fermentapfrom b3

docmoran · 01-22-2009, 03:34 PM

any input on fermentap inverted carboy device from morebeer.com / b3 - does it work? worth the while etc? -- recs on getting yeast out early and often to prevent clogging seems counter logical to me. thanks, doc

McKBrew · 01-22-2009, 08:48 PM

There was a thread that talked about these. I think the overall opinion was that they were not worth the money.

TwoHeadsBrewing · 01-22-2009, 09:00 PM

I think the main problem with this system is not the system itself but the carboy. The angle of the carboy shoulder pointing downwards is not steep enough to help the yeast move towards the opening. That was one issue, and the other was that the system was prone to leaks.

MisterB · 04-05-2009, 06:59 PM

I realize this thread is a bit old but people still might be reading it. I have used the Fermentap system many times. I have only had leaks when I did not tighten everything well enough. I had trouble with clogging but I was not draining the sediment often enough. Usually what I do is I wait for two days then I do the first draining. After that I drain it again when I think there is getting to be too much sediment. Cleaning it after draining take a bit of time but it makes up for the trouble of transferring to another carboy. A little sediment stays behind on the carboy but that is ok; you just need to get rid of most of the sediment (unless your standards are more strict than mine).
Enjoy!

"Make Beer, Not Bombs" ~ The Beer Nut ~ SLC, UT

wendelgee2 · 04-05-2009, 08:12 PM

But...isn't it the yeast sediment what "cleans" your beer during the late phases of fermentation? Budweiser's "beechwood aging" process is specifically designed to increase surface area to increase beer to yeast contact, thus getting a super clean beer. So why would this system, which does the opposite, be a good idea?

**Derrin** · 04-05-2009, 08:27 PM

Worst piece of brewing equipment ever.

Positives:

The carboy stand is nice and makes a great carboy drainer/dryer

Negatives:

Everything else. It leaks, it clogs, it doesn't collect sediment well (due to shape of carboy as mentioned.) You can't get the yeast out once it does collect. A full carboy in the otherwise great carboy drainer is a precarious balance and quite dangerous IMO. A blowoff fermentation vented with only a long 3/8"OD racking cane could pressurize the carboy resulting in an even more dangerous situation.

I think B3/Fermentap is a great company overall; they're innovative, honest people that produce mostly great products and reasonable prices and back it with fantastic customer service. I can only guess that no one there has actually tried to use this product otherwise I don't think they'd still sell it.