Stout Tanks and Kettles - Conical Fermenters

Has anyone purchased and used the larger conicals offered by Stout?
I'm curious to see your opinion. I'm trying to decide b/w Blichmann and Stout and would like some real world comparisons. One question in particular is if you look at the comparisons on Blichmann and Stout pages things don't really match up, i.e. Stout says their tanks offer Sanitary Commercial Food Grade Welding, while Blichmann says their tanks are weldless and the most sanitary. Any thoughts?

What size are you looking at? I owned a Blichmann for a while and sold it and bought a Sabco fermenter (15.5 gal). I loved the Blichmann, but the weldless fittings could be a pain sometimes. If you are doing batches in the 10-13 gallon range, I would highly recommend the Sabco over either of the conicals for 1 reason, I can steam sanitize it and it is all tri-clamp fittings. Brand new the Sabco is running $569 (15.5 gal), Blichmann 14 gallon with standard fittings are running $598 (plus $125 if you want tri-clamp), and the Stout Conical (14.5 gal) is running $450 plus the shipping from Seattle. It looks like you are in Costa Rica so YMMV as far as shipping goes, but you are probably used to that. If you want the tri-clamp conicals, then pricewise you are likely better off with the Stout. There have been many good reviews of them so far so you should not be disappointed. If you are not set on a conical then give the sabco a look:
http://www.brew-magic.com/fermenter.html

Good luck,

Joe

i own both. they are both great. i actually prefer the stout tank conical because it came with a thermowell, it is easier to clean, and the top is much easier to clean and sanitize. i paid the same for both, as my blichmann was purchased used, but new. if i get another - which i won't-i'd get the stout tank. for me it is has came down to clean-ability. the stout tank is easier to clean. and there is no issue with the size of the valve, the quality of the tank, or anything else. i really like it. i like both. ramble ramble...

thanks for the replies,

I'm looking at the 42 gallon Fermenator from Blichmann and the 50 or 60 gal from Stout. I like the Stout tanks, pricewise and cleanability is def. something to consider... sounds like both are good options. I only have a month to order and receive, got back to the States last night, so I better give Stout a call on Monday.

Thanks again,
Ryan

Do they both hold pressure?

I spoke with John Watt, who works for/owns(?) Stout Tanks and he had the following to say about the differences b/w the 50 gal. Stout vs. 42 gal. Blichmann conicals:

"Our equipment is designed more like commercial brewing equipment, with sanitary stainless welds and tri-clamp fittings. You may or may not have difficulties with the weldless fittings that they use. The downside to us is that we don't stock big items like that - you would need to order 3 or 4 months before you need it. The upside to this is that we have a lot of different possible sizes and options."

...and yes, they're both designed to hold pressure - are you asking if they actually do hold pressure?

Personally, I only have a month to purchase and receive the fermenter so I'm going with Blichmann. I may go for the Stout next year...

has anyone bought one recently? It seems they are always a few months out of stock.

can't comment on the out of stock issues, but i like mine. I'll post a pic of both side by side and you can see 'em. hopefully they both will be full of wort.

bendavanza said:

has anyone bought one recently? It seems they are always a few months out of stock.

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I think they are made to order and ship in batches from China every few months in order to save on his shipping costs.

Rackerman said:

One question in particular is if you look at the comparisons on Blichmann and Stout pages things don't really match up, i.e. Stout says their tanks offer Sanitary Commercial Food Grade Welding, while Blichmann says their tanks are weldless and the most sanitary. Any thoughts?

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I have a 7.5 gallon by Stout amd am very pleased with both the product and any dealings I have had with them.

I see no weld in the tank I have internally, so I have to believe that the
weld is perfect and polished to a mirror finish. I have used it for 2 brews so far.

Just to follow up on this. we ended up purchasing the 42 gallon Blichmann last year (actually 1.5 years ago). We chose the Blichmann b/c it was available immediately and it came in a box that was 80 cubic inches - which is was the size limit at the time for luggage on planes.
We've probably done upwards of 30 batches with the conical. Here are my thoughts:
pros - light weight, well built, nice looking, right height, went with the casters and leg extensions and it moves around nicely. Ok to clean but any difficulties are likely because of the extra height from the leg extensions
neg - lots of parts, the clamp around the middle can be fickle, the rotating racking arm tends to leak when we rotate it. "In/fill" port was not standard, even with the tri-clover option.

Overall, we are happy with it. If we can afford the import cost I would definitely like to try a stout fermenter or bright beer tank.

John is an incredible guy to work with from Stout Tanks...I bought the 80gal conical and it is beautiful...

Rackerman said:

We chose the Blichmann b/c it was available immediately and it came in a box that was 80 cubic inches - which is was the size limit at the time for luggage on planes.

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Am I reading this correctly? You checked a conical as luggage?

If so, I would have loved to see that rolling through the baggage terminal.

I started out with the 7.5 gallon, then upped to the 14.5 gallon, and my 27 gallon just came in last week. I love stout tanks stuff and have never had a problem. I also have a blichmann 14 gallon tank and although it works great and there are features it has that I like, I don't think it's worth the extra price. I'm not a blichmann hater either, I have 5 of their kettles and pretty much every accessory they sell.

Edit: I didn't see this was an old threat brought back from the grave...oops.

Old thread, but still relevant. I'm pretty convinced both are good products. just to clarify, the Blichmann Ferminator is only pressurized up to 3PSI, enough for moving beer but not carbing. I must have overtightened the rotating racking arm the first time I assembled it b/c it leaks when you rotate it. I can see the indentation around the hole when I remove it for cleaning. Also, the silicone seal developed a bunch of small tears where it fits into the bottom half of the fermenter. We probably got about 30+ brews on it before noticing the cuts. $37 for a new gasket on that. I'm not dissing it b/c it's pretty slick, and while I posted before it has a lot of parts as a negative, I'm not sure I still believe that is a drawback (I'm learning every day with this brewing bidness).

We are desperate for a bright beer tank but the 37 gallon Stout tank is about 95 cubic inches and 120 lbs. or so... slightly too large/heavy for the old airplane ride... although the rules seem to change all the time and Spirit Air may be up for it. If anyone's interested I'll comment on it for future reference... off topic?

Anyone happen to know the weight of the top section of the 37 gallon stout bright beer tank? We've asked Stout so many questions over the last week I'd love to not bother them if possible.