Sabco 15.5 G fermentor - Anyone use?

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I used to have one, it is a really nice fermenter. I liked being able to pressure push to kegs, and its ease of sanitation. I just filled it up with a gallon or so of water and boiled it hard during the mash. Let cool and drain and it was heat sanitized and ready for fermentation. I used it until I got a conical as the conical was easier to harvest yeast out of. At retail costs, a 14 gallon SS brewtech is cheaper than the SABCO, but I'm not sure of your other constraints as to why a conical wouldn't work. In my experience, you'll be happy with either one.

Happy Brewing
 
Look at the 15.5 gallon yeast brink from Deutsche Beverage. They also make Ink kegs. They have a 4" TC on top and a 1.5" TC on the side towards the bottom. $150 and includes clamps and gaskets. They also carry valves and the racking arm. Very well priced. I had Jay from Norcal build me a 4" TC blowoff clamp with thermowell for the top. I think that was about $40. So for about $250 I have a 15.5 gallon stainless fermenter. Let me know if you want pictures of the setup. I have 12 gallons of cider fermenting in it currently. I am trying to talk Deutsche into making 1/4 BBL yeast brinks. That would be an ideal 5 gallon batch size fermenter.

I also have a custom 1/4 from SABCO that is their 1/4 BBL with 4" TC top and I had them add a 1.5" TC to the side. It was about $300 to have that made. It is a nice German keg but it was expensive. GW Kent also has a 1/2 BBL with the 4" and 1.5" TC ports on it. They call it a cellar keg.

On edit
Another member asked me to look at the welds on the yeast brink. Well I will be damned as the Deutsche Beverage yeast brink is not welded it is soldered. The SABCO is welded. That has to be how they keep the price down. I will try to post pictures once I get it empty.

Mark
 
Last edited:
RiverCityBrewer said:
I used to have one, it is a really nice fermenter. I liked being able to pressure push to kegs, and its ease of sanitation. I just filled it up with a gallon or so of water and boiled it hard during the mash. Let cool and drain and it was heat sanitized and ready for fermentation. I used it until I got a conical as the conical was easier to harvest yeast out of. At retail costs, a 14 gallon SS brewtech is cheaper than the SABCO, but I'm not sure of your other constraints as to why a conical wouldn't work. In my experience, you'll be happy with either one.

Happy Brewing
Click to expand...

Thank you for the comparison, that's very helpful. The constraints I speak of (and I could just be clueless) is getting that conical into a temperature controlled refrigerator. I have read about glycol solutions to control temperature, but I'm not sure that's for me. I measured my fridge and it doesn't seem to me that the 14 gallon conical will fit.
 
Brickman said:
Look at the 15.5 gallon yeast brink from Deutsche Beverage. They also make Ink kegs. They have a 4" TC on top and a 1.5" TC on the side towards the bottom. $150 and includes clamps and gaskets. They also carry valves and the racking arm. Very well priced. I had Jay from Norcal build me a 4" TC blowoff clamp with thermowell for the top. I think that was about $40. So for about $250 I have a 15.5 gallon stainless fermenter. Let me know if you want pictures of the setup. I have 12 gallons of cider fermenting in it currently. I am trying to talk Deutsche into making 1/4 BBL yeast brinks. That would be an ideal 5 gallon batch size fermenter.

I also have a custom 1/4 from SABCO that is their 1/4 BBL with 4" TC top and I had them add a 1.5" TC to the side. It was about $300 to have that made. It is a nice German keg but it was expensive. GW Kent also has a 1/2 BBL with the 4" and 1.5" TC ports on it. They call it a cellar keg.

On edit
Another member asked me to look at the welds on the yeast brink. Well I will be damned as the Deutsche Beverage yeast brink is not welded it is soldered. The SABCO is welded. That has to be how they keep the price down. I will try to post pictures once I get it empty.

Mark
Click to expand...

Thanks Mark. Pictures would be awesome. I visited the website, and I can't seem to find a link to the product you speak of. Did you have to reach out to them when you purchased? This could be excellent, I could get two for the price of one Sabco.

Is there an issue with solder as opposed to welded joints? Both are sanitary, correct?
 
I use one with a pressure gauge and relief valve to ferment under pressure. Towards the end of the ferment, I let the pressure build up and by the time the ferment is over, the beer is fully carbonated. Wouldn't use anything else.
 
burdbrew said:
Are you able to reuse yeast if you ferment under pressure?
Click to expand...

Most of the beers that I do are higher alcohol and highly hopped, so they wouldn't be the best candidate for reuse anyway, so I haven't tried. I probably could, but it wouldn't be as easy as a conical is. I'd have to release the pressure very slowly otherwise I think most of the yeast wouldn't survive.
 

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