Anyone have a Fermentasaurus?

[Sadu]

Anyone serve from the fermentasaurus?

Gotta say it's pretty great for taking a cheeky cold carbonated sample while it's cold crashing.

But serving from it - basically it takes up way too much fridge space for this to be practical. You could easily fit 4 corny kegs and a big box of bottles in the same amount of space so it's not the most efficient use of space.

Personally I give my brews 2-3 weeks in the fermentasaurus then do a closed transfer to kegs and get the next batch started.

 

[marjen]

Anyone else having transfer issues. I am constantly getting the end of the hose from the pressure kit stuck right up to the side of the fermenter. Not sure if that is why but my transfers have all taking 40-50 mins! Its inane how long it takes. I have tried several different PSI methods. I tried 10 psi in the fermenter, 5 in the keg. I tried 1-2 PSI in fermenter to a keg with none and relief valve open. I have tried 15 PSI in the fermenter to 10 in there keg. Nothing has sped up the process. I even tried a pump and pumping out the beer and that did not work either.

 

[gophergoat]

Thanks Sadu!

 

[marjen]

Anyone know a off a cooling coil that would fit in the fermentasaurus? I believe it would need to be 3” top. Probably would need a ressure relief valve as well.

 

[dkennedy]

Anyone know a off a cooling coil that would fit in the fermentasaurus? I believe it would need to be 3” top. Probably would need a ressure relief valve as well.

Was looking at the same thing, found this:

http://www.stainlessbrewing.com/14-Coils_c_27.html

 

[Jwin]

Was looking at the same thing, found this:

http://www.stainlessbrewing.com/14-Coils_c_27.html

Be sure to check AliExpress

 

[bluemoon737]

Anyone know a off a cooling coil that would fit in the fermentasaurus? I believe it would need to be 3” top. Probably would need a ressure relief valve as well.

Try these folks:

https://www.brewjacket.com/buy-now/

 

[suprchunk]

For ss coils I go with these guys. They'll custom build one for you. And reasonably priced.

https://www.nybrewsupply.com/collections/stainless-steel-tubing

 

[p1v0]

I have 2 Fermentasauruses. On my fourth brew, first batch not under pressure but last three were. All batches great cleanest beer I've made, but then I rarely transferred to secondary. My other fermenters are buckets, spiedels, and a brew bucket. Like the fermentasaurus best. Serve from it, I have an upright freezer for an fv and server. Had some problem with gas leaks from lid and or ball lock fittings, gotta really tighten. Also pick up hose from pressure kit slipped off and into wort this current batch

 

[runningfarmer]

How are you controling the fermention for the heat side? I have the plastic heat raps but I did'nt know if they would melt the tank. I seen the ones above and its more money then I want to spend.

 

[p1v0]

@ Running Farmer - not sure if your asking me or if I understand the question. But for Ferm temp control in both summer and winter, I use a spare Shower stall in the house(I've got an understanding wife). I also have an old upright freezer I alternate between Ferm Chamber and Serving keezer when serving from Fermentasarus

 

[gophergoat]

I also have an old upright freezer I alternate between Ferm Chamber and Serving keezer when serving from Fermentasarus

Do you regularly serve from your fermentasaurus? Other than taking up a lot of space any inconveniences?

 

[p1v0]

Yes I guess regularly only had them a few months. Keezer with 4 taps was full. And fermentasaurus beer was ready so I attached a picnic tap to it and have been serving from it. Plus fermentasaurus beer is an octoberfest lager so I wanted to be drinking it during October. Btw it is a room temp fermented lager and it turned out great

 

[gophergoat]

Sweet, did you carb naturally or hook up co2?

 

[p1v0]

carb'd naturally, but using CO2 to serve(ie pressure it out of the conical)

 

[Sadu]

I have 2 Fermentasauruses. On my fourth brew, first batch not under pressure but last three were. All batches great cleanest beer I've made, but then I rarely transferred to secondary. My other fermenters are buckets, spiedels, and a brew bucket. Like the fermentasaurus best. Serve from it, I have an upright freezer for an fv and server. Had some problem with gas leaks from lid and or ball lock fittings, gotta really tighten. Also pick up hose from pressure kit slipped off and into wort this current batch

I have problems with the seal as well. I lube both sides of the rubber gasket then put on gloves and crank it down as tight as possible. Works out ok most of the time but it leaked on my latest batch. I wanted to remove the lid and reset the seal, but that would introduce oxygen that I really don't want in there.

I don't really care while fermentation is in progress and the spunding is attached, but it's a major problem once fermentation is complete and I want to connect it to the gas to finish off the carbing.

It's a good product but not being able to get a good seal really takes the shine off it for me.

 

[p1v0]

@Sadu. Yes I have the same leakage problem now. Thought I had it fixed after tightening ball lock fitting but still leaking somewhere. Will be keg lubing all gaskets and looking to do same with ball lock fittings

 

[Jwin]

@Sadu. Yes I have the same leakage problem now. Thought I had it fixed after tightening ball lock fitting but still leaking somewhere. Will be keg lubing all gaskets and looking to do same with ball lock fittings

Put it on gas at 3-5psi and get spraying!

 

[runningfarmer]

Are most people using room temps to fermentate? I have a chest freezer and can hold +OR - one degree.I feel this is a lot to give up to unmanaged temperatures. The only way I can use this fermenter is to put a collar on my chest freezer.

 

[p1v0]

@runningfarmer - while I have an upright freezer which could accommodate the Fermentasaurus(we need an abbreviation for this thing!). I've been fermenting at room temp under pressure, both 2 ales and 2 lagers, both came out great, clean, no esters. also dumping the yeast at 3-4 days and then one more time after all fermenting done, sanitize the collection ball, purge the ball with CO2 then re attach. So I wouldn't modify any refrigeration until you give it a try at room temp under pressure. BTW at my house room temp ranges from 68 in the winter to 74 in the summer. Brew mentioned here fermented at 74 degrees. Note mine and Sadus comments about leaks(also forgot to mention, the gas(beer) will leak slowly out the ball valve if you don't re-attache the collection ball). my leaks all pretty slow, still annoying..when fermenting as action slows down, I just topped off the pressure with a co2 tank to keep it between 5-10PSI.

 

[p1v0]

View attachment 420724

 

[Sadu]

Ok could use a bit of help on this one. My liquid tube keeps clogging and I'm not sure why or what to do. I can't even get a gravity sample out of this pilsner, which means all plans for a closed transfer are out the window too. I connect the tap, 12psi inside the fermentasaurus...... nothing. Just get gas and bubbles inside the beer line like in the picture.

So I depressurized the headspace an blew 12psi through the beer line for a few seconds. Crap went everywhere and foam starts forming on top. I repressurised then left for a few hours to settle. Tried getting beer out of it again, same deal.

I thought it could be the floating ball sitting on top of the foam but due to all the krauesen stuck to the sides I can't really tell what is happening in there.

Any ideas?

 

[p1v0]

View attachment 547249
Ok could use a bit of help on this one. My liquid tube keeps clogging and I'm not sure why or what to do. I can't even get a gravity sample out of this pilsner, which means all plans for a closed transfer are out the window too. I connect the tap, 12psi inside the fermentasaurus...... nothing. Just get gas and bubbles inside the beer line like in the picture.

So I depressurized the headspace an blew 12psi through the beer line for a few seconds. Crap went everywhere and foam starts forming on top. I repressurised then left for a few hours to settle. Tried getting beer out of it again, same deal.

I thought it could be the floating ball sitting on top of the foam but due to all the krauesen stuck to the sides I can't really tell what is happening in there.

Any ideas?

Check the black ball lock fitting, a guess would be the pin in the fitting isn't pushing the ball lock out post on the fermentasuarus. doesn't seem like the pickup hose is blocked

 

[seabrew8]

I have 2 Fermentasauruses. On my fourth brew, first batch not under pressure but last three were. All batches great cleanest beer I've made, but then I rarely transferred to secondary. My other fermenters are buckets, spiedels, and a brew bucket. Like the fermentasaurus best. Serve from it, I have an upright freezer for an fv and server. Had some problem with gas leaks from lid and or ball lock fittings, gotta really tighten. Also pick up hose from pressure kit slipped off and into wort this current batch

Where you able to carbonate the beer with no extra CO2 - if so what did you set the spunding valve to? I assume the beer was clear?

I'm thinking if you put 7.5gal of wort in this thing it would build up more pressure...

 

[Jwin]

Check the black ball lock fitting, a guess would be the pin in the fitting isn't pushing the ball lock out post on the fermentasuarus. doesn't seem like the pickup hose is blocked

I had the same issue with some cheap universal poppets
Spring was too stiff.
Try swapping quick disconnect.
If no go, depressurize and swap the poppet if you can do so without pulling the lid. I'm not an owner so not sure how they are assembled

 

[p1v0]

@Seabrew - Yes I was able to carbonate with no additional CO2. Note that I did put in a bit of CO2 after I put the wort and yeast in just to purge any O2. Set spunding valve at 15 psi, you can see a picture of this up thread a few entries. I had 5 gals in the FV.

 

[p1v0]

@Sadu - did you ever get unclogged on the picnic tap?

 

[Sadu]

Yeah, kind of. I changed the beer line on the picnic tap for a shorter/thicker one with less line resistance. The original one is perfect for serving kegs at the same pressure, so I figure the floating dip tube must add a fair bit of line resistance.
I have the same problem in my 2.5g keg ferment or which has a fermentasaurus dip tube.

 

[seabrew8]

@Seabrew - Yes I was able to carbonate with no additional CO2. Note that I did put in a bit of CO2 after I put the wort and yeast in just to purge any O2. Set spunding valve at 15 psi, you can see a picture of this up thread a few entries. I had 5 gals in the FV.

I missed this! Probably didn't need to start another thread! Thanks i will try 15 psi first. How long did you ferment your warm fermented lager? I'm been using 34/70 for a while now at ale temps and love the beer.

 

[Sadu]

Keep an eye out for this one folks. My last few closed transfers out of the fermentasaurus have been a disaster, with lots of co2 in the transfer line. Some days were better than others. Turns out it was a small hole in the floating dip tube letting in co2.
This time I tried putting the silicone tube inside the steel bit rather than the other way around. What does everyone else do?

 

[Gizzygone]

I’m really interested in trying the fermentasaurus (so I can ferment at room temp), but I’m nervous about the leaks I’m hearing about.

Would those of you who bought it do it again?

 

[seabrew8]

View attachment 556399
Keep an eye out for this one folks. My last few closed transfers out of the fermentasaurus have been a disaster, with lots of co2 in the transfer line. Some days were better than others. Turns out it was a small hole in the floating dip tube letting in co2.
This time I tried putting the silicone tube inside the steel bit rather than the other way around. What does everyone else do?

I can't even get it on! I was going to look for some SS hose clamps and get bigger tubing. The only problem so far.

Holding very well - 3 days now at 20 psi. I had it close to 30 psi for a short while before i dialed in the spunding valve.

 

[seabrew8]

I’m really interested in trying the fermentasaurus (so I can ferment at room temp), but I’m nervous about the leaks I’m hearing about.

Would those of you who bought it do it again?

I have no issue with leaks so far. This is my first batch.

The unit will lose pressure naturally when it stops fermenting because the CO2 will be getting absorbed in the beer. You have to package, top up or maybe even an airlock if you wanted.

My plan is package when i start to lose pressure. Cool crash for 2-3 days.

 

[Sadu]

I’m really interested in trying the fermentasaurus (so I can ferment at room temp), but I’m nervous about the leaks I’m hearing about.

Would those of you who bought it do it again?

I have done about a dozen brews through mine so far. The leak thing seems to be ok if you use keg lube and really tighten things up, but sooner or later that rubber gasket will break and I'm not sure how available spares are. Having experienced issues before I don't trust the seal enough to want to connect up a 15lb gas tank to the Fermentasaurus, but I don't really need to do this anyway.

To answer your question, I would absolutely recommend pressure fermenting. For lagers and hop-forward beers especially the low-oxygen environment makes better tasting beer. Yeast-forward styles like Belgians and hefes do better in open fermentation IMO. Being able to do a closed transfer to keg at the end with minimal oxygen pickup made the biggest improvements to my beers out of any other change I have made to my process. You can also smash out brews very quickly if you need to, and having the beer mostly or fully carbed in the fermentor saves time, hassle and CO2. Some people will like being able to ferment a few degrees warmer, and it could be great for warm-fermented lagers (I haven't tried though).

But I don't think I'd personally buy another Fermentasaurus. Mainly because it's very big and I could fit 4-5x corny keg fermentors in the same fridge space with room for a shelf above. I don't really bother using the conical to remove yeast so there's no advantage in having the conical for me, but some people see this as a benefit. Personally I crash cool in the Fermentasaurus then rack to keg for lagering/secondary, and harvest the yeast at cleaning time. If you aren't fermenting in a fridge or don't mind the extra space requirements then it's a good choice. Being clear means you can really see how your ferment is going and makes it easy to know when you need to do additions / advance to the next temp stage etc.

So yeah, it's a good piece of gear, price is decent, my complaints are mostly minor ones. I'd suggest definitely consider this as an option, also consider fermenting in corny kegs.

 

[WABrew92]

I am currently fermenting my first batch in my fermentasaurus and have been really pleased with it thus far. I opted to buy the pressure kit but was not willing to go without good temperature control, so I modified the regular fermenting lid that comes with the fermentasaurus by adding a 12" SS thermowell with 0.5" NPT threads (dudadiesel) + hex locknut.

All in all, I am about <$20 in and am able to temp control my fermentasaurus, which I saw as the biggest issue with it right out of the box. Since the lid drops right down on top, one could probably find a 16" thermowell for not much more and have access to the higher temperature spots just above the cone.

I apologize for the lack of in-use photos, but I had just swapped this out for the pressure lid before seeing this thread.

 

[seabrew8]

edit.

 

[Mark Solomon]

About to use mine for the first time, but mostly worried about the bottom seal leaking, as it did when I did a test fill. Anyone have this issue? Should I lube this seal as well as the lid seal?

Thanks!

-Mark

 

[lagermeister1]

About to use mine for the first time, but mostly worried about the bottom seal leaking, as it did when I did a test fill. Anyone have this issue? Should I lube this seal as well as the lid seal?

i just got mine yesturday. i filled it up with 7 gallons of water with no leaks however, during the assembly of the lower dump valve I missed 1 of the 2 washers - the tiny one . Somebody mentioned on a previous post on how difficult it was disassemble it and i ran into those same issues. after using a large channel locks i was able to get it off. i put it back on by hand and tightened it with success.

Anyway i will post once i get some brew in there.

 

[redarmy990]

German pils with Motueka and Saaz in the Fermentasaurus now.

Filled to 30.5 liters (35 liters is the size of the vessel) so hopefully the pressure keeps the krauesen under control. Spunding valve disn't arrive (despite allowing 8 days for shipping) so I'll have to do the pressure release manually over the first few days.

View attachment 399308

What refidgerator are you using for fermentation, love it mine is too small

 

[lagermeister1]

Belgian dubbel is raging in my fermentasaurus. I have a heating blanket keeping it at 75F