Conical or Tank fermenter... pros and cons

**Mirilis** · 06-04-2009, 11:02 AM

so I am finding myself debating on weather I want to spend 1200 for a 42 gallon blichmann, or 600 for an 80 gallon wine fermenting tank.

The blichmann would be nice to dump trub and would not need to have the beer racked into another vessel until it was completed.

The wine tank would need to be put into a secondary, it will be extra work cleaning it but you can double your output and it is half of the cost.

So, what would you choose and why?

funkadelicturkey · 06-04-2009, 11:54 AM

get both! I'd go with the blinkmann sounds way more convenient and 42 gallons is a nice batch size.

**samc** · 06-04-2009, 12:52 PM

Would need to see a link or photo of the wine tank to make a valid comparison. 42 vs 80 seems a bit extreme of a size difference - why ?

**Mirilis** · 06-04-2009, 01:58 PM

Here is a link to the blichmann conical.

Here is the link to the stainless tanks. You will need to drop it down to the 300 liter (79gal). It is price at $575

Volume and budget are key here. We are going to start producing for a pub soon and we want the best we can get without too much debt. The tanks are cheaper than the conicals however it will require more labor to use. There is a larger volume as well though. I guess labor isnt that big of a deal since its all free. ( 2 man operation )

HellenicHomeBrewer · 06-04-2009, 02:16 PM

Based on your arguement, the stainless tanks are the way to go.. Labor isn't an issue and cost is. If you feel later that it's not as efficient as you may like, sell the tank for whatever loss and buy the blichmann..

TommyBoy · 06-04-2009, 02:31 PM

One of the best parts of my Fermenator is the ease of harvesting yeast through the bottom dump.

**Mirilis** · 06-04-2009, 03:58 PM

Here is a combo of the 2. It is a wine tank with a conical bottom, and adjustable top. Its capacity is 79 gallons which is almost twice the blichmann and its $980 wich is almost 300 bucks less.

thoughts?

ohiobrewtus · 06-04-2009, 04:19 PM

If you can get the wine tank for less money, it's larger and has a conical bottom that lets you dump then it sounds like a pretty simple choice.

**Mirilis** · 06-04-2009, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohiobrewtus

If you can get the wine tank for less money, it's larger and has a conical bottom that lets you dump then it sounds like a pretty simple choice.

pretty much what I was thinking.. I just found it earlier today.

just depends on what it costs to freight 6 of them to a business in Indiana

Hugh_Jass · 06-04-2009, 04:47 PM

Have you considered purchasing a used ss tank w/cone bottom?

There's a bunch of surplus tanks out there. here's one

It might warrant a call to heritage equip in Plain City.

just a thought. good luck to you.