Top off tank fermenter.

For my last several batches Ive been fermenting 12 gallon batches in an old Sanky keg. I've liked it but a couple things i did not like was cleaning it. I'm never sure how clean im getting it in there with the 2" opening on the top.

I picked one of these up form St. patrick's of texas, It is a wine top off tank with a 4" Sanitary opening on the top. It came with the adapter cap that has two 1/4" threaded openings that came with a pressure relife valve and a gas in barb fitting. I plan on making a thermowel and put it in one of the 1/4" opening.

It also has a 3/8" stainless dip tube with a sanitary fitting on the end.

I'm thinking for the cost (380+40 shipping) , It is a good alternative to a 15.5 gallon conical fermenter. and should be easy to top-crop with and for dry hoping.

Very cool fermenter and a great idea at a great cost.

How are you moving it around when its full or are you just filling it where it stays?

Chromados

I have an extra kegereator I picked up on CL a while back that I have been using as a fermentation chamber. I have not used this keg yet, but my old keg I could lift and swing it in there with out too much effort when it was full with 10-12gallons. It was too much to try to get into my freezer chest, I tried that once, and only once.

This is basically the same thing as a SABCO fermenter minus the drain valve and bi-metal thermometer. I plan on adding a Thermo well and racking using CO2 so I wont need the valve or the thermometer.

I'm also playing with the Idea of adding a TEC (Thermoelectric Cooler) to the side like More beer does, and making it independent of refrigeration. If it all works out well I might get a couple more and ditch all my glass carboys.

let me know how this works out. i am looking into similar solution

Got the chance to brew yesterday, I set up the top of tan with a 1/2 ss thermo well, connected to the 1/4 coupling that goes through the lid with a plastic 1/4"NPTx1/2" comp fitting that I drilled through. The 4" sanitary opening is nice because I can get my whole arm inside to clean it out. Right now I have it in an old kegerator controlled by a Ranco controller.

I was able to gravity feed through the my CFC from the kettle in to the fermenter, I have an inline O2 system in the works, but I'm waiting on my shipment from Chi company that is two weeks late. So for this one O2 was bubbled in through a hose and stone.

Transfered over my first beer in this fermenter today. I made a sanitary fitting with a Corny liquid post on it and used a jumper to fill my two kegs. I also put a 1/2 racking cane stopper on the end of the dip tube.

Cranked the CO2 up to 10psi and filled the two kegs in no time.