Contemplating another fermenter...

Trying to decide if we should get another group of carboys, or get a larger fermenter for 10 gallon batches. We are going to start throwing parties this summer to save money for a serious all-grain rig, and need to start making some SERIOUS batches. It's not a big deal for us to get two more 6.5 carboys, but I just thought I'd see what others have to say about the bigger fermenter options out there...

Any feedback is appreciated...

I'd stick to the 6.5 gal for fermentors only because they are so much lighter to sling around then 10g. I could certainly see brewing 10g batches at a time though.

GT

Weight is probably the biggest problem, followed by heat. You might want to look into plastic conicals.

I was going to say the same thing about moving them around. I've seen some conicals on casters, but they are not cheap. I'd get a couple more 6 gallon Better Bottles and stick with those. Better Bottles aren't any more expensive than glass.


TL

One of my best brewing investments has been my Blichmann 14 gal fermenter. When I got it, I posted on a local brew crew list serve that I needed a fridge. Sure enough, somebody was giving one away... So, I outfitted the fridge with a dual channel temp controller and a fermwrap as a heater... The conical lives in there, so I never have to move it (hence, weight is not a problem).

how hard is it to convert a half barrel keg into a fermentor?

Anyone got a DIY for that?

Here's one guy that did it:

http://www.kettlemoraine.com/mikesbeerpage/gadgets.php

NoClueBrewMaster said:

how hard is it to convert a half barrel keg into a fermentor?

Anyone got a DIY for that?

Click to expand...

I'm building two of them now. I'm almost done so I could start a thread and post some pictures.

You can always get one of those from MiniBrew (Link goes to their page). I have the 6.5 gallon one and love it. Very light weight, very easy to clean, easy to get a sample and harvest yeast.

Here is a shot of a Hoff-Stevens side bung hole keg that has been converted to a fermenter.

You can use a keg as a fermenter, in fact I contemplated it at one time myself. The problem lies in a larger volume with a smaller surface area=a harder time keeping it at a constant temperature during activer fermentation. If you have a temperature controlled fridge that it will fit into on the other hand, I would say its a go!

I was thinking about building a cold box using a mini-fridge and a temp controller. Set the temp controller to run a fan when it needs to be cooled.

I know wortmonger is all over using a basically unmodified sanke for a pressurized fermenter but I'd lean toward cutting the top out really cleanly and securing a gasketed circle of acrylic on top. This would be for two reasons, fun to watch the krausen through the moonroof and also to get in there for cleaning.

Why not buckets? They are less expensive and have more capacity than better bottles and are easier to carry because they have handles.

Any pic's available for his build?

While not any specific build, a quick google image search turned up a number of interesting viable keg fermenters.

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=keg+fermenter+sanke&btnG=Search+Images

I just found these... ironically, we just had a crate of them delivered to work

They are type two HDPE.

NoClueBrewMaster said:

I just found these... ironically, we just had a crate of them delivered to work

They are type two HDPE.

Click to expand...

Those seem like a very similar design to the 15 gallon LME containers a friend snagged for me.

Ya, for the size and material they are quite cheap. Now I just need to convince my company to buy that size, and have a few get lost in shipping...

Seriously, for converting the Hoff-Stevens kegs into fermentors, how do you remove the dip tube? I can't figure it out and there's no instructions online...

I just want to plug that hole and use the bung hole for the one-way valve...

This is the only info I have been able to find about removing the diptube in a hoff-stevens. Hoff-Stevens valve removal tool - ProBrewer Interactive

I too am in the process of converting a hoff to a fermenter. But, I have not tried the method mentioned in the link yet.

I love my 1/4 barrel keg fermentor. It is perfect for 5 gallon batches. I just pulled the spear out and put a drilled stopper in.

No light gets in, big handles built in, and it does not break when you drop it. Obviously a 1/2 barrel will be harder to move by your self but I want to get one.