FastFermenter

[redwing_al]

Has anyone tried these FastFermenters? http://www.thefastrack.ca/main/fastferment

They seem to be exactly what I've been looking for. I ordered two last night!

 

[flars]

Similar to a conical fermentor. Conicals have stands so they can be placed in a frig or freezer for fermentation temperature control. The ability to place the fermentor in a temp controlled environment is the only drawback I can see.

 

[Hello]

If you can control your temps in the room where you mount them then they're cool. For me, I would need something like a conical that I can move in and out of fermentation chamber.

 

[EJay]

I haven't figured out how I would rack anything into it without a pump. But otherwise I really like the overall concept.

 

[gotbags-10]

I emailed them the other day to get the skinny on it. Here's what I got back.
I ordered one as well. I also plan on getting the accessory stand as well so I can put it in my fermentation chamber.

Thanks for the note Nick, really appreciate the interest.



We spent about 4-5 days straight going all over the web looking at the reviews of the V Vessel system. While many were positive, it was apparent there are some major things that need to be changed. We hope/think we have covered all of them and some little extras too.




1. The new FastFerment will have a 6 inch screw top almost identical to the Big Mouth Bubbler for easy cleaning & access - Extremely Important

2. We are slightly increasing the volume to 7 gallons total. The current VVessel is currently 26 litres, FastFerement will be 27 litres/7gallons. Some forums talked about needing a little more volume for more head space and blow offs. But at the same time we didn't want to go too much bigger with the goal for it being best suited for 5 gallon batches. So yes its bigger but only slightly.




3. We have changed the wall mount system to make it better. The new one will be 2 separate pieces. They are spaced 16 inches apart so it is ideal for mounting on the standard 16 inch wall studs found in many homes (we will include all the proper mounting hardware). To add to this we will also have an accessory kit available in the next 2-4 months. It will consist of 2 stands and straps/handles for easy transportation. One small stand where the bottom ball will just be off the ground, making it as compact as possible for putting the FastFerment in a Fermenting Chamber/ Fridge/Freezer. The second stand will be taller and will provide enough height for bottling and kegging straight out of the conical. The accessor kit will also include straps/handles for easy transportation.

4. We are increasing the bottom valve from 3/4 inch up to 1 inch. This will provide more flow and much less clogging (something we learned from the forums)

5. On the new FastFerment we will include a permanent Thermo Well on all the units. It will be sunk into the mould. This will allow for temperature monitoring capabilities with any Thermometer/ Temperature Gauge. We will also have the Thermometer available as an accessory by the time the first units ship in August.




Our utmost goal is to provide the best quality plastic conical fermenter at the best dollar value. We want it to land on store shelves at the $99.99 mark or less (hence the pre-sale at $90 shipping included). We will include everything in the kit all the way from the airlock, bung, screw cap, conical vessel, valve, fittings, cam-locks, yeast harvesting ball, 4 feet of 1/2 inch hose, hose clamp, wall mounts and fittings. The idea is to have the kit fully ready for someone to take out of the box and produce the best beer or wine consistently with the lease amount of effort and without having to purchase additional items.




If it wasn't for HomeBrewTalk.com we would have never had the opportunity to listen to what the HomeBrewers actually want. Really appreciate everyone's feedback on everything.




Thanks for the interest and we'll have a beer or two for those who couldn't make the National HomeBrew Conference this year - we are having a blast!




Best Regards - Cheers,




Casey

 

[revansCAAD8]

interesting

 

[acidrain]

The only bad I've heard of is the bottom valve was too small... looks like they've addressed that.

 

[redwing_al]

Well, I've been scouring the internet to find something like this. I've even trolled Alibaba trying to find the right components to build my own. I think under $100 is the sweet spot of a nice, conical fermenter for the home brewer. I love the concept of the collection ball and I think that 2ndary fermentation in the same vessel is cool!

in any case, I ordered two. I probably would have only ordered one had I known what was said in the post above that they're going to be <$100 in the stores.. I thought that I was really on to something at $90 each given the V-Vessel sold for $189... either way, I'll ferment the Sh*t out of them! :cross:

I still think it's going to be an awesome product... Cant' wait to get them.

 

[jpiro]

Just saw these and I'm really intrigued with the ability to get the batch off the trub after primary without having to rack to secondary and potentially add O2 to the batch. One question though:

Is the plastic O2 permeable? One thing I like about glass carboys is that they give you the ability to let the beer sit longer without worrying about O2 getting in. Is that the case here, or are these more like buckets that can let O2 in after time?

 

[gotbags-10]

I probably will only use mine for fermentation and then if I need to age transfer to glass carboy. It would be so easy to transfer and then as you said you wouldn't have to worry about o2 or the headspace. Although would you need to worry about headspace in there if their is no o2?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Fast_Rack]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the comments and interest! Really appreciate it.

Regarding the question that came up about the plastic being permeable to O2..

The FastFerment will be NON permeable to O2 seeping in. The system will be completely closed off to outside O2 and there is no way of it getting in.

Hope this helps and happy to assist with other questions or idea's.

Thanks for helping get the word out about the pre sale!

Best - Cheers,

Casey
(Red Dragon)

 

[redwing_al]

HI, I was one that ordered 2 FastFermenters and I have heard that they will be shipping in August, do you happen to know when?

Also, I was just wondering what the retail price will be when they come out?

 

[JimGossett]

Hi Everyone,

Regarding the question that came up about the plastic being permeable to O2..

The FastFerment will be NON permeable to O2 seeping in. The system will be completely closed off to outside O2 and there is no way of it getting in.

*********
As a scientist who works with HDPE, I can assure you that HDPE is slowly permeable to O2. In fact, I've done experiments where I used HDPE tubes filled with pure O2 to supply low fluxes of O2 purposely to microbial cultures. It's not a rapid permeation rate, but HDPE will transmit O2 slowly. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Oaken barrels, widely used in fermentation and aging of alcoholic beverages, are also slowly permeable to oxygen.