How good are those Mini Brew fermenters?

With my carboy having broken (my hands are intact, thankfully), I've been forced to use my Ale Pails again, which I can squeeze 6 gallons out of, but just barely. However, I'd like to move on to 7 or 8 gallon batches, so I've been looking for fermenter alternatives.

The Mini Brew 8 gallon fermenter seems like the way to go, as a good compromise between cost and quality. It's still under $300 with shipping included, so you can't go wrong. Has anyone out there used one of these or known someone who has? I know that it's made of plastic, but I figure it should still be a worthwhile purchase. I just don't know if I can afford a stainless steel conical and I only have 3 kegs, all of which are being used for the brewing process.

I know where part of my economic stimulus is going!

why not use 2 ale pails?

I have the 15 gallon one and like it. The only downside is that the racking port is a port and not an arm. This means you can't pick up anything under the level of the port, so you have to factor in some additional losses. I also don't bother to dump trub until after I rack out of it. The trub takes up space that would otherwise be beer that I wouldn't be able to get out easily.

You also have to be careful when attaching the ball valves so that you don't cross thread anything. Other than those two things, I think it is a great thing and a real money saver compared to SS.

8 gallons would be good for a 6.5 gallon batch size though. Any bigger and you'll have a big mess real fast. I do 11.5 gallon batches and usually end up with 2 full cornies and a couple of bottles.

He probably want to keep the batches consistent by having them ferment in one vessel. As far as how good they are here you go. First hand experience.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=12961&highlight=minibrew

As far as the racking port, would it be worthwhile to try to adapt it to accommodate an arm? Would you need to cut off the plastic threads and start with only the remaining hole, or could it be done with the exisiting port?

knowltonm said:

As far as the racking port, would it be worthwhile to try to adapt it to accommodate an arm? Would you need to cut off the plastic threads and start with only the remaining hole, or could it be done with the exisiting port?

Click to expand...

It could probably be done. You may even be able to buy one that would work. I haven't done any research into it though. I've found that dumping my trub after I've transferred works just as well. That and brewing a slightly larger batch, 11.5 gallons. The amount of drinkable beer below the port is probably less than a 3 or 4 bottles. The rest of the space is taken up by the trub. I rarely let something sit in the primary for more than 2 weeks, so I don't really worry about any off flavors.