Some conical questions..

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

riored4v

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2008
Messages
1,307
Reaction score
9
Location
Aurora
Been considering getting some conicals to replace my buckets. Couple questions regarding them though..

1) I brew upstairs in my garage. The conicals would ideally be downstairs in the cool basement. I'm currently used to just pumping the wort from the kettle in to my bucket and hauling it downstairs so I'm not sure how I would go about doing this with a conical:confused:

2) Having a hard time deciding on a brand. The Stout ones seem nice for the price. Any cheaper/good alternatives?

3) Are there any "must have" options on these?

4) Lastly, i'm considering going with a 14g conical for my 10 gallon batches, but when I do 5 gallon batches, is this going to be too big of a conical to use?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks guys!
 
Answered #4 by doing a bit more research. For some reason I couldnt find the answer before lol. Sounds like it would be just fine.


Another question though.. is a racking arm worth it in the conical? On the Stout site, it mentions they believe the rotating racking arm isn't worth it, but they dont mention a stationary one.
 
The Brewhemoth brand offers more options, pressurizable to 160 psi, internal chilling, spunding valve option, etc.
 
I was checking out those as well and they do seem pretty nice.

From what i can tell with the Brewhemoth is the Tri-clamp version doesnt include the valves, and the Stout tanks are tri-clamp and do include the valves. I'm not sure if the Stout conical can be pressurized though.

Internal chilling isnt a big deal for me since i'll be chilling through my plate chiller. Not sure if i would need the spunding valve or not since i think i would be doing all my carbonating in the kegs.

Also, no racking arm on the Brewhemoth, but i'm not sure if thats a big deal or not. And would a 20+ gallon fermenter be too big for the normal 5gallon batch?
 
I was checking out those as well and they do seem pretty nice.

From what i can tell with the Brewhemoth is the Tri-clamp version doesnt include the valves, and the Stout tanks are tri-clamp and do include the valves. I'm not sure if the Stout conical can be pressurized though.

Internal chilling isnt a big deal for me since i'll be chilling through my plate chiller. Not sure if i would need the spunding valve or not since i think i would be doing all my carbonating in the kegs.

Also, no racking arm on the Brewhemoth, but i'm not sure if thats a big deal or not. And would a 20+ gallon fermenter be too big for the normal 5gallon batch?

The internal chilling option is more for fermentation temp control (I believe) than the initial chilling process after the boil.
If you are brewing upstairs and wish to run wort downstairs it seems like gravity would do well to help you out, but maintaining a hose long enough might become a problem (maybe a series of polysulphonate disconnects to break it into smaller chunks for sanitation purposes?)
 
The internal chilling option is more for fermentation temp control (I believe) than the initial chilling process after the boil.
If you are brewing upstairs and wish to run wort downstairs it seems like gravity would do well to help you out, but maintaining a hose long enough might become a problem (maybe a series of polysulphonate disconnects to break it into smaller chunks for sanitation purposes?)

If thats the case, then i would guess that i could run the conical in the garage with the chiller in it to keep it cool. Not sure what i would or how i would hook it up to keep it chilled constantly, but i could see that being an option.

Aside from running hose to the garage, yea, i dont see any other way to get the wort to the conical. I do have a march pump, but i'm not sure if its strong enough to pump the wort that far.:confused:

Without the thermowell option on the brewhemoth, would I just stick a tape-on thermometer to the side of it?
 
riored4v said:
If thats the case, then i would guess that i could run the conical in the garage with the chiller in it to keep it cool. Not sure what i would or how i would hook it up to keep it chilled constantly, but i could see that being an option.

Aside from running hose to the garage, yea, i dont see any other way to get the wort to the conical. I do have a march pump, but i'm not sure if its strong enough to pump the wort that far.:confused:

Without the thermowell option on the brewhemoth, would I just stick a tape-on thermometer to the side of it?

The stout tanks have a thermowell option, I have a 7 gallon one without a thermowell and I love it. Rotating racking arm isnt too big of a deal in my book as the racking port is low enough where ther won't be much loss.
 
I went with brewhemoth because it was able to control temps without being in a fridge. I use a cooler and a cheap pump controlled by a temp controller. I put frozen 2 liter bottles or an aquarium heater in the cooler.

I am very happy with it and want to get another one in the future.
 
I went with brewhemoth because it was able to control temps without being in a fridge. I use a cooler and a cheap pump controlled by a temp controller. I put frozen 2 liter bottles or an aquarium heater in the cooler.

I am very happy with it and want to get another one in the future.

did you run their chiller, or go a different route?

I dont want to put these in a fridge either. My basement stays pretty cool year-round but there have been a few times where i've had to do the ol' wet towel with a fan method on my buckets.



Not sure about the layout of your house, but I had the same issue, and did this:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/wort-chute-306772/

I think i'm going to try running some tubing through the house to see how it does. Figure I can just hook up my pump upstairs and run starsan through the tub, down to the conical and then drain it out in to another bucket. I'm just hoping the pump can push it that far.
 
For chilling my Brewhemoths, I use the "E-bay" aquarium controller driving a Little Giant condensate pump, which is filled with food grade anti-freeze in the beer fridge freezer. I used a high density foam camping mat for insulation on the outside, with a small heating pad under the insulation for heating. Works like a charm. Oh yeah, I bypassed / removed the float switch from the pump.
 
I'm not a welder, but looking at the Brewhemoth welds on their website make me question the quality. There seems to be a fair amount of discoloration on the welds...do the ones they ship out look like that too?

Does it matter?

I have a B3 conical and every weld is pretty, clean and unpitted (to the naked eye).

But given the price of the Brewhemoths, if their welds are actually quality, then that's a hell of a deal!

Moby
 
I am using the chiller that came with it, but I use an IC chiller to bring the wort down to pitching temps. My basement is not cold enough to ferment at 66 degrees without help. When I am fermenting 10 gallons the temp inside can easily be over 6 degrees higher than the room temp, during primary active fermentation that is.

I just use a cooler, water, a cheap $10 submersible pump, and a temp controller.

IMG_8298.jpg


As for welds, I cannot weld SS but I have welded a lot of carbon steel. The metal will discolor often from the heat associated with welding. Polishing can remove it, but it is cosmetic only. I have actually visited where they make Brewhemoth before I bought mine and from what I saw I am comfortable with their welding and welds.
 
I like the idea of running the water to cool it for now.

If i was to run multiple conicals, then it might become an issue. Any chances are, i'll be getting a couple of these.

Can the brewhemoth be used for 5 gallons batches?
 
Using the internal chilling coil on the hemoth, and/or an external heating pad, resulted in nearly 15degF temp differential between the top and bottom. This is after vigorous fermentation of course. During high krausen, it's pretty even top to bottom. I guess the welds could be better for the newer price. I'm happy in any case. Considered polishing them up myself, but I'm not sure now that I'll bother.

I need to get a chamber for it to go in.
 
Would make it alot easier to decide on who to go with if I get them to answer my emails:mad:

Got a quick response from Stout, but then havent heard back. Absolutely no response back from Brewhemoth and I sent my email well over a week ago:( Starting to lean towards the Stout conical anyways, but a little help from the seller(s) would be nice:drunk:
 
i also am torn between brewhemoth and stout...
i like the brewhemoth design but not valves and everything bring it right back to stout..

hmmm desicions decisions
 
i also am torn between brewhemoth and stout...
i like the brewhemoth design but not valves and everything bring it right back to stout..

hmmm desicions decisions

the main thing i like about brehemoth better is the actual design and appearance.

I want all tri-clamps and it appears Stout comes with all that already. size is a tad smaller, but could be more friendly to handle because of that. Stout also still has the ability to push the beer to the keg with C02, has the racking arm, lower price and a couple other things. Its a pretty tough choice, and alot of money, but i'm really leaning towards Stout and just tossing up a cheap fermentation room to control temps. I figure I can build a room for the same price (likely less) than the cost of the chiller from Brewhemoth.
 
i heard brehemoth can go to 160 PSI or something crazy like that.. ( don`t quote me just trying to remember ) and yes it does look way better and also has the optional site glass for the top lid.. trip clamps are pretty cheap.. and in the long run i think brewhemoth would be my choice caise i do have to look at it everyday lol.. and stouts is kinda ugly..
 
i heard brehemoth can go to 160 PSI or something crazy like that.. ( don`t quote me just trying to remember ) and yes it does look way better and also has the optional site glass for the top lid.. trip clamps are pretty cheap.. and in the long run i think brewhemoth would be my choice caise i do have to look at it everyday lol.. and stouts is kinda ugly..

they need a domed lid and they would look 100x better lol

I'm still very torn on which to go with. Part of the reason I wish I could have some better communication from the companies.:(
 
I have a stout 14.5 gallon short fermenter, and am very happy with it, and with my experience with John watt. The welds are the nicest I have seen, and the polished finish inside cleans up so easily it is sinful. Being able to pop the whole lid off is a real bonus, in my mind, so you can see all the way inside. The long build time is a drag, but he has some stuff available for "special order in stock"
 
But there so ugly lol.. I'm superficial yes but hmmm tuff choices and it does come with butterfly valves also :(

If you think the stout are ugly and the BH looks good then you obviously have never seen either one in person.
The BH is the ugliest conical on the market. None if it is polished and the bolted on steel strut legs scream "built in someone's garage."

With that said. I do have a BH and I like it. Got it before the huge price jump and it does what I need it to do. But if I had to buy one now or wanted to buy another one, it would be a stout.
 
Yah I saw the welds on the brehmeth and even the penrose kettle and it doesn't look as near nice as the stout or others I've seen. That was also another concern.. Right now after further looking and research I might go with stout butterfly valve 27 gallon
 
Yah I saw the welds on the brehmeth and even the penrose kettle and it doesn't look as near nice as the stout or others I've seen. That was also another concern.. Right now after further looking and research I might go with stout butterfly valve 27 gallon

fwiw.. I've been talking alot with John recently. He thought he had replied to my previous email and apologized for the delay. Good guy to talk with and has been answering all my questions. With the butterfly valves, they will be available late April.
 
Digging up an old thread but wanted to see how your 14.5 gallon was treating ya? Any regrets? I'm currently debating between the 12.5 they now offer compared to the 14.5.
 
We are launching our new ones and just uploaded a new video of them to have a look at.

GreatBrewEh
 
I really love my Stout Conicals but I think butterfly are overkill. The Ball valve is much better on the racking as you can better control the flow. Additionally they are very easy to clean so the CIP of a butterfly is not worth the cost. I have replaced the butterflys with ball valves and use the butterfly on the outlets of my MLT, HLT and BK. They work better with pumps.

Bigger is better. You can half fill a conical and still be ok. Better too big than two little. You may need the head spave
 

Latest posts

Back
Top