Best Stainless Conical???

[augiedoggy]

Cooling jackets can't handle much pressure from what I understand, and the Glycol pump I use I think would exceed, at any rate.. I'm already committed to revising the lids on my plastic tanks which take care of my issues with using them. But... If not....

Keep in mind I use a pretty big glycol chiller with the large built in 240v pump myself for over a year.. no problems..

the carboy jacket from coolzone works perfect on the stout 12.5. If I did it again though I would just use the blue discharge hose from the home depot.... that has bee extremely quick and effective in bringing temps down quick.

 

[TrickyDick]

Intrigued...
Pictures?
what's a "discharge hose"?
I have already pulled the trigger on revisions to my plastic tanks. Maybe when that fails, I'll move to those 12.5's How much headspace do they have? I normally like 11 gallons to shoot for 10 split into 2 kegs when I'm done.
I suppose I could measure the pressure one of these days, and I do have a ball valve I can use in the glycol pathway that I could perhaps limit pressure with.
TD

 

[iijakii]

Intrigued...
Pictures?
what's a "discharge hose"?

Here's mine, largely copied from Augie.

Layflat discharge hose:

Heat tape:

Conicals all setup and insulated:

 

[jcav]

I just got a Blichmann 14.5 gallon fermenter with all the tri clamp fittings (not the npt version) over the holidays. I have been looking for a long time also and I liked Ss Brewtech and Brewershardware and a couple of others. But when they dropped the price on the Blichmann tri clamp version to $695 with free shipping that got my attention a lot more. For me in Florida I am not concerned with heating the fermenter but I have to cool it, so I use a stand up freezer or a chest freezer for carboys. So the height was also a very important factor for me, as it had to fit in the freezer.

The Blichmann 14.5 gallon fits the Frigidare FFH20F2QWC upright freezer just fine, even with the castor wheels and blow off assembly which I also purchased. All I had to do was cut out some of the plastic shelf holders inside the door. I brew outside on my back porch and after I fill the fermenter I roll it (it has castors) into my garage. It even has handles and I then use those to lift it into my freezer, perfect for me! I don't know why everyone seems to be down on Blichmann lately but I can say since I own one, that it is a quality fermenter, with no welds on the inside to worry about and very easy to clean and it is very functional. I just did a yeast dump on a IPA I have in there right now after four days and it dumped just fine. In case someone is thinking about going this route this is also an option. The other fermenters were to tall to fit inside the freezer I have, just saying.......

John


Here are a couple of pics.

 

[augiedoggy]

I just got a Blichmann 14.5 gallon fermenter with all the tri clamp fittings (not the npt version) over the holidays. I have been looking for a long time also and I liked Ss Brewtech and Brewershardware and a couple of others. But when they dropped the price on the Blichmann tri clamp version to $695 with free shipping that got my attention a lot more. For me in Florida I am not concerned with heating the fermenter but I have to cool it, so I use a stand up freezer or a chest freezer for carboys. So the height was also a very important factor for me, as it had to fit in the freezer.

The Blichmann 14.5 gallon fits the Frigidare FFH20F2QWC upright freezer just fine, even with the castor wheels and blow off assembly which I also purchased. All I had to do was cut out some of the plastic shelf holders inside the door. I brew outside on my back porch and after I fill the fermenter I roll it (it has castors) into my garage. It even has handles and I then use those to lift it into my freezer, perfect for me! I don't know why everyone seems to be down on Blichmann lately but I can say since I own one, that it is a quality fermenter, with no welds on the inside to worry about and very easy to clean and it is very functional. I just did a yeast dump on a IPA I have in there right now after four days and it dumped just fine. In case someone is thinking about going this route this is also an option. The other fermenters were to tall to fit inside the freezer I have, just saying.......

John


Here are a couple of pics.

I am usually an anti blichmann guy myself mainly because of their prices but I have seen one first hand and the quality of their conicals are really nice. What gets me is they are made by toledo metal spinning along with spikes conicals ... Why is the fully sanitary spike conical with tc fittings and valves so much cheaper than the one blichmann sells? What advantage does the blichmann unit have over it? I could be wrong but It looks like the conical you pictured has weldless threaded fittings at the base of the TC fitting were it meet the conical? To me that would be counterproductive to the TC fittings in the first place and not something I would pay $700 for. Especially when the spike conical would then be superior in this regard.. I have the same beef with SS brewtechs weldless fittings in a fermenter.. I know it works but they are cheaper to make and less professional so why pay more for that?

What size brews do you use the 14.5 gallon conical for I do 11 in my 12.5 stout conical and have never had krausen reach the blowoff tube yet I have with my shorter 12.5 chinese spike clone because the stout is so narrow and the spike/ clone is short and wide like the blichmann...

 

[augiedoggy]

Intrigued...
Pictures?
what's a "discharge hose"?
I have already pulled the trigger on revisions to my plastic tanks. Maybe when that fails, I'll move to those 12.5's How much headspace do they have? I normally like 11 gallons to shoot for 10 split into 2 kegs when I'm done.
I suppose I could measure the pressure one of these days, and I do have a ball valve I can use in the glycol pathway that I could perhaps limit pressure with.
TD

I have pics at the end of my build thread below. I have never had the krausen reach the blowoff fitting/tube on the stout. I also do 11 gallons in the fermenter. because they are so narrow theres more headspace height.

 

[TrickyDick]

I also have a blichman like your and use a freezer. You will find that bypassing the freezers temp control, which includes a defrost cycle, that you will get a large hunk of ice inhabiting your freezer if you keep it on all the time. I also use mine to force carb and sometimes to dispense as well. Heat transfer of cold air vs flowing glycol in tubing submerged in wort, or wrapped around the concial is vastly superior and you can quickly adjust temperature compared with slapping it in the freezer. Also, for me, loading and unloading a conical full of wort from the freezer is getting really old, like me.

So nice thumb lac there. What do you do with the discharge hose?? wrap it around the conical? What do you secure it with? What does the other end of the tubing hook to? what are those stainless conicals in what looks like a page out of the DIY plastic conical thread started by packet?

Yep, we've officially hijacked this three good:rockin:

 

[TrickyDick]

What size brews do you use the 14.5 gallon conical for I do 11 in my 12.5 stout conical and have never had krausen reach the blowoff tube yet I have with my shorter 12.5 chinese spike clone because the stout is so narrow and the spike/ clone is short and wide like the blichmann...

I usually make 11 gallon batches. I've had significant blow off using WLP530. Beware if using that one in the spike clone concial you mentioned.

I'd like to see some pics augiedoggie of the two stout and spike clone and of the cooling scheme you're using if you would please.

Also, I'd like to get a cool zone plastic jacket for the blichman if they ant too spendy to see what I think before going all in on replacement stainless conicals and jackets. I honestly like the idea of the indwelling steel coils I have now because mopping up glycol is never fun. But, I'm strongly considering the jackets now. Would like to see what has been referred to about using discharge hoses. I think I have one on my pool to prevent it from overfilling..

TD.

 

[augiedoggy]

So nice thumb lac there. What do you do with the discharge hose?? wrap it around the conical? What do you secure it with? What does the other end of the tubing hook to? what are those stainless conicals in what looks like a page out of the DIY plastic conical thread started by packet?

Yep, we've officially hijacked this three good:rockin:

I have one of those too.. I posted thread on them.. It cost me $300 with shipping and I got it in 2 days from a seller called American home brewer who sold them on ebay.. It appears he is done selling them. Too bad I would love to buy another after using it... it came with an extra seal and the true sanitary butterfly valve at the bottom.. they were clones of the earlier ones he used to sell made by toledo metal spinning and they were identical to the ones that only spike sells now. American home brewer claimed he designed them for toledo metal and also later the manufacturer in china to make.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=542467

The cool zone carboy jacket works well for the narrow stout.. For the blichmann you are limited because the legs prevent you from using cooling jackets effectively.. its actually mentioned at the end of the thread above.

I do believe all of this conversation is relevant to the topic at hand?

 

[iijakii]

So nice thumb lac there. What do you do with the discharge hose?? wrap it around the conical? What do you secure it with? What does the other end of the tubing hook to? what are those stainless conicals in what looks like a page out of the DIY plastic conical thread started by packet?

Yep, we've officially hijacked this three good:rockin:

Thumb got gills from lifting an AC unit from the radiator side ><

Discharge hose was 1.5", plastic thing at the end is just a reducer with threads for a hosebarb to slide the 1/2" silicon tubing onto.

Secured it loosely with some tape and then sandwiched it with the insulation.

 

[jcav]

I am usually an anti blichmann guy myself mainly because of their prices but I have seen one first hand and the quality of their conicals are really nice. What gets me is they are made by toledo metal spinning along with spikes conicals ... Why is the fully sanitary spike conical with tc fittings and valves so much cheaper than the one blichmann sells? What advantage does the blichmann unit have over it? I could be wrong but It looks like the conical you pictured has weldless threaded fittings at the base of the TC fitting were it meet the conical? To me that would be counterproductive to the TC fittings in the first place and not something I would pay $700 for. Especially when the spike conical would then be superior in this regard.. I have the same beef with SS brewtechs weldless fittings in a fermenter.. I know it works but they are cheaper to make and less professional so why pay more for that?

What size brews do you use the 14.5 gallon conical for I do 11 in my 12.5 stout conical and have never had krausen reach the blowoff tube yet I have with my shorter 12.5 chinese spike clone because the stout is so narrow and the spike/ clone is short and wide like the blichmann...

Hey Auggie, yes the bottom cone has a weldless fitting with a gasket that is concealed and contained inside the fitting. There is a special tool that attaches to the fitting and then to an extension on your socket wrench, to tighten the fitting to the bottom of the cone, so you can then attach the tri clover fittings to that. I would have preferred a welded tri clover fitting there myself, but that is the way they designed it. Easy to sanitize though and the gasket is not exposed, it is hidden between the cone and the bulkhead fitting. I make 11 gallon batches and will also make some five gallon ones too. This fermenter and it's dimensions works well for me so far. It is built like a tank and I really like it. If I went the non freezer route I probably would have got something different, but I didn't want to mess with glycol and the cooling system for that right now. I'm sure yours is just as good or better. I just wanted to show the op another option to think about.

John

 

[augiedoggy]

Thumb got gills from lifting an AC unit from the radiator side ><

Discharge hose was 1.5", plastic thing at the end is just a reducer with threads for a hosebarb to slide the 1/2" silicon tubing onto.

Secured it loosely with some tape and then sandwiched it with the insulation.

how are your working ? mine cools super fast... better than the surgical tubing I tried on my 7 gallon conical and the cooling jacket on my stout actually... I almost get frost on the inside of the the conical walls when I tried it empty.. (I run my chiller at 36 degrees which is why I believe I didnt)

 

[augiedoggy]

Hey Auggie, yes the bottom cone has a weldless fitting with a gasket that is concealed and contained inside the fitting. There is a special tool that attaches to the fitting and then to an extension on your socket wrench, to tighten the fitting to the bottom of the cone, so you can then attach the tri clover fittings to that. I would have preferred a welded tri clover fitting there myself, but that is the way they designed it. Easy to sanitize though and the gasket is not exposed, it is hidden between the cone and the bulkhead fitting. I make 11 gallon batches and will also make some five gallon ones too. This fermenter and it's dimensions works well for me so far. It is built like a tank and I really like it. If I went the non freezer route I probably would have got something different, but I didn't want to mess with glycol and the cooling system for that right now. I'm sure yours is just as good or better. I just wanted to show the op another option to think about.

John

Thanks for answering my questions... I dont mean to knock it like I said the tank seemed super clean and heavy in construction.. I just question why they would do that you know?

 

[iijakii]

how are your working ? mine cools super fast... better than the surgical tubing I tried on my 7 gallon conical and the cooling jacket on my stout actually... I almost get frost on the inside of the the conical walls when I tried it empty.. (I run my chiller at 36 degrees which is why I believe I didnt)

Works really well. This past weekend I even skipped my IC and just dumped boiling wort in the conical and with my chiller reservoir only set at 40F I dropped the wort down to 50F before the night was over. Didn't bother timing it, but it's definitely quick. I did a test back when I originally built it and can form ice in the conical with ease. Heat tape is more than enough too.

 

[jcav]

No worries it's good to point out the good and the bad, so the buyer is better informed. I think so they can say they have the only conical without welds to worry about on the inside. That is a selling point that they use on their website for why "it is better than the competition". I didn't care about that, I would have bought it with a weld if the weld was properly done. I just wanted a quality fermenter to fit in my freezer!

John

 

[TrickyDick]

Thumb got gills from lifting an AC unit from the radiator side ><

Discharge hose was 1.5", plastic thing at the end is just a reducer with threads for a hosebarb to slide the 1/2" silicon tubing onto.

Secured it loosely with some tape and then sandwiched it with the insulation.

Thanks. I'm caught up with browsing through augiedoggie's build thread. So,
What are those conicals you are using in the background picture there??


TD.

 

[augiedoggy]

Thanks. I'm caught up with browsing through augiedoggie's build thread. So,
What are those conicals you are using in the background picture there??


TD.

Iijakii has the clones sold by american home Brewer on ebay where I got mine.. They are no longer being sold anywhere that I can find.

. Im crashing for the night but I got your private message and im going to leave it up on my screen so I can answer all your questions better with my morning coffee instead of rushing through it tonight.

 

[Doctor_M]

We have six 27 gallon blichmann conicals with extension's to make them 42 gallon conicals at work and I can't wait until we dump them in 2 months when we get jacketed 2 bbl conicals. The gasket design is a pita to work with, they come with weld less fitting's and ball valves (neither should be on a fermentor/cold side ever) , and they are a pain to break down and clean. The quality of the ss is decent I suppose but that's about where it ends. My brewhemoths aren't pretty but I can at least run caustic through them without worrying about caustic spraying me. I realize I am likely ruffling some feathers by saying what I just did but the OP asked for "Best SS conical"

Brewers hardware and glacier are the clear winners in my eyes.

ETA: I place SS brewtech in the same category as Blichmann.... with SS Brewtech's pro series having a slight edge on Blichmann

 

[TrickyDick]

We have six 27 gallon blichmann conicals with extension's to make them 42 gallon conicals at work and I can't wait until we dump them in 2 months when we get jacketed 2 bbl conicals. The gasket design is a pita to work with, they come with weld less fitting's and ball valves (neither should be on a fermentor/cold side ever) , and they are a pain to break down and clean. The quality of the ss is decent I suppose but that's about where it ends. My brewhemoths aren't pretty but I can at least run caustic through them without worrying about caustic spraying me. I realize I am likely ruffling some feathers by saying what I just did but the OP asked for "Best SS conical"

Brewers hardware and glacier are the clear winners in my eyes.

ETA: I place SS brewtech in the same category as Blichmann.... with SS Brewtech's pro series having a slight edge on Blichmann

Is this a commercial brewery I am assuming?

Can I ask why the Brewers Hardware and Glacier are the winners? Lack of weldless fittings and true sanitary CIP solution?

TD

 

[Nagorg]

I have a Half Barrel BME Chronical that I haven't used yet. Mainly because I need to setup temp control for it since it wont fit in my existing fermchamber.

Anyway, my only negative thoughts on it are exactly on the weldless sample valve, thermal probe and chiller coil when everything else is sanitary tri-clover. I'm guessing this is a cost savings move but I think its the biggest drawback that I can see so far. Other than that it seems like a nice upgrade over my better Bottles and Big Mouth Bubblers and I cant wait to use it.

Question: Any tips on ensuring that the weldless fittings dont leak when I get the wort in this thing? That's my biggest concern...

 

[Doctor_M]

Is this a commercial brewery I am assuming?

Can I ask why the Brewers Hardware and Glacier are the winners? Lack of weldless fittings and true sanitary CIP solution?

TD

Yes it is a "commercial" brewery but on my level I am more like an advanced home brewer that gets paid to brew home brew sized batches. I brew on a Sabco Brew Magic two batches a day four times a week. We have a 20 gallon boil kettle so I net 16 or so gallons post boil. Our 10bbl is ordered and should be here and installed in March.

And yes they win because of welded TC, their lid/ gasket design. I realize unlike Blichmann and Brewtech you have to CIP but that wasnt what was asked.

If I had to choose one I would go with Brewers Hardware since it comes with butterfly valves unlike Glacier that comes with ball valves (those can be replaced though)

 

[augiedoggy]

Yes it is a "commercial" brewery but on my level I am more like an advanced home brewer that gets paid to brew home brew sized batches. I brew on a Sabco Brew Magic two batches a day four times a week. We have a 20 gallon boil kettle so I net 16 or so gallons post boil. Our 10bbl is ordered and should be here and installed in March.

And yes they win because of welded TC, their lid/ gasket design. I realize unlike Blichmann and Brewtech you have to CIP but that wasnt what was asked.

If I had to choose one I would go with Brewers Hardware since it comes with butterfly valves unlike Glacier that comes with ball valves (those can be replaced though)

The guys that make Glaciers and brew hardware fermenters sell this series of smaller home brewing conicals too although I havent seen them being distributed by anyone stateside yet.. I'll admit they kinda look like repurposed milk containers but have a nice sealing system on to to pressurize them.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...r-fruit-wine-fermenter/326617_1806945757.html
I saved this New Tek machinery in my favorites... They make and offer a lot of nano and micro brewing equipment it seems. It is odd they advertise the butterfly valves with the brew hardware style ones but make no mention of them on their more expensive glacier ones like you said.

 

[branman]

I agree with Doctor M, the ability to pressurize, the easy break down and sanitizing, for me the option to extend the legs and put a sight tube on for capturing yeast and what not, and the insulated jacketed ones I would think would be easier to deal with than coils (don't have that one yet). IMO that's what sets Brewershardware out front. Down side is they're not cheap but you will have to pay if you want "the best SS Conical"

 

[rivalry15]

Deleted

 

[rivalry15]

I have a Half Barrel BME Chronical that I haven't used yet. Mainly because I need to setup temp control for it since it wont fit in my existing fermchamber.

Anyway, my only negative thoughts on it are exactly on the weldless sample valve, thermal probe and chiller coil when everything else is sanitary tri-clover. I'm guessing this is a cost savings move but I think its the biggest drawback that I can see so far. Other than that it seems like a nice upgrade over my better Bottles and Big Mouth Bubblers and I cant wait to use it.

Question: Any tips on ensuring that the weldless fittings dont leak when I get the wort in this thing? That's my biggest concern...

I have a brew bucket with the same fittings. As long as you tighten them enough without warping the o-ring, you'll be fine. I have yet to see any leaks out of the fittings.

 

[tjpfeister]

Figures this thread would take off AFTER I purchase my own conical. Well, I'll throw my squirt of fuel on this little fire in hopes that more discussion on the matter occurs for future purchasers.

First, let me say that I am still working my new fermenter into my system and I am sure that there will be more complications that arise as I do such. That said, I'll run down the reasons for my purchase and why I am satisfied or otherwise.

I am not sure if the OP made a decision yet, but as the previous seven pages point out, THERE ARE A LOT OF CHOICES. Money talks, and is a factor for many homebrewers. I work a middleclass job, have three kids to feed, and a wife who would murder me if I bought what I really wanted. So, like most of the rest of you, I did a price vs. quality comparison. In my mind, that basically brought it down to one of two choices: SSbrewtech or BruGear.

Like many others, I did not like the "large" percentage of negative publicity BruGear has accumulated... But what needs to be considered is the relatively small amount of reviews out there. Negative reviews are to be expected as butt-hurt individuals have a hurt in their butt... This happens. Now, by comparison, SSbrewtech has GREAT reviews and an amazing FAQ section supporting their product. Where BruGear stumbles in public relations, SSbrewtech excels! But, let us address the elephant in the room: NO ONE WANTS TO SPEND THIS MUCH AND HAVE WELDLESS FITTINGS. The very thought of bulkhead fittings brings back memories of building my first mashtun out of an igloo cooler, and I was not having that. I was willing to pay more to avoid that silly hole. As the BruGear unit is very similar, this is what ultimately led me to my decision.

I placed my order for a Bru-Gear 14 gallon Profermenter and had it one week later, shipped to my shop, with the TC ball valve upgrade for approximately $585. Now, unfortunately, BruGear forgot one of the five promised 1.5" clamps. I made them aware of their mistake by way of their website and waited 24 hours without response. Not to panic yet, I dug through my digital receipt and found a direct email address. I received an apology from them exactly 1 hour after emailing them, they got the clamp in the mail the next day with expedited shipping. 2 days later, it was in my possession. Unfortunate? Yes. Bad customer service? Hell-no!

So I've had the conical in my possession for a couple weeks now, I finally found some time to give it a thorough cleaning yesterday and contemplate what fittings, sight-glass, CIP ball, etc I would like to put on it. I've made a short list of things that I will have to change, these make my "cons" list. So here's my pros and cons as compared to the SSbrewtech option of the same price-point:


PROS
- sanitary tri-clamp thermowell and a nice bi-metal thermometer (chronical has a weldless fitting a digital thermometer)
- 3" TC opening on lid (chronical has 1.5")
- 1" ball valve for racking and 1.5" butterfly valve for dumping (chronical has 1/2" and 3/4" respectively)
- Racking arm is a fully welded assembly (chronical has on o-ring fit dealy that pushes into the valve port)
- Includes a 1.5" TC to 1/2" 90* barb for blow-off (chronical includes a rubber stopper for an airlock)

CONS
- No leg extensions, feet welded on in a fashion that will require cutting the legs off to build a feasible extension (chronical has threaded leg extensions, a convenient accessory if you are over 4' tall)
- Racking tube, as built, will leave behind 3 quarts of liquid. Seems like a lot of waste, considering the ability to dump trub/yeast out of the bottom valve. (The SSBT FAQ states that the chronical leaves behind less than 1 quart.)
- Shipping. There's no way around it, you have to get it shipped from Bru-Gear themselves... I know, we all hate paying shipping. I saved a few coins shipping it to my shop, which is a commercial address. (chronicals are available from several retailers who offer free or cheap shipping, and are currently being offered with free shipping direct from the manufacturer)


Over-all, I am happy with my purchase and would do it again. Do I think that SSbrewtech has a great product? Yes, but I think that for the same price, that the Bru-Gear unit is a better deal. But I am frustrated that I will have to physically modify this brand new unit to get (what I consider) common sense results.


I'll upload photos from my phone in the next post. I hope that this helps someone else's decision making process.

 

[tjpfeister]

Picture 1 - the 3 quarts left behind
Picture 2 - the racking tube assembly that will require modification
Picture 3 - the 1/2" blowoff
Picture 4 - the feet that will make it tricky to add leg extensions

View attachment 1454277192829.jpg

View attachment 1454277224205.jpg

View attachment 1454277238605.jpg

View attachment 1454277254235.jpg

 

[tjpfeister]

I use a $60 "cooling jacket " from coolzone and it work great in controlling cooling... But it takes away from the bling factor that so many here seem to value more than anything.

Augie, thanks for the heads-up. At that pricepoint, I think I have found my temporary (maybe permanent) temperature control solution. I just couldn't justify the price of an immersion type coil at this time. But I am forced to wonder at how efficient the jacket will be. IE- could it be used for cold crashing? What's the lowest temp you have achieved with it, if you dont mind me asking?

 

[augiedoggy]

Augie, thanks for the heads-up. At that pricepoint, I think I have found my temporary (maybe permanent) temperature control solution. I just couldn't justify the price of an immersion type coil at this time. But I am forced to wonder at how efficient the jacket will be. IE- could it be used for cold crashing? What's the lowest temp you have achieved with it, if you dont mind me asking?

I have the thermostat on my chiller glycol set above freezing (around 36-38 degrees) That said I accidentally pulled a probe out of my thermowell one before siliconing them in and the conical I have a discharge hose wrapped around as a cooling jackets was at 44 degrees the next morning when I realized it with 11 gallons in it. this was over an 8 hor period though.
The lowest I have every brought my stout conical down with the cooling jacket from cool zone was 46 and that was intentional.

I'm sure if I replaced the thermostat on my chiller to go lower I could easily obtain colder temps if I wanted.

The blue discharge hose is quicker reacting than the cooling jacket. (brings 11 gallons from 76 to 55 in about 1.5-2 hrs) and if I had to do it again I would likely use it on all 3 of my conicals. (totall cost was under $20)
I do clean in place now because I havent gotten quick disconnects yet. I have more info on this at the end of my build thread below and in my "conical from PA" thread.

 

[-CHRIS-]

Love my Bru-Gear, have around 10 batches through it. Totally sanitary. I don't use the racking port anymore, I just pressurize the fermenter and blow everything out of the bottom.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=536839

Chris

 

[TrickyDick]

I'm looking at the Stout shorty 15 gallon conicals to replace my plastic conicals. Instead of the indwelling cooling coils, using external wrapped around discharge hose with DIY fittings and connect to my DIY glycol/BCS system for fermentation. The Stout kettles are full weldless with CIP functionality. Only issue is that for a set of three, which is what I'd like, will be about 2k delivered...... saving the pennies...


TD

 

[Kirbuno]

Brewers Hardware if you want serious equipment.

I bought one from Toledo Spinning Company from ebay for what I thought was a good deal. It might be OK if you only siphon and have no pressure involved. I use the "Closed system brewing technique" you can find in this forum. That involves pressurizing the system. Pretty much you want to get away from any design that uses a wide opening clamping type system to hold on the lid. That design concept makes it hard to keep any kind of pressure.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=44344&highlight=closed+system

Brewers Hardware uses a tri-clamp system for every opening in the fermenter. This allow you to have a leak free system that you can use pressure to ferment, transfer your beer, even to push the beer through a filter system while doing the transfer.

It is easy to clean as well. I have been loving their fermenter. After knowing what to look for I can see few other fermenters that come close to the quality these guys provide. Their wort strainer is to die for.

Can't go wrong. Wish I wouldn't have gone cheap first. Just sayin.

 

[augiedoggy]

Brewers Hardware if you want serious equipment.

I bought one from Toledo Spinning Company from ebay for what I thought was a good deal. It might be OK if you only siphon and have no pressure involved. I use the "Closed system brewing technique" you can find in this forum. That involves pressurizing the system. Pretty much you want to get away from any design that uses a wide opening clamping type system to hold on the lid. That design concept makes it hard to keep any kind of pressure.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=44344&highlight=closed+system

Brewers Hardware uses a tri-clamp system for every opening in the fermenter. This allow you to have a leak free system that you can use pressure to ferment, transfer your beer, even to push the beer through a filter system while doing the transfer.

It is easy to clean as well. I have been loving their fermenter. After knowing what to look for I can see few other fermenters that come close to the quality these guys provide. Their wort strainer is to die for.

Can't go wrong. Wish I wouldn't have gone cheap first. Just sayin.

The system Spike sells (made by toledo metal spinning as well as the knock off from china that I purchased from AHB for $300 shipped (heres the manufacturer alibaba page http://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...95238257.html?spm=a2700.7724838.30.312.T1d8wC

uses a Triclamp style sealing system which allows it to be pressurized.. I know bacause Ive done it with mine.. then again I was able to pressurize my stout conical with 5psi for transfering with no issues either so...


As already mentioned though, If someone really wants the one brewers hardware sells I think they can get it cheaper with shipping by skipping the middleman here
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/15-G..._8&btsid=49b54cf7-e6d7-4901-bb97-dd71df5da266

They even have a smaller 7 gallon version than brewers hardware carries here
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/30L-...75236.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000014.8.dwuw8C

personally I have been pricing stuff out in anticipation of possible opening a nano soon and I intend on going with Bubbas barrels fermenters.

http://www.bubbasbarrels.com/catalog/conical-fermenters-0 the bases are made by toledo metal spinning from what I can see and I know someone who uses them with good results.

 

[Doctor_M]

The system Spike sells (made by toledo metal spinning as well as the knock off from china that I purchased from AHB for $300 shipped (heres the manufacturer alibaba page http://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...95238257.html?spm=a2700.7724838.30.312.T1d8wC

uses a Triclamp style sealing system which allows it to be pressurized.. I know bacause Ive done it with mine.. then again I was able to pressurize my stout conical with 5psi for transfering with no issues either so...


As already mentioned though, If someone really wants the one brewers hardware sells I think they can get it cheaper with shipping by skipping the middleman here
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/15-G..._8&btsid=49b54cf7-e6d7-4901-bb97-dd71df5da266

They even have a smaller 7 gallon version than brewers hardware carries here
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/30L-...75236.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000014.8.dwuw8C

personally I have been pricing stuff out in anticipation of possible opening a nano soon and I intend on going with Bubbas barrels fermenters.

http://www.bubbasbarrels.com/catalog/conical-fermenters-0 the bases are made by toledo metal spinning from what I can see and I know someone who uses them with good results.

Those bubba barrels utilize a clamp / gasket system similar to Blichmann it seems. Cleaning them even using a spray ball is going to be a PITA. We use Blichmanns currently at the Nano I brew at and as I mentioned earlier I can't wait to get rid of them.

The price is great though.

 

[Kirbuno]

The system Spike sells (made by toledo metal spinning as well as the knock off from china that I purchased from AHB for $300 shipped (heres the manufacturer alibaba page http://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...95238257.html?spm=a2700.7724838.30.312.T1d8wC

uses a Triclamp style sealing system which allows it to be pressurized.. I know bacause Ive done it with mine.. then again I was able to pressurize my stout conical with 5psi for transfering with no issues either so...


As already mentioned though, If someone really wants the one brewers hardware sells I think they can get it cheaper with shipping by skipping the middleman here
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/15-G..._8&btsid=49b54cf7-e6d7-4901-bb97-dd71df5da266

They even have a smaller 7 gallon version than brewers hardware carries here
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/30L-...75236.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000014.8.dwuw8C

personally I have been pricing stuff out in anticipation of possible opening a nano soon and I intend on going with Bubbas barrels fermenters.

http://www.bubbasbarrels.com/catalog/conical-fermenters-0 the bases are made by toledo metal spinning from what I can see and I know someone who uses them with good results.

I see your point. I can see I wasn't completely clear in my explanation. I meant that every outlet, including the top is a tri-clamp fitting on the BH fermenter. It is the top that gives out. Yes you may be able to (for a short duration of time while pushing your beer out of the fermenter) be able to get up to 5 psi. However I ferment at around 7 psi for the entire ferment period so the vessel has to hold the pressure indefinitely. When I push to my corny's I may have closer to around 12 psi sometimes more for various reasons. The design you show will not do either at all. See photo of failure below.

 

[Kirbuno]

Looking at the shipping on the Ali-express it seems to add up fairly quickly, I didn't take the time to figure how much shipping from BH is. I had the advantage of stopping by the shop in LA.
The Ali one has a 1" bottom drain, while the BH has a 2" The workmanship is dramatically warped looking on the Ali one as well. I suspect there are other items in quality if you were to place them side by side, but it does look like you might be able to save around a $100 bucks for a lesser quality fermenter. I was just done with the lesser quality stuff. Save a buck and regret it later seems to be par for the course.
Best of luck on deciding which way to go. I'm sure you will get some good brews either way.

 

[TrickyDick]

As with most things, you tend to get what you pay for: except with wine, golf clubs, or anything with the Blichman label on it.
I say this a little tongue in cheek though. As with anything, there are levels of quality. If you are a professional race driver, an off the lot performance car at any price isn't going to cut it. For a weekend warrior though, it will, and for a fraction of the price the pro is paying (though he is likely not paying for the stuff to begin with).
Point is, for a homebrewer, the effort of cleaning the seals isn't usually a big issue between each batch, so even the blichmann is fine.

The BH fermenters are pricey, especially the jacketed versions. I'm sure you will love it though, as it is hard to fault from the sounds of things.

I think the gist of the thread though is how can get the (least expensive) best conical (and what are the tradeoffs).

I am curious about the post Kirbuno made showing a failure on a seal under pressurized fermentation. Can I ask why do you ferment at 7psi, how you supply the pressure, and what is the benefit? I understand that there is hydrostatic pressure in all fermenting vessels due to volume of fluid and height of the vessel. Most commonly (I assume) closed fermentation with an airlock/blow-off is performed with no significant head pressure above the wort/beer.

TD

 

[iijakii]

I am curious about the post Kirbuno made showing a failure on a seal under pressurized fermentation. Can I ask why do you ferment at 7psi, how you supply the pressure, and what is the benefit? I understand that there is hydrostatic pressure in all fermenting vessels due to volume of fluid and height of the vessel. Most commonly (I assume) closed fermentation with an airlock/blow-off is performed with no significant head pressure above the wort/beer.

TD

Look up spundling valves. There's a whole thread on fermenting under pressure somewhere around here. Basically guaranteed no oxygen, beer is already partially carbonated, also I think there's reports of either quicker fermentation or less esthers or something when under pressure. Cant recall which. I'd love to do that but yeah, definitely need a rated one. Especially not one with a flat lid.

The brewershardware looks great. Maybe after I win the lotto.

 

[augiedoggy]

Those bubba barrels utilize a clamp / gasket system similar to Blichmann it seems. Cleaning them even using a spray ball is going to be a PITA. We use Blichmanns currently at the Nano I brew at and as I mentioned earlier I can't wait to get rid of them.

The price is great though.

I agree your totally right.. The person who told me about them told me they are a pain because sometimes they leak if you dont get them together just right... Its more about value for the price in my situation.

 

[augiedoggy]

Looking at the shipping on the Ali-express it seems to add up fairly quickly, I didn't take the time to figure how much shipping from BH is. I had the advantage of stopping by the shop in LA.
The Ali one has a 1" bottom drain, while the BH has a 2" The workmanship is dramatically warped looking on the Ali one as well. I suspect there are other items in quality if you were to place them side by side, but it does look like you might be able to save around a $100 bucks for a lesser quality fermenter. I was just done with the lesser quality stuff. Save a buck and regret it later seems to be par for the course.
Best of luck on deciding which way to go. I'm sure you will get some good brews either way.

Well I dont think you realize the ones on ali are from the same manufacturer as BH buys them from... They will make them to different specs and when BH orders a pallet they likely spec the 2" valve... otherwise its not really a matter of quality... I have found just about every stainless conical that isnt made in the states on alibaba or aliexpress regardless of who originally designed them if they are made there they will eventually be sold direct. (except the SS brewtech/brugear ones.)