Last September I purchased the 30L Speidel fermenter and have now used it for 12 batches. Because I have benefitted greatly from users experiences on this forum I figured I should share what I have learned about this fermenter.
Summary: it works as advertised and Im not sorry I bought it but if it disappeared tomorrow I probably would not rush out to buy another one.
Background: Over the years I have fermented in plastic buckets, glass carboys and Better Bottles. I have never used a stainless steel conical. For most of that time my preferred fermentation vessel was the 6-gallon Better Bottle. The light weight, virtual indestructibility and being able to see the fermentation were the main reasons why I prefer it.
Speidel Pros
Cons
Many of the Pro features I list can also be said for a plastic bucket. If you prefer to ferment in a bucket is it worth the difference in cost? I guess that depends on your budget.
Conclusion
First and foremost the taste of my beers has not improved because I purchased this fermenter. There is no magic bullet here.
I use the Speidel fermenter for batches that I plan to transfer to a secondary or if I want to top crop the yeast. For me, this is approximately 1/2 the beers that I brew. Generally these are beers I want to dry hop or stouts and barleywines that I want to bulk condition for a month or more. For these beers I dont mind that I will be transferring some extra yeast and the spigot does simplify the racking. For all other batches I still use a Better Bottle.
As I said in the summary, if it disappeared tomorrow I probably would not rush out to buy another one. By comparison, I purchased my first March pump around the same time I bought this fermenter and if my pump disappeared Id buy a new one before brewing another batch.
Summary: it works as advertised and Im not sorry I bought it but if it disappeared tomorrow I probably would not rush out to buy another one.
Background: Over the years I have fermented in plastic buckets, glass carboys and Better Bottles. I have never used a stainless steel conical. For most of that time my preferred fermentation vessel was the 6-gallon Better Bottle. The light weight, virtual indestructibility and being able to see the fermentation were the main reasons why I prefer it.
Speidel Pros
- Size - Its much larger than 6-gallon Better Bottles so no worries about foaming over when adding oxygen and no need for blow-off tubes, etc. I can make 5.5 to 6.0 gallon batches and completely fill a 5 gallon secondary with minimal headspace and I get a full 5 gallons in my kegs.
- Easy to clean - even the thickest kraeusen ring seems to fall off by just spraying the fermenter with water. After soaking in PBW the fermenter is spotless, without any scrubbing. But the large opening on top makes it easy to reach inside if you need to.
- Built-in spigot - no cleaning/sanitizing of auto-syphons, racking canes, etc.
- Handles - very sturdy, easy to move around.
- Top cropping - the top unscrews easily and the opening is large enough for me to reach in with a stainless steel spoon and quickly harvest yeast from the kraeusen.
- Well made vessel that was designed to be used as a fermenter.
Cons
- Spigot is very close to the bottom without an adjustable pick-up tube. The amount of yeast transferred is substantial enough that I wouldnt want it in my kegs or bottling bucket.
- Spigot size - too small for 1/2 inch tubing and too large for 3/8 inch. Luckily the first time I used the fermenter I needed to transfer to a 5 gallon carboy. I was using 1/2 inch tubing and I noticed some very fine bubbles in my carboy. Closer observation showed that I was sucking air at the spigot because the tubing was not a tight enough fit. Almost aerated an entire batch of beer. 3/8 inch tubing is tight enough but its a pain to get on the spigot.
- Spigot leaks - there is a *very* small leak in my spigot. Its just a few drops during the 7 to 10 days I usually leave the beer in the primary if Im transferring to a secondary. Im not concern with the loss of beer, I am concerned about bacteria. To reduce the risk of bacteria I cover the spigot with a plastic bag that I attach with a rubber-band. I spray the spigot with Star-San before racking but I dont believe it can reach all the places that bacteria could hide without removing the spigot from the fermenter.
- Opaque - I like to watch. (Hmmm, sounds kinda perverted now that I read that.)
Many of the Pro features I list can also be said for a plastic bucket. If you prefer to ferment in a bucket is it worth the difference in cost? I guess that depends on your budget.
Conclusion
First and foremost the taste of my beers has not improved because I purchased this fermenter. There is no magic bullet here.
I use the Speidel fermenter for batches that I plan to transfer to a secondary or if I want to top crop the yeast. For me, this is approximately 1/2 the beers that I brew. Generally these are beers I want to dry hop or stouts and barleywines that I want to bulk condition for a month or more. For these beers I dont mind that I will be transferring some extra yeast and the spigot does simplify the racking. For all other batches I still use a Better Bottle.
As I said in the summary, if it disappeared tomorrow I probably would not rush out to buy another one. By comparison, I purchased my first March pump around the same time I bought this fermenter and if my pump disappeared Id buy a new one before brewing another batch.