General Conical Techniques

So I have bottled my first brew that I housed in my new 6 gallon conical fermenter.

Looking back on the entire process, I have mixed emotions about going from what I used to do...from Primary bucket---Secondary Carboy---Bottling Bucket---Bottle

To...

The conical system way....

Let me explain below my experience, and I hope you all can shed some light on this for me.



I had a woody when I opened the box to my new conical system. I thought this was gonna make it easier to brew beer from start to finish. For the way I did it this time, I was completely wrong...I could have stayed with the good ole bucket/carboy/bottling bucket method and been less of a mess.

1. Cleaning the conical prior to use was a bit more labor intensive. Due to it's size and shape, it takes a bit more time to clean it, rather than sanitizing a primary bucket. The bucket has a wider mouth than the conical system.

2. Cleaning the valves is somewhat a pain...I used the spray bottle with One-Step sanitizer in it to squirt the openings each time prior to using them...

3. You need to use a funnel to pour beer from brew pot into the top of the conical fermenter. If not, you have to be very acurate with your pour, so as not to pour your wort all over the outside of the conical.

Now to the messy part.

4. My attempt at sanitizing and then cracking the bottom valve to dump the turb was initially unsuccessful. Seemed I had a decent ammount of cake in the bottom of the conical and it didn't want to come out with gravity.

so....

I stuck a piece of sanitized tubuing up through the valve to convince the trub to come out....when it began to flow out the bottom, I was catching it with a cup. I went to close the bottom valve, only to remember that now I had that hose stuck in the valve. Only way to get hose out was to open valve up and quickly pull out....Can you say overflow of the cup and onto the floor....I about **** myself seeing 1/4 gallon of trub on the kitchen floor....

5. Dumped trub every few days. Then let it sit in conical for it's secondary stage. I kinda wish that the conical was clear, because I do like to see what the beer looks like in that glass carboy. It gives me satisfaction and comfort to see my beer in the secondary. I can't do that with the conical.

6. The yellow plastic lid on the conical is not completely air tight. I could hear CO2 hissing from it during the primary ferment. I am sure it is ok for that during primary stage, but it concerned me during secondary.

7. When it was time for bottling, I realized my next dilema. How was I going to put my priming sugar in. So I thought for a moment...I dropped what I thought was the last of the trub. I then looked inside the conical and realized that I was gonna need to stir in the sugar. This concerned me because of the krausen that was at the top of the conical since the primary ferment. I didn't want to disturb that, and have it drop down into the brew right as I was planning on bottling. So I decided I would use the racking port and move the beer out of the conical into the bottling bucket.

8. Good thing I did the bottling bucket, because after I had moved beer from conical to the bottling bucket, I looked inside the conical and noticed I didn't get all the trub from the bottom. If I would have mixed the priming sugar in the conical, I would have mixed in alot of junk as well.

9. Removing, cleaning, and re-teflon taping the threads for the valves seems to be more work as well to get the conical system ready for the next batch.

The only thing that I can see that saved me a step with the conical system was I didn't have to rack the beer from the primary to the secondary. Everything else that I typically do with my old way, I still did with the conical.

So I am seeking some advice on how others use their conical. Maybe some tips and tricks on what you have learned in the past.

Cheers!!!

I have a 14.5 Blichmann on the way. It will be in a digitally temp controlled fridge for ease of crash cooling.

As of now (which is subject to change of course) I plan on

-Cleaning and sanitizing the night before or when I rack out of. I will break down the ball valves and give them a PBW soak before reassembly and sanitizing. the conical lid comes off completely so cleaning shouldnt be too hard

-Trubb will be dumped daily and samples taken until I get a good idea of how my beer ferments in the conical. once terminal gravity is reached, I will drop the temp to mid 30s for a day or two. Yeast will then be collected for future batches.

-Since I only have one conical Im not going to let it age in there, so it's either into a secondary or a keg depending on style and clarity I want once yeast has been collected.

-As of now i plan on having it in use 95% of the time. Only empty when its being cleaned. Costs too damn much to let sit idle.

-I went with the tri lock system, so a few hoses will be made with tri lock clamps on them. i will rack into and out of the conical through the rotating racking cane.


But liek I said, this is my plan now, but im sure Ill be tweaking my methods to suit my needs

Ive been thinking of getting a Blichmann Conical but I wanted to learn more about how to use it first because it is such an expense. I mean I guess i understand the basics but wondered about the details. I know before I started allgrain I watched a ton of videos on the process by some great people on here and others on youtube, but I can't seem to find ny videos about useing a conical fermenter on there. Does any one have any or know of any videos showing the processes and details. Maybe I'm over conplicating it but I figured I'd ask. Sorry hope this hasn't highjacked your post.


Thanks in advance for any info


BMW-LDB

My process for my first brew with the conical.

1. Soak with PBW for a few hours rinse with hot water twice.

2. Took apart the ball valves and soaked in iodopher sanitizer .I didnt take the part that was threaded to the nipple off just washed it down with sanitizer so I didnt have to re tape the threads. I then re-assembled the valves and put in a gallon of sanitizer and swished it around. Dumped it after 10 minutes or so. Was very simple but then again the conical I have has a very large opening as opposed to the OP's .

3. I then filled with my wort and pitched the yeast. Dumped a little trubb after the third day and for the following three days after. Prior to and after dump I would spray down the inside of the valve with sanitizer.

4. When I do my next brew I will transfer to a better bottle or keg.