There is a clear consensus that, for most beers, oxygen contact should be avoided at all costs starting at the end of primary fermentation. However, the effects of oxygen during mashing, lautering, and boiling–the hot side–are less clear. In the words of Charles Bamforth, “some believe that oxygen ingress throughout brewing is important whereas others have concluded that air uptake upstream of the fermenter is an irrelevance.”
In other words, oxidation during hot-side processes (hot-side oxidation, HSO) remains a present area of debate among brewing professionals. In homebrewing, HSO took hold after being thoroughly discussed by the late George Fix, then “debunked” and called a myth, only to rise from the ashes in the past year. During this presentation, we will review the evidence supporting hot-side oxidation (HSO) effects, as well as views that cast doubt on its significance.
About Ricardo Fritzsche
Award-winning homebrewer, Ricardo Fritzsche
Ricardo Fritzsche was born in Buenos Aires, where he completed undergraduate studies before moving to Austin, Texas to complete masters and doctorate degrees in human physiology. Ricardo started mini-mash brewing in 2008 and all-grain brewing upon moving to Munich in 2010, where he actively participated in the local homebrew club. In 2016, upon moving back to Austin, Ricardo started participating in US competitions. Just in 2016, he collected 48 medals in major Texas competitions and won the Lone Star (Texas) circuit, two best-of-show awards, and two first-place ribbons in the NHC Austin regional.
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