some of the ethanol might be encouraged to leave. But if the liquid was in a refrigerator, would that effect which compounds oxidized or evaporated?

[LWTCS]

I would think the liquid temp would definitely be a variable.

[airhill]

Just guessing but I would imagine the chemical reaction would be slowed (thats normally the case). There again some people report a smoothing effect by just alternately cooling and warming product with no additional injection.

My comment re the mixture coming off was just in case someone did it in a confined space with little ventilation. I assume someone who is familiar with O2 would take precautions. Its advantages I would think would be a far greater concentration of oxygen being pumped in and so less time needed pumping and less ethanol being lost.ie give it a shot of O2 cap it and see what happens.