Course Reviews

Reni De Meester

“The capping on foam experiment is the best thing I've seen this year from any homebrew resource. In general, a great course with a good balance between science and practical tips.”

“The capping on foam experiment is the best thing I've seen this year from any homebrew resource. In general, a great course with a good balance between science and practical tips.”

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Antoine Pottier

“This was my first course on the Craft Beer & Brewing plaform. and what a pleasure! ”

“This was my first course on the Craft Beer & Brewing plaform. and what a pleasure! ”

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Robert Fawbush

“I really enjoyed the part of the video covering bottling and the measurement of dissolved oxygen. I will definitely implement the suggested method of bottling beer with a counter pressure bottle filler.”

“I really enjoyed the part of the video covering bottling and the measurement of dissolved oxygen. I will definitely implement the suggested method of bottling beer with a counter pressure bottle filler.”

→Read Less

About This Course

This course includes 87+ minutes of video

In this information-packed 87-minute video course, Russian River head lab technician Taylor Lane and cofounder Vinnie Cilurzo dive into various facets of understanding, measuring, and controlling oxygen in the brewhouse. Among other topics, they discuss: 

  • The differences between dissolved oxygen (DO), shaken DO, and total packaged oxygen (TPO) 
  • Measuring DO and minimizing oxygen exposure
  • The importance of purging fermentors, kegs, and other vessels
  • Aeration and its importance for yeast health and fermentation
  • The advantages of dry yeast for aeration and pitch rate
  • Processes and tips for airtight packaging 
  • Minimizing hot-side aeration 
  • The role of thermal stress on wort 
  • The effects of oxidation 
  • Open fermentation, under control 
  • And much, much more.

Instructor

Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, California, is one of the most widely acclaimed and respected craft breweries in the world, but it didn’t get that way by accident. A major driver in its success has been an obsession with quality—and one of the most overlooked facets of brewing consistently high-quality beer is understanding the role of oxygen, from milling the grain to the moment finished beer hits our palates.

Vinnie Cilurzo & Taylor Lane

Cofounder/Brewmaster & Head Lab Technician, Russian River Brewing

Course Curriculum

  • 01

    Welcome

    Show Content

    • Oxygen Overview and Basic Measurement

    • About Oxygen, in the Context of Brewing

    • Off-Flavor: Oxidized

    • What Is Oxidation?

  • 02

    Oxygen in the Hot-Side Process

    Show Content

    • Deep Dive into Every Phase

    • What Is Hot-Side Aeration?

    • Learning Lab: O2? Oh My! An experiment in hot-side oxygen exposure.
  • 03

    Oxygen in the Cold-Side Process

    Show Content

    • Yeast and Oxygen Overview

    • What Is Aeration?

    • Homebrewing Tips: How to Inject Pure Oxygen into Wort

    • Homebrewing Tips: 4 Ways to Aerate & Agitate Your Yeast Starter

    • Open-Top Fermentation

    • Purging Fermentation Vessels

    • Homebrewing Tips: Avoiding Oxidation

    • Maximizing Hops Utilization
  • 04

    Oxygen Pickup in Transfer and Packaging

    Show Content

    • Oxygen Pickup in Transfer + Centrifuge

    • What Is Dissolved Oxygen (DO)?

    • Analysis in the Packaging Lab
  • 05

    Conclusion, Recipes & Further Reading/Listening

    Show Content

    • Thank You

    • Recipe: Russian River Janet’s Brown Ale

    • Recipe: Blind Pig Inaugural Ale

    • Listen Up! Two Deep-Dive Podcasts with Russian River's Vinnie Cilurzo

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