Brewhemoth conicals?

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Wow, you ain't kiddin'! They may have priced themselves out of the market with that price jump!

Sad to say but I think you may be right.
I bought my BH back in Sep. and I have yet to use it. Mainly because I have not had time to brew but hope to brew and use it this weekend. Anyways, I just added up what I have invested in my BH. I'm sitting at $969.17. I still need to buy a CIP pump, hoses and a glycol pump and temp controller. I have the BH in my 2 stall barn and the barn is well insulated so my plan is to heat the barn this winter. But if it turns out that my heater can't keep up (it should) then my plan 2 is to get a water bed heater and wrap it around the BH to control temps. Come summer time I'll switch to the glycol.

With the new pricing I think I would rather spend an extra $100-150 and get a 20 gallon Stout Tank. Yes, I'll lose 2 gallons of space and the ability to carbonate in the FV but I'll have a nicer looking fermenter with polished welds, welded on stainless legs and it will come ready to use with ball valves.

After receiving the BH I made my first order of valves, clamps, seals and so on and that alone with the new price would be over the price of the Stout Tank. I figure that by the time I'm done adding things to this BH I'll be will over $1300 into it. Granted, other then the legs that will start rusting and I'll end up replacing, it should last me forever.

The BH is a nice fermenter and could be even better with a few small changes and the old pricing made it worth having. The new pricing I'm afraid kills it. I totally understand why they had to jack the price and I thought it would happen sooner or later just wish I would have bought two when I got the one.
 
As a owner of a business that buys and uses stainless steel, this price increase doesnt surprise me the cost of stainless is getting quite high. It has come down slightly in the last few months, but not alot.
 
ouch... im glad i got in on one when i did... i definitely would not be able to afford the new prices without waiting another 6-8 months to save up.

im into mine for about $1000 with all the tri-clamp parts and having bought the BH with chiller package.

while i could have also gotten a triclover Blichmann for about the same price...i still would have needed valves and parts in addition to it.

Im a bit confused on the "needing to order parts" as the price raise reason though... i thought these were being made from parts they buy anyway to make the oxygen tanks etc that the main part of the company uses.

It is what it is i guess. Stainless aint cheap or free.

I used to do procurement and accounting for parts, tools, machines, and raw materials for a mechanical engineering dept at a university... i know things can run up in cost pretty fast... id be interested to take a look at the numbers though... I bet i could figure out a way for brewhemoth to lower their costs and provide the same product or an even better one.
 
The Brewhemoth is made out of parts from a discontinued line. The part we ran out of was the center cylinder. Having to buy that and the increase in cost of all the fittings, not to mention argon and tungsten, led to the price increase.
 
I just got one and am using it for the first time. I really like it so far and definitely think that it is worth the new price.
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My new brewhemoth is on the truck for delivery today and I am stoked! I will report back with my review after I get some play time in with my new toy!

And Cfrazier77 where did you pick up all your valves at? I didn’t think they would ship the conical out so fast so I need to get my fittings asap.


Cheers!

Ryan
 
My new brewhemoth is on the truck for delivery today and I am stoked! I will report back with my review after I get some play time in with my new toy!

And Cfrazier77 where did you pick up all your valves at? I didn’t think they would ship the conical out so fast so I need to get my fittings asap.


Cheers!

Ryan

I got all my parts from Brewers hardware and St Pats. The valves are 4 position from St Pats.


I did polish it myself, I am happy how it came out. Here is the tread on it.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/new-conical-set-up-what-do-you-think-279614/
 
Hmmm..we'll have to look into ways to make the chiller more "finished".

I can say that the tightness of the coils vs. ease of cleaning did cross our minds, but we haven't had any issues to this point. Perhaps that is something worth exploring as well...

Thanks again for your honest feedback, everyone! It helps us make our product better!

One thing I'm noticing is that since the bulk of the coils are near the bottom of the fermenter, if I don't have active fermentation going, there tends to be temp stratification. Having the coils spread out would probably help that too.
 
I was pricing out the Brewhemoth (tri clover) against a Blichmann. I only do 10 gallon batches and don't see that changing anytime soon (if ever).

Blichmann 14.5 with Pro option (all fittings included): $829.00 plus free shipping (if you look around)

Brewhemoth Tri clover (new price): $639.00 without fittings plus free shipping
--add fittings that come with Blichmann (incomplete list, as I could not find a racking arm and other assorted parts): $191.20 (brewershardware.com)


Brewhemoth total with parts: $830.20 (not including shipping for parts)

I don't know about you guys, but the price jump (I completely understand it) as pushed me back to a Blingmann (darn).
 
I'd still get the bh. Pressure capable, no weldless stuff, and 1/2bbl capable. Disassembling and sanitizing all the blingmann stuff, inc the threaded bits and teflon tape, was always a big part of brewday. I don't miss my bingmanns one bit.
 
I was pricing out the Brewhemoth (tri clover) against a Blichmann. I only do 10 gallon batches and don't see that changing anytime soon (if ever).

Blichmann 14.5 with Pro option (all fittings included): $829.00 plus free shipping (if you look around)

Brewhemoth Tri clover (new price): $639.00 without fittings plus free shipping
--add fittings that come with Blichmann (incomplete list, as I could not find a racking arm and other assorted parts): $191.20 (brewershardware.com)


Brewhemoth total with parts: $830.20 (not including shipping for parts)

I don't know about you guys, but the price jump (I completely understand it) as pushed me back to a Blingmann (darn).

I understand where you are coming from, but I would make the same choice again.

It's built like a tank and you have flexibility of tri-clover set-up/parts for your situation. I don't believe you need a racking arm given the outlet positions. Also, the ability to pressurize overcomes it's need, with the option of using it as a bright tank.. Soon they will have a CIP fitting for easy cleaning.

The ability to do 20 gal batches is a definite plus. Whilst most of us don't ever figure doing so, the option is handy. Sometimes life gets in the way of brewing or an event comes along, so being able to do a large batch to fill 4 kegs is a plus. Great for lagers.

Overall, my preference, regardless of the new price, is the Brewhemoth. Just wish it didn't cost $200+ for shipping down under.

My 2c
 
One big difference between Blichman and Brewhemoth, and Stout for that matter, is cooling. Brewhemoth has a chiller option and the others do not. If you have a freeze or fridge big enough to house a conical then this is not much of an issue. I did not have a freezer this big and I wanted to be out so I went with Brewhemoth.
 
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I just got all my parts in yesterday so its soaking with PBW now. I will say it’s not perfect but I really don’t see any major issues with these conicals. The fit and finishes could be better IMO. Like everyone who has one will tell you there are some areas where the outside was hit with a grinder here and there and on the front there are some deep scratches at the top bend in the dome that I don’t believe I will be able to polish out but time will tell. Even so it’s just a few scratches and it will get scratched and dented sooner or later. Some of the welds are better than others but I didn’t find any pitted or rough welds yet only minor discoloring from the welding process that I will work on next. I would have to agree that the stand legs could be better. The paint on them had runs all over and the nut welded on for the adjustment feet just seem like it would be the weakest link on the unit to me but they said they tested them so we will see. I would also rather have 4 legs to make it more stable. To me it’s mostly cosmetic issues and once I polish it that should take care of these issues so not a big deal. All in all it seems like a deal to me and I can’t wait to get my first batch in it. Only problem is that I dropped my March pump last week and cracked off the outlet! Filling this without my pump will be interesting!

And if you want to compare these to Blichmann I would compare it to the larger one not the 14 gallon since you are limited to 10 batches in those. With this being 22 gallons you can easily do 15+ and the last time I looked at the 27 gallon Blichmann Tri Clover it was about $1100.
 
On my cooling trial I made the lines too short. I had a hard time getting the chiller out without tilting the fermenter towards the freezer. This brings up the question... Would it be better to disconnect the chiller from lines each time, risking glycol spillage, or to leave it attached, and somehow clean and sanitize near the freezer? I use 5050 glycol held near -10F. It never gets that low when the pump is working during a chilling experiment though....
 
This brings up the question... Would it be better to disconnect the chiller from lines each time, risking glycol spillage, or to leave it attached, and somehow clean and sanitize near the freezer?
I actually disconnect mine from the pump end, since my cooling liquid is very close to the chiller.

What I'd like to do is put some self-sealing quick-connects on the lines, like the kind you'd use for compressed air. Like these guys here:

Amazon.com: 5 piece Air Compressor SOLID BRASS QUICK CONNECT Coupler SET UNIVERSAL FIT: Home Improvement


I'm thinking a 90 degree fitting that goes from 1/4" compression to 1/4" pipe would go on the chiller tubes. Then you could thread the quick-connects on.

One of these:

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-Joe
 
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Is there a 'plug and play' chiller option yet?
What are most people using for a chiller.
I'd want something that looks clean and professional for my brewroom.
 
Is there a 'plug and play' chiller option yet?
What are most people using for a chiller.
I'd want something that looks clean and professional for my brewroom.

Mine's a custom glycol unit (gutted a fridge to make a glycol chiller) I haven't seen many plug-n-play units, but a suggestion would be to look at the glycol chillers they make for people running large saltwater aquariums, they should be about the right size.

You'll still have to do some building though.
 
Mine's a custom glycol unit (gutted a fridge to make a glycol chiller) I haven't seen many plug-n-play units, but a suggestion would be to look at the glycol chillers they make for people running large saltwater aquariums, they should be about the right size.

You'll still have to do some building though.

The aquarium chiller is probably a good suggestion. Another really good one is a glycol beer line chiller like micromatic sells. Sometimes you can find them really cheap locally
 
I haven't seen many plug-n-play units, but a suggestion would be to look at the glycol chillers they make for people running large saltwater aquariums, they should be about the right size.
I was thinking the same thing. I discussed it a little bit in this thread, and it was pooh-poohed. But having successfully chilled the conical with ice water, I think an aquarium chiller will be more than adequate.

-Joe
 
I guess these have really taken off. Just went to buy another one and saw the price had jumped almost $200. I suppose they needed some way to pay for the full page ad in BYO.
 
The reasons for the price increase have been made plain. I'm sure it wasn't to cover their advertising budget :)

Speaking of repeat customers, I bet they could sucker more of us into a second Brewhemoth if they offered a customer loyalty and/or quantity discount. Hint, hint :D

-Joe
 
The reasons for the price increase have been made plain. I'm sure it wasn't to cover their advertising budget :)

Speaking of repeat customers, I bet they could sucker more of us into a second Brewhemoth if they offered a customer loyalty and/or quantity discount. Hint, hint :D

-Joe

Didn't read back that far :eek: . But I'm sure things didn't go up that much to be able to afford a full page ad in BYO. There is a good possibility they got some pressure from B3 about the low price as well. I was questioned about what I was using all the tri-clover parts for and they looked it up while I was standing there, and swore up and down that they couldn't be as good as theirs and they were ordering one to check it out. And your right if there was a loyalty discount I would probably buy another. But if not I'm planning on going bigger anyways. So I'll just move along :rockin:
 
I got to use my BH for the first time yesterday. Brewed up 39 gallons of an Oatmeal Stout. Put 5.25 gallons into 4 better bottles and the rest (18 gallons) went into the BH.
I do have a video of my CIP system pumping saniclean thru it but have no way to post it at this time.

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Didn't read back that far :eek: . But I'm sure things didn't go up that much to be able to afford a full page ad in BYO. There is a good possibility they got some pressure from B3 about the low price as well. I was questioned about what I was using all the tri-clover parts for and they looked it up while I was standing there, and swore up and down that they couldn't be as good as theirs and they were ordering one to check it out. And your right if there was a loyalty discount I would probably buy another. But if not I'm planning on going bigger anyways. So I'll just move along :rockin:

Okay, you have to understand that The Brewhemoth is only ONE product line our company offers. We are but a VERY small part of a larger company...the advertising budget is totally separate from any parts purchases. The parts we had to purchase are truly more expensive than you may think...stainless steel has gone up in price over the past couple years by quite a bit.

Also, B3 has not (to our knowledge) ordered one of our fermenters nor have they attempted to "pressure" us into increasing our prices...it was ONLY due to having to purchase materials that we had not purchased before and having to adjust the price accordingly.

Josh
The Brewhemoth
 
Okay, you have to understand that The Brewhemoth is only ONE product line our company offers. We are but a VERY small part of a larger company...the advertising budget is totally separate from any parts purchases. The parts we had to purchase are truly more expensive than you may think...stainless steel has gone up in price over the past couple years by quite a bit.

Also, B3 has not (to our knowledge) ordered one of our fermenters nor have they attempted to "pressure" us into increasing our prices...it was ONLY due to having to purchase materials that we had not purchased before and having to adjust the price accordingly.

Josh
The Brewhemoth

I 100% believe this to be true. I am an engineer for a tool and die shop I see our steel cost change daily. But this does tell me that someone did not do their homework when setting the original pricing. Great for all of use that bought before they ran out of stock. :D
 
JEBrew said:
Okay, you have to understand that The Brewhemoth is only ONE product line our company offers. We are but a VERY small part of a larger company...the advertising budget is totally separate from any parts purchases. The parts we had to purchase are truly more expensive than you may think...stainless steel has gone up in price over the past couple years by quite a bit.

Also, B3 has not (to our knowledge) ordered one of our fermenters nor have they attempted to "pressure" us into increasing our prices...it was ONLY due to having to purchase materials that we had not purchased before and having to adjust the price accordingly.

Josh
The Brewhemoth

The B3 pressure comment was more of a joke than anything, but they did say they were going to buy one. And I do understand that materials cost money and that cost will fluctuate. With that large of a price increase you just took yourselves out of the pocket of the average home brewer which I think that most of us on this board fall into. I know that at the new price that I will not be buying another one like I had been saving to do.
 
The B3 pressure comment was more of a joke than anything, but they did say they were going to buy one. And I do understand that materials cost money and that cost will fluctuate. With that large of a price increase you just took yourselves out of the pocket of the average home brewer which I think that most of us on this board fall into. I know that at the new price that I will not be buying another one like I had been saving to do.

well if you're saving for one, just save a little longer.
 
The B3 pressure comment was more of a joke than anything, but they did say they were going to buy one. And I do understand that materials cost money and that cost will fluctuate. With that large of a price increase you just took yourselves out of the pocket of the average home brewer which I think that most of us on this board fall into. I know that at the new price that I will not be buying another one like I had been saving to do.

Well, I am sorry to hear that you don't think you'll be buying another one at the new price point...please note, though, that we are offering a 10% off deal through the BYO ad. Just saying...

Thanks for the comments and support!
 
Anyone have suggestions for the bare minimum of trial clover fittings I should order?

I plan on getting more later but want to get fermenting as soon as I get my brewhemoth.
 
Anyone have suggestions for the bare minimum of trial clover fittings I should order?

I plan on getting more later but want to get fermenting as soon as I get my brewhemoth.

a 1.5 dia valve for the bottom dump. and a 1.00 flat cap to cover the racking port, two gaskets and two clamps and an airlock and bung for the top 1.00 port.

That is the bare minimum that can be used. Well you could cap the 1.5 port and use a racking cane but then why have one.

Now if you want to use the racking port you will need to replace that flat cap with a 1.00 valve and add a 1.00TC to like 3/8 hose barb fitting, one more clamp and one more gasket.
 
FSR402 said:
a 1.5 dia valve for the bottom dump. and a 1.00 flat cap to cover the racking port, two gaskets and two clamps and an airlock and bung for the top 1.00 port.

That is the bare minimum that can be used. Well you could cap the 1.5 port and use a racking cane but then why have one.

Now if you want to use the racking port you will need to replace that flat cap with a 1.00 valve and add a 1.00TC to like 3/8 hose barb fitting, one more clamp and one more gasket.

What size bung (stopper)?
 
i posed this question to Josh but wanted to ask for the masses also .

Does anyone bulk carbonate in the Brehemoth (or other) and if so, how does the process of transferring already carbonated beer to individual kegs work (or not work...). Doesn't it get all foamy?

Is the solution simply to carbonate individually. Obviously bulk carbonating is more convenient in theory. But if it causes many problems during the transfer of the beer then maybe not so much.

Thanks...
 
i posed this question to Josh but wanted to ask for the masses also .

Does anyone bulk carbonate in the Brehemoth (or other) and if so, how does the process of transferring already carbonated beer to individual kegs work (or not work...). Doesn't it get all foamy?

Is the solution simply to carbonate individually. Obviously bulk carbonating is more convenient in theory. But if it causes many problems during the transfer of the beer then maybe not so much.

Thanks...

On the small scale you're doing it's not worth the pain (IMHO). But it works you just have to transfer under pressure. It does not take much. If the BH is sitting at 15psi then you set the keg at 14psi it will flow.
 
I did my first yeast dump last night. 4 days after pitch and I dumped about 3/4 of a gallon of yeast and trub before beer came out. (filled a half gallon jar 1.5 times) Man that was a lot of yeast.
 
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