I know Birdman Brewing is shipping them. A guy in our homebrew club got one. And he said they were cheaper than Morebeer.
Anyone have a Fermentasaurus?
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I know Birdman Brewing is shipping them. A guy in our homebrew club got one. And he said they were cheaper than Morebeer.
The PRV included is set to 35psi. You'll find this is quite a bit higher than you want and the pressure will quickly build up during fermentation.
I suggest using a spunding valve attached to the gas port, set to 5psi for the first 2 days then increase to 15-20psi as fermentation finishes to give you carbonated beer. I have found that 15psi at ale fermentation temperatures isn't enough to give fully carbonated beer so I hook up the gas while it crash cools in the fermentasaurus to finish it off.
The pressure also does a decent job of keeping the krauesen under control - although on my latest batch or koelsch (28L in 35L vessel at 15psi) it still blew out of the spunding.
Too much pressure initially will stress the yeast apparently.
Thanks for this. I did reach out and get a detailed response from Oxebar on the pressure fermentation process. I will say I am a bit disappointed and find it misleading that they say you can use it for pressurized oxygen free fermentation but in reality you have to buy yet another item to actually do that. If that is the case the pressure kit should come with a spunding valve and pressure monitor. I now have to drop another $30+ to actually do what I thought I could do when i bought the pressure kit.
I did receive my fermentasaurus yesterday. Will see how it hold up. Everything seems a bit on the thin side and I worry long term about all the plastic parts remaining leak free. I brewed yesterday and have a batch in there now. So far the trub is not dropping into the ball. The ball has a small amount at the bottom but the rest is liquid. Hoping that as it settles out more the trub finally makes its way into the bottle. Otherwise one of the other main reasons (besides pressure fermentation) I purchased this will not be working either. If I can't get all the trub out, then I can't dry hop from the collection ball which means opening the lid.
So some good news on the collection front. Finally after about 48 hours the ball has started to really fill up. Until early afternoon there was only a little trub in the very bottom of the ball but now it is just about full and there is very little left in the fermenter. I am at or close to peak fermentation so maybe all that activity finally pushed it all down.
I bit the bullet and ordered a spunding valve. It should be hear tomorrow so I will add my drop hops and then place the pressure kit on to try and retain the aroma and build a little pressure for the remainder of fermentation. Interested to see how this finishes up.
I bit the bullet and ordered a spunding valve. It should be hear tomorrow so I will add my drop hops and then place the pressure kit on to try and retain the aroma and build a little pressure for the remainder of fermentation. Interested to see how this finishes up.
Depends what you are brewing, but here's my 2c on how to clear the yeast.
My last batch was a Helles lager with no dry hops, so not the same thing as a pale ale.
First up, use a hop spider or similar in the boil so there's less hop matter going into the fermentasaurus. This saves 1-2 emptyings of the collection bottle right there.
Wait until main fermentation is over - until that point the yeast isn't that tightly packed and you are removing a lot of beer. Once fermentation is done and under good pressure the bottle really fills up.
A couple of times per day, squeeze the collection bottle to push beer back and forwards through the valve opening. This dislodges anything that gets stuck and you get more solids in the collection bottle.
Throw away the first collection bottle which is mostly trub.
Keep the second collection bottle which is much cleaner than the first.
I throw away subsequent ones since I don't really need that much yeast.
My helles was about 4 collection bottles worth, and it was tightly packed by doing the removal after fermentation and under pressure.
If you depressurise before collection the yeast will stir itself back into the beer, which you don't want.
When you remove, empty out the yeast, and spray the valve and bottle threads with starsan. Purge the inside of the collection bottle with CO2 if you can do this. Then fill the collection bottle with beer taken from the beer line / floating dip tube. It will foam up which is fine. Reconnecting a collection bottle full of beer and foam is way better than a bottle full of oxygen.
I have been dry-hopping through the top. I found that when going in through the bottle the hops stayed in the bottom and didn't really mix through the beer. I felt the aroma was lacking on that batch. Now I go in through the top.
To fine with Gelatin, I go in through the beer line using a PET bottle with a carbonation cap. This puts the gelatin at the top of the beer where it's going to mix better. To do this, put your gelatin/water mix into a sanitised PET bottle and purge O2. Pressurise the PET bottle and depressurise the Fermentasaurus. Then connect the PET bottle to the beer line and the gelatin should flow into the Fermentasaurus. Then repressurise the Fermentasaurus.
My last batch was a Helles lager with no dry hops, so not the same thing as a pale ale.
First up, use a hop spider or similar in the boil so there's less hop matter going into the fermentasaurus. This saves 1-2 emptyings of the collection bottle right there.
Wait until main fermentation is over - until that point the yeast isn't that tightly packed and you are removing a lot of beer. Once fermentation is done and under good pressure the bottle really fills up.
A couple of times per day, squeeze the collection bottle to push beer back and forwards through the valve opening. This dislodges anything that gets stuck and you get more solids in the collection bottle.
Throw away the first collection bottle which is mostly trub.
Keep the second collection bottle which is much cleaner than the first.
I throw away subsequent ones since I don't really need that much yeast.
My helles was about 4 collection bottles worth, and it was tightly packed by doing the removal after fermentation and under pressure.
If you depressurise before collection the yeast will stir itself back into the beer, which you don't want.
When you remove, empty out the yeast, and spray the valve and bottle threads with starsan. Purge the inside of the collection bottle with CO2 if you can do this. Then fill the collection bottle with beer taken from the beer line / floating dip tube. It will foam up which is fine. Reconnecting a collection bottle full of beer and foam is way better than a bottle full of oxygen.
I have been dry-hopping through the top. I found that when going in through the bottle the hops stayed in the bottom and didn't really mix through the beer. I felt the aroma was lacking on that batch. Now I go in through the top.
To fine with Gelatin, I go in through the beer line using a PET bottle with a carbonation cap. This puts the gelatin at the top of the beer where it's going to mix better. To do this, put your gelatin/water mix into a sanitised PET bottle and purge O2. Pressurise the PET bottle and depressurise the Fermentasaurus. Then connect the PET bottle to the beer line and the gelatin should flow into the Fermentasaurus. Then repressurise the Fermentasaurus.
Has anyone done a closed transfer from this thing yet. I just tried my first and it was not good. I tell you know matter what fermenter I have used this is always the most frustrating step.
So I connected the out on the pressure kit to the out on the keg. It started flowing right away due to the pressure that had built up during fermentation. But like other closed transfers I connected the gas in to the CO2 and set to like 1.5 PSI. After about a gallon transferred all of a sudden huge bubbles from the bottom started coming up and completed disputed the 1/2 to 3/4 gallon trub that had remained on the bottom. I disconnected the beer line as soon as I could. So now instead of beer that had looked clear all the crap is at the top of the fermenter again. I am hoping it all drops down without issue again, no idea how long that will take, seems like awhile.
Should I not have connected the CO2 line to a tank?
So I connected the out on the pressure kit to the out on the keg. It started flowing right away due to the pressure that had built up during fermentation. But like other closed transfers I connected the gas in to the CO2 and set to like 1.5 PSI. After about a gallon transferred all of a sudden huge bubbles from the bottom started coming up and completed disputed the 1/2 to 3/4 gallon trub that had remained on the bottom. I disconnected the beer line as soon as I could. So now instead of beer that had looked clear all the crap is at the top of the fermenter again. I am hoping it all drops down without issue again, no idea how long that will take, seems like awhile.
Should I not have connected the CO2 line to a tank?
Peruvian802
Well-Known Member
Don't these bottom trub traps add a ton of oxygen every time they are emptied and the air from the trap bubbles up through the fermenter?
I think a racking arm like the chronical or brew bucket that allows the beer to be pulled from on top of the trub would be a better solution.
I think a racking arm like the chronical or brew bucket that allows the beer to be pulled from on top of the trub would be a better solution.
Not necessarily a bad thing if it's very early in fermentation(would only leave yeast). Now, doing it at the end of fermentation...
Curious as to what caused the bubbles
Since this is pressure rated, maybe a higher psi would help?
See I am wondering since it was already pressurized. (reading was about 14 psi at the time I started transferring, wondering if I should NOT have connected CO2 and just used the pressure from the fermenter to transfer the beer to the keg?
To avoid oxygen, they recommend that you either purge the ball with CO2 before attaching (Not a good solution IMO), or fill it with the beer that you are fermenting.
My closed transfers have gone very well. First remove as much yeast as you can and fine with gelatine. Pressurise your keg to the same as the fermentasaurus. Connect gas to fermentasaurus. Connect spunding valve to keg. I also have the keg on the floor and the fermentasaurus raised off the ground in the fridge.
Connect the beer lines of the fermentasaurus and keg. Slowly turn the sounding until you get a gentle hiss. The whole transfer should happen at 12psi or whatever your starting pressure was. Once you have transferred 5 gallons stop. I then transfer the rest into PET bottles and will top up the keg with those once I have made some room. The last half gallon will pick up yeast stuck to the sides of the cone which I don't really want in the keg.
Also I do this entire process with chilled beer and chilled keg. Not sure if that helps.
Connect the beer lines of the fermentasaurus and keg. Slowly turn the sounding until you get a gentle hiss. The whole transfer should happen at 12psi or whatever your starting pressure was. Once you have transferred 5 gallons stop. I then transfer the rest into PET bottles and will top up the keg with those once I have made some room. The last half gallon will pick up yeast stuck to the sides of the cone which I don't really want in the keg.
Also I do this entire process with chilled beer and chilled keg. Not sure if that helps.
OK well mine went horribly wrong and honestly just killed the entire batch of beer. Not happy.
After my issues this morning, I let it settle down for about 6 hours. The trub had all moved back to the bottom, the top was clear I looked good to go. The keg is below the fermentasaurus, I urged the keg but then like other closed transfers I released all the co2 from the keg. I connected the beer line to the out on the keg. It started transferring again. Got about a gallon in and stopped, I had left it for a minute or two and when I came back I realized that once again all the trub that was left on the bottom was back at the top, it had gotten into the lines. It also took all that crap right into the keg. The keg beer is now nothing but full of trub and is greenish in color and tastes like s)$*t! I tell you I am about done with closed transfers no matter what I use, carboy, speidel and now this it turns into a mess.
After my issues this morning, I let it settle down for about 6 hours. The trub had all moved back to the bottom, the top was clear I looked good to go. The keg is below the fermentasaurus, I urged the keg but then like other closed transfers I released all the co2 from the keg. I connected the beer line to the out on the keg. It started transferring again. Got about a gallon in and stopped, I had left it for a minute or two and when I came back I realized that once again all the trub that was left on the bottom was back at the top, it had gotten into the lines. It also took all that crap right into the keg. The keg beer is now nothing but full of trub and is greenish in color and tastes like s)$*t! I tell you I am about done with closed transfers no matter what I use, carboy, speidel and now this it turns into a mess.
Try again. No process was ever sound on the first attempt. Few on the 15th. Fewer on the third.
I would suggest releasing the pressure on the FV first, then transferring at 4ish psi. If you see the transfer slow, cut the gas/burp the fv.
You can dump to another vessel (pan) all you want early in the fermentation process in any conical fermentor. As long as it is at the point that the O2 induced will be consumed by the yeast, you are good.
Rule of thumb, dump early.
I see the lack of alternative racking ng system in these as their downfall. I don't see how one could ever brew a IIPA with one, or NEIPA for that matter.
Now, in theory, I suspect you could dump out the bottom with large amounts of pressure in the headspace without burping up air into the fermentor. The pressure in the headspace would have to be greater than the suction in the exit. I suck a physics. Maybe some one else could do a better evaluation.
That could potentially be aided by applying more pressure to the fermentor via co2.
Lllll.all
Sorry to hear man. I wouldnt be happy either since this thing is meant to make better beer. I think you really need to look at removing all the yeast/trub before you do the transfer. I find if you use a hop spider in the boil and dry hop in a bag the trub is manageable. Otherwise not so much.
Peruvian802
Well-Known Member
This seems like a better solution. Just collect the trub in a separate container, don't attach the ball and then you won't get the oxygen bubble going back up through the fermenting beer.
I think this is going to be my approach next time. The thing is trying to time it before the trub gets too compacted.
I will actually probably leave ball connected at pitch and once it fills disconnect, dump it and empty rest into a pan. I have found that if you wait too long the sediment gets so compacted nothing falls out the bottom. Right now my collection ball is connected, there is about 5 gallon of trub in the conical but nothing is making it to the collection bottle.
So I made a positive step with this thing today. The other day I closed transferred what beer I got out of the fermenter back from the keg to the fermentasaurus. Now I am not sure it will be very good, going from cold keg back to warm conical, but if nothing else I wanted another shot at the transfer.
I did reach out to the company that made it. I will say they have been awesome from a customer service perspective. I have had several questions and they have provided timely and very detailed responses.
SO I purged my keg and set the pressure to 5 psi. I then pressurized the fermenter to about 10 psi. Connected the beer line and transfer started. It was VERY slow. They recommended a 5 psi pressure deviance between the fermenter and conical. after about 1.25 gallons the transfer slowed to a stop. I then relieved pressure in the keg and it started up again. another gallon and the same thing happened. This time I increased the pressure in the conical to about 15 psi. It continued for a bit then stalled. I had to keep relieving pressure in the keg about every .75-1 gallon or so to get the transfer to work, but it worked. No trub was disturbed this time.
So at this point a solid 4.25 gallons made it to the fermenter. I am going to let it cool down for a day or two, then carb and see what I got. Hopefully next batch goes better.
I did reach out to the company that made it. I will say they have been awesome from a customer service perspective. I have had several questions and they have provided timely and very detailed responses.
SO I purged my keg and set the pressure to 5 psi. I then pressurized the fermenter to about 10 psi. Connected the beer line and transfer started. It was VERY slow. They recommended a 5 psi pressure deviance between the fermenter and conical. after about 1.25 gallons the transfer slowed to a stop. I then relieved pressure in the keg and it started up again. another gallon and the same thing happened. This time I increased the pressure in the conical to about 15 psi. It continued for a bit then stalled. I had to keep relieving pressure in the keg about every .75-1 gallon or so to get the transfer to work, but it worked. No trub was disturbed this time.
So at this point a solid 4.25 gallons made it to the fermenter. I am going to let it cool down for a day or two, then carb and see what I got. Hopefully next batch goes better.
Mer-man
Well-Known Member
Well to be fair, as you fill the keg with beer the gas is becoming compressed (PV=nRT or something) so you need to relieve pressure to have the desired differential. Not entirely suprising.
I guess its just that this is different than doing a pressure transfer via carboy. In that case I would always open the relief valve on the keg and let all the pressure out prior to adding pressure to the carboy. So first time around that is what I did assuming the conical should always have more pressure as the gas in is connected and pumping pressure into the conical. But that does not seem to be the case. So I will make sure going forward that the keg has pressure in it so i can remove some pressure every few minutes manually.
I wonder how this is done when using a SS conical as you can't really see that the transfer has stalled.
I finally tried bottling my carbonated beer straight from the fermentasaurus via a bottling gun. it failed.
My process was a normal ferment with an airlock. I took 6-8 bottles of trub off the bottom and purged the bottle with CO2 before putting them back on. I will try dropping the all the trub into a different vessel next time.
Once fermentation was finished I added dextrose, finings and the pressure lid. this gave me nicely carbonated beer which I had some nice tastes of warm from a picnic tap. I also pressure transferred some into a PET bottle with a carb cap that I could then refrigerate, that was good.
But it all went wrong trying to bottle the warm beer (I don't have a fermentation fridge), the instant it hit the end of the bottling gun as it flowed into the bottle it foamed, to the point that the entire bottles were completely full of foam. I tried different pressures, angles and bottles sizes but nothing worked. So I stopped and will just drink the remainder via picnic tap or the PET carb cap.
Next time I will add the dextrose and bottle immediately, so the carbonation occurs in the bottle.
The method of not transferring and being able to clear the beer in the fermenter has lead to a MUCH better beer for me. I used to transfer the beer 3 times (Primary to Secondary, Secondary to bottling bucket, bucket to bottle) each time exposing it to more o2 and I was having to compensate for this by using ever increasing amounts of hops, never really getting the juicy aroma I love. This beer has turned out spectacular and actually has too many hops! (at least for style)
I love the fermentasaurus but will still keep tweaking my process to get the best out of it.
My process was a normal ferment with an airlock. I took 6-8 bottles of trub off the bottom and purged the bottle with CO2 before putting them back on. I will try dropping the all the trub into a different vessel next time.
Once fermentation was finished I added dextrose, finings and the pressure lid. this gave me nicely carbonated beer which I had some nice tastes of warm from a picnic tap. I also pressure transferred some into a PET bottle with a carb cap that I could then refrigerate, that was good.
But it all went wrong trying to bottle the warm beer (I don't have a fermentation fridge), the instant it hit the end of the bottling gun as it flowed into the bottle it foamed, to the point that the entire bottles were completely full of foam. I tried different pressures, angles and bottles sizes but nothing worked. So I stopped and will just drink the remainder via picnic tap or the PET carb cap.
Next time I will add the dextrose and bottle immediately, so the carbonation occurs in the bottle.
The method of not transferring and being able to clear the beer in the fermenter has lead to a MUCH better beer for me. I used to transfer the beer 3 times (Primary to Secondary, Secondary to bottling bucket, bucket to bottle) each time exposing it to more o2 and I was having to compensate for this by using ever increasing amounts of hops, never really getting the juicy aroma I love. This beer has turned out spectacular and actually has too many hops! (at least for style)
I love the fermentasaurus but will still keep tweaking my process to get the best out of it.
My understanding is that when bottling under pressure it's essential that the beer is cold, and preferable that the bottles are cold as well.
The length and type of beer line that you use on your bottling gun is critical too. I had big foam problems until I switched to 2m of 4mm beer line on the bottling gun, with the end firmly clamped down. But I suspect that if you are bottling warm then you might get foam anyway, I'm not sure.
I'm lucky that the fermentasaurus fits in my fermentation fridge (only just), so after crash cooling and removing the yeast bottling directly works a real treat.
In your situation I would probably add the priming sugar and bottle from the bottom of the cone, without pressure, as you are suggesting. Or if you have a keg - pressure transfer warm into a keg, crash cool the keg, and bottle from there.
The length and type of beer line that you use on your bottling gun is critical too. I had big foam problems until I switched to 2m of 4mm beer line on the bottling gun, with the end firmly clamped down. But I suspect that if you are bottling warm then you might get foam anyway, I'm not sure.
I'm lucky that the fermentasaurus fits in my fermentation fridge (only just), so after crash cooling and removing the yeast bottling directly works a real treat.
In your situation I would probably add the priming sugar and bottle from the bottom of the cone, without pressure, as you are suggesting. Or if you have a keg - pressure transfer warm into a keg, crash cool the keg, and bottle from there.
I received my Fermentasaurus with the pressure kit only 2 days after ordering from Birdman Brewing. I guess living near the shipping point helps! Has anyone tried bottling thru the bottling port from the bottom? I won't have access to a temp controlled refrigerator for another couple of months, so I won't be fermenting under pressure or cold crashing just yet. I did pick up a 1L soda stream bottle for more trub collection, and I do have a hop spider so hopefully after draining the trub and yeast the beer I'll be bottling from it will be relatively clean.
Dump the trub early(34-36 hours)
Seems most get better results doing it then before it compacts and your not worried about O2 at that point.
You can then attach your bottle and open the valve to harvest yeast.
I just did a transfer via the pressure kit and while I did not have any issues this time, man was it sllllloooooooowwwww. Took about 20-25 mins. I had about 18-20psi in the Fermentasausus and started with about 10 psi in the keg. It just crawled, not sure why. Anyway it worked. Also pressure dry hopped successfully and man taking a sample it had the best smell of any batch I have made to date. Keeping it under pressure keeps all that aroma in the beer instead of out through the airlock, looking like it really might have made a difference. Cant wait to get it cooled and carbed and see how it really tastes.
toadpipe
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I've used the fermentasaurus for 4 or 5 brews now, and while it's an interesting setup I have the following issues:
- While the yeast/trub catch bottle is a good idea in principle, in practice I think it can lead to oxidisation of your beer: attaching the bottle with air in it and turning the valve causes the air to bubble up through the beer. Maybe there's a better way to go about this (e.g. purge bottle w/CO2 before dumping?).
- Butterfly valve / bottom assembly can be very difficult to remove for washing, and I feel washing it directly is necessary as trub can make its way into crevices in these components, not easily dislodged through PBW+soaking. The bottom assembly eventually became stuck together in a way that was not serviceable and impossible to separate or get back into the sealed position... I feel this part, specifically the threaded stem and ring, could have been manufactured with higher quality components.
Getting ready to use the Fermentasaurus for the first time this week, but have this idea about using it to get around a few issues and wanted to float the idea to get some feedback.
First off, I did get the pressure kit and have a C02 tank and regulator, but no means of temp control (basement is 64F). Also have a 1L soda stream bottle with a stainless carbonation cap with a 3/8" barb on the inside to attach tubing to aid in purging out O2.
Here's my idea- conduct primary ferment in my SS304 stainless Brew Bucket, sanitize then purge the O2 out of the Fermentasaurus before transferring the beer into the Fermentasaurus, then purge the fermenter again a few times to minimize any oxygen exposure. This would, in my thinking, make bottling from it easier since the majority of the yeast and trub would be left behind in the primary. I do plan to dry hop in the Fermentasaurus using the larger 1L bottle to collect the remaining yeast and hops.
Too much hassle, or does this sound practical to keep O2 exposure down while ensuring what I bottle is relatively clear before I can bottle/keg at cold temps?
First off, I did get the pressure kit and have a C02 tank and regulator, but no means of temp control (basement is 64F). Also have a 1L soda stream bottle with a stainless carbonation cap with a 3/8" barb on the inside to attach tubing to aid in purging out O2.
Here's my idea- conduct primary ferment in my SS304 stainless Brew Bucket, sanitize then purge the O2 out of the Fermentasaurus before transferring the beer into the Fermentasaurus, then purge the fermenter again a few times to minimize any oxygen exposure. This would, in my thinking, make bottling from it easier since the majority of the yeast and trub would be left behind in the primary. I do plan to dry hop in the Fermentasaurus using the larger 1L bottle to collect the remaining yeast and hops.
Too much hassle, or does this sound practical to keep O2 exposure down while ensuring what I bottle is relatively clear before I can bottle/keg at cold temps?
I'm not sure this is the best approach, using the Fermentasaurus as a secondary. You will probably have less oxygen exposure by simply leaving it longer in primary then going straight to keg or bottle. Plus the Fermentasaurus is a pain for dryhopping anyway.
The pressure kit works in your favour though. Legend has it that you can ferment under pressure several degrees warmer than you normally would without off-flavours. Personsonally I'd try something cheap like a blonde ale at room temperature and see how it comes out. If it's 64f in the room and say 68-70f in the Fermentasaurus, that should be the equivalent of low 60s without pressure and you should be fine for normal ales. I'd use a temp controlled heat belt to keep the temperature from fluctuating too low, this is cheap and easy to do.
These are great in a dedicated fermentation fridge though, if that's an option at all. Being able to primary, secondary, crash cool and carbonate in one vessel is what makes this thing special IMO. Plus after about 10 days you can take sneaky cold, carbonated samples directly, which is a nice bonus.
If using it as a secondary, I would suggest racking at 24-36 hours into fermentation. Only to leave the trub behind and not worry about O2. At that point, but potentially not later, extra O2 can be beneficial.
Thanks for the replies. I'm going to just conduct primary and dry-hop in the Fermentasaurus and drop the trub after 24-36 hours before pitching Yeast. I have a hop spider and a 300 micron steel container to keep dry hops in, hopefully that will help along the way.
Used my Fermentasaurus for the first time and just bottled my first batch from it. Some observations from my experience of my first go-round:
- Definitely was great to see exactly what's going on inside, is very light weight and easy to carry
- Assembly was not too difficult, and the YouTube videos are a big help.
- For my batch of NE IPA, I used a hop spider and immersion chiller, then racked to my SS 304 7 gallon BrewBucket, then let it sit overnight and racked it off the trub into the Fermentasaurus. Had very clean wort as a result.
- I bought and used a 1 liter Soda Stream bottle to begin with instead of the 500ml bottle that comes with the kit.
- No trub collected and needed to be dumped, but the bottle filled up 1/2 way with yeast after fermentation.
- I did not ferment under pressure, I don't have a dedicated fridge for it yet.
- I dry hopped with a hop tea, usually I dry hop in a 300 micron canister, which I think I'll do next time
- After 8 days i bottled it using the barb, and had no trouble bottling and had very little yeast on the sides near the bottom of the fermenter.
- Cleaning was easier than I thought, but unscrewing the butterfly valve assembly took every ounce of strength I had (which wasn't much after having a bottle of Permanent Funeral while I bottled).
I am anxious to ferment under pressure, be able to crash-cool, and use the pressure kit to keg the batch off the top. Really liking it after the first use, but will be careful not to overtighten the assembly next batch.
- Definitely was great to see exactly what's going on inside, is very light weight and easy to carry
- Assembly was not too difficult, and the YouTube videos are a big help.
- For my batch of NE IPA, I used a hop spider and immersion chiller, then racked to my SS 304 7 gallon BrewBucket, then let it sit overnight and racked it off the trub into the Fermentasaurus. Had very clean wort as a result.
- I bought and used a 1 liter Soda Stream bottle to begin with instead of the 500ml bottle that comes with the kit.
- No trub collected and needed to be dumped, but the bottle filled up 1/2 way with yeast after fermentation.
- I did not ferment under pressure, I don't have a dedicated fridge for it yet.
- I dry hopped with a hop tea, usually I dry hop in a 300 micron canister, which I think I'll do next time
- After 8 days i bottled it using the barb, and had no trouble bottling and had very little yeast on the sides near the bottom of the fermenter.
- Cleaning was easier than I thought, but unscrewing the butterfly valve assembly took every ounce of strength I had (which wasn't much after having a bottle of Permanent Funeral while I bottled).
I am anxious to ferment under pressure, be able to crash-cool, and use the pressure kit to keg the batch off the top. Really liking it after the first use, but will be careful not to overtighten the assembly next batch.
I've done a couple of batchs with the Fermentasaurus under pressure with a spunding valve. I hooked up the silicon tubing to the outlet and the 'ball'. Each time the tubing has dropped off the outlet on the lid into the wort within a day of hooking it up. Anyone else have this problem? Maybe an extra small stainless clamp would help. Thoughts?
I've been brewing with the Fermentasaurus for around 3 months using the pressure lid, I'm 6 brews in and I've never had an issue with the silicon tube falling off, it is hard to push on but I lube it up with some starsan and just keep working it on so that it's on all the way to the top, I find it hard to get off once it's all the way on.
I've been brewing with mine under pressure at around 2-5 psi until I'm a few points off my FG then locking the spunding valve down getting the pressure up to 15psi, 12 days in I cold crash and the pressure drops to around 10psi 2 more days later and I can drink cold carbonated beer, I normally counter pressure transfer to a keg and boost the CO2 to get it right for the style, I had the same problem unscrewing the assembly and now put food grade lubricant on the seals and threads which works great, if you do brew under pressure you will need it really tight to prevent leaks.
I found using a good food grade lubricant on the bottom assembly makes it manageable otherwise yeah it's hard undo and if not tight it will leak, they need a larger opening/butterfly valve and collection bottle if they want to improve this system
kbaggen
Well-Known Member
Hi there,
also gone the Fermentasaurus way. From reading here I decided to use a hop-sock to filter with, see Picture 1 and 2! Think I gonna use a stainer and some cheesecloth for that next time and just sanitize this by boiling Water!
Yeast Collection box emptied after some days, picture 5!
Seems to be finsih fermenting now soexciting to see how much yeast I get in the Collection box (btw.......used some hot Water to clean the yeast Collection unit and it bend a bit......you been warned now).
Ispidel data:
https://app.ubidots.com/ubi/public/getdashboard/page/HipoQxyH7NhTHfugz6wIYfvMSDY
also gone the Fermentasaurus way. From reading here I decided to use a hop-sock to filter with, see Picture 1 and 2! Think I gonna use a stainer and some cheesecloth for that next time and just sanitize this by boiling Water!
Yeast Collection box emptied after some days, picture 5!
Seems to be finsih fermenting now soexciting to see how much yeast I get in the Collection box (btw.......used some hot Water to clean the yeast Collection unit and it bend a bit......you been warned now).
Ispidel data:
https://app.ubidots.com/ubi/public/getdashboard/page/HipoQxyH7NhTHfugz6wIYfvMSDY
gophergoat
Active Member
Anyone serve from the fermentasaurus?
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