Yeast needs oxygen in order to function well. The more oxygen there is in the wort, the better the fermentation will be. Adequate oxygen levels ensure that the yeast grows and multiplies during the fermentation process. This will prevent the yeast from being stressed. Stressed yeast can cause off-flavours. Not having enough oxygen in the wort can also lead to poor fermentation. Avoiding these misconceptions will result in a better beer.
 
Oxygen plays a subtle role in beer. Fermentation must take place, but should be avoided before or afterwards. Wort should only be aerated once it has cooled to pitching temperature. Oxygenation of the wort is generally controlled by the oxygen flow rate, pressure, time and oxygenating equipment at the time of oxygenation.
 
Aeration is the injection of oxygen into the wort during the brewing process, usually after boiling and cooling but before fermentation. The effect of boiling the wort is to remove most of the oxygen from the solution. However, the rapid growth of yeast in the wort, i.e. during the "log phase" (i.e. late in fermentation or after the beer has fermented), requires large amounts of oxygen. Without sufficient oxygen, yeast cannot multiply and ferment.
 
Oxygenation of cold wort may seem like a very simple process, but the way and amount of wort oxygenation is controlled will affect the proper fermentation of the yeast, the smoothness of the production process, the stability of quality and the flavour characteristics of the beer product.
 
The amount of oxygenation of the wort is controlled according to the yeast strain used and the oxygen requirements of the fermentation process. Different yeast strains and fermentation states have different levels of oxygen requirements. Conventional practice is to control dissolved oxygen in cold wort at 5-8mg/L, adjusting as necessary to meet the actual needs of yeast propagation, and generally rarely exceeding 10mg/L.
 
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