Olive oil vs. aeration.
According this this forum thread on NorthernBrewer.com, it is possible to use a VERY small amount of olive oil in place of oxygen when making a starter.. and possibly even wort? Not sure.
There’s also a Podcast with very specific information about it over at BrewCrazy which I find really difficult to listen to, but if you’re into undirected chaos, then go for it.
The theory is based off of a doctoral thesis done by the brewer over at New Belgium who are… well.. just awesome. It’s based on the fact that yeasts use oxygen to create unsaturated fatty acids to buffer their cell membranes thus creating healthier yeast. Olive oil apparently provides those unsaturated fatty acids, so yeast doesn’t actually need the oxygen. So less oxygen means less potential oxygenation and more flavor stability over time.
Here’s a good formula from the Northern Brewer forum based on what New Belgium used in their experiments.
(300mL oil) / (4,500,000 starter) = (0.0667 mL oil) / (1000mL starter)
To give you an idea, 1 tsp = ~5mL
So, 0.0667 mL = 0.0135323718 teaspoons
Main difference appears to be that there’s higher ester production and lower alcohol production from batches with olive oil, but all within normal standard deviation of normal batches.
Brewing tomorrow - a Bock - maybe I’ll throw some olive oil in and then design an actual good experiment going tomorrow.
Posted: February 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
Comments: 13
Comments
Comment from Scott
Time: February 16, 2008, 9:55 am
Huh. Weird. I’m very curious how that works out.
Comment from erik
Time: February 16, 2008, 11:14 am
I will be happy to let you know. 
Comment from barbecuesteve
Time: February 17, 2008, 7:55 am
We’re talking like a droplet in a 5gal batch, eh?
Comment from erik
Time: February 17, 2008, 9:02 am
Yeah, exactly. For my 3 gallon batch I used a 1/4 tsp, filled it halfway and then dropped that in, and didn’t worry about the amount that stayed on the teaspoon. Minuscule amount.
For what it’s worth, the batch started fermenting within a couple hours and is now going strong.
Comment from sarah
Time: February 18, 2008, 12:44 pm
In fact, it was going so strong that it forced the cap off the air lock and overflowed. It looks like olive oil is best used with blow-off tubing.
Comment from Scott
Time: February 18, 2008, 2:50 pm
Niiiiiiiice.
Comment from shany
Time: May 17, 2008, 3:08 pm
so how did the beer trun out?
any special characteristics?
Comment from erik
Time: May 17, 2008, 5:59 pm
Thanks - nothing noticeably different.
I’ve been planning on doing a controlled experiment with olive oil, just been ridiculously busy - will happen this summer, though.
Comment from shany
Time: May 18, 2008, 7:15 am
how can i read the docotral thesis you are talking about?
do you have a link to it.
i’m very intersted in that area.
i too think it is awsome
Comment from erik
Time: May 18, 2008, 11:39 am
I’m not sure it’s entirely publicly available. Hull wrote an article on it, published in the MBAA Technical Quarterly (abstract here) which is purchasable if you’re not a member.
Comment from Virgil
Time: September 12, 2008, 11:28 am
I’m the brewer at the Main Street Grille & Brewing Co. in Garrettsville, OH, & when I heard about this I had to give it a try. I’ve been doing it for about 2 months & to my surprise, it works very well!
Comment from erik
Time: September 12, 2008, 3:19 pm
Oh boy do I have questions for you.
Are you using it instead of aeration during primary fermentation, or are you using it for yeast storage?
Comment from Virgil
Time: September 14, 2008, 12:02 pm
I’m using it for aeration during primary fermentation. According to what I’ve read, even a single drop in a 5 gal. batch is too much. The best way for homebrewers is to dip a toothpick in the olive oil then stir it into your yeast starter. That’s all you need. I tried it on the recommendation of a fellow brewer and I’m getting good results.
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