HopSing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2007
- Messages
- 145
- Reaction score
- 184
While the debate rages on about plastic buckets vs glass carboys vs stainless fermenters, I made the switch to stainless for less than $50 after I had an "event".
I've used 6.5 gallon glass carboys for the last 6+ years. I loved how they don't take on flavors or smells a plastic bucket will over an extended time. I also didn't need to worry about any of the controversial topics like plastic leaching or oxidation associated with plastics. The downside of glass carboys is they are heavy, fragile, a bit difficult to clean, and take up a lot of storage space when they're not in use, but they worked flawlessly for me...until a few weeks ago. The plastic clip on my carboy carrier broke at the worst time. If it was not for the carboy neck handle I had a grip on, I would have had a mess and likely a few more stitches to add to my collection. Those neck handles are meant for empty carboys, not one filled with 5.5 gallons of wort @ 40+ lbs. Gladly it held, but my commitment to glass carboys broke at that instant. It's not a matter of if you're going to drop and break one, it is a matter of when. I now believe that.
Stainless conical fermenters are a fortune (at least for me) and corny kegs only hold 5 gallons, which means my final yield will be about 4 to 4.5 gallons after I rack it off the trub. My solution that others have taken was to buy a 10 gallon stainless turkey fryer from Craigslist for $20 and turn it into a fermenter. It worked so well, I also purchased a cheap 8 gallon brew kettle from Craigslist (also $20) and made a second one for those double batch brew sessions. If buying used freaks you out, you can buy a new stainless 8 gallon pot from Amazon for $50.
It's now a breeze to safely move a full fermenter with the built in handles. No more nylon carriers with plastic clips that can break. I don't need to worry about shattering a glass carboy, nor any of the potential issues with a plastic bucket or plastic carboys. I also ferment 6+ gallons, which is enough to fill a corny keg, and a few bottles that I individually prime with corn sugar and use as samplers prior to the keg being tapped. They also become a space-saving storage vessel between brews unlike a carboy that takes up space. Cleaning is so easy and simple and with the help of a large sanitized stainless spoon, I'm able to easily harvest the top layer of yeast off the trub without a lot of washing steps. I simply boil and cool water, add the top layer of yeast to three quart-sized sterilized mason jars, fill with the sterilized water, put the lid on, and refrigerate until the next brew day. Simplified yeast harvesting alone will quickly pay for these stainless fermenters as I can get dozens of batches from a single yeast purchase by splitting a single harvest into 3 future batches and going 3 generations deep.
To convert a turkey fryer or kettle to a fermenter, I simply took 3/8 inch silicon tubing and slit it down the middle and put the open slit over the lip of the kettle. Clear vinyl tubing does not work. The walls of silicon tubing is more squishy so it forms a better seal. The lid then seals against the slit tubing to form an airtight seal. I then use a bunch of 1-1/4 inch binder clips to keep the lid in place. Use a 1-1/8 inch hole saw to drill a hole in the lid, deburr with some sandpaper or file. The bung that fits in a carboy will fit in that hole, as will the auto-siphon when it comes time to rack out of the primary.
If you cannot afford to shell out a few hundred bucks to buy purpose-built stainless fermenters, you have other options to consider.
slit silicon tubing over lip.
Seal in place. I put a piece of saran wrap over the seam to help stop leaks. Probably not necessary.
tight seal with the lip of the lid pressing on top of the slit tubing.
Inexpensive easy to find binder clips holds it down. I space the clips about 2 inches apart.
Hope this helps those that are still using glass carboys, but thinking of alternatives without breaking the bank.
~HopSing.
I've used 6.5 gallon glass carboys for the last 6+ years. I loved how they don't take on flavors or smells a plastic bucket will over an extended time. I also didn't need to worry about any of the controversial topics like plastic leaching or oxidation associated with plastics. The downside of glass carboys is they are heavy, fragile, a bit difficult to clean, and take up a lot of storage space when they're not in use, but they worked flawlessly for me...until a few weeks ago. The plastic clip on my carboy carrier broke at the worst time. If it was not for the carboy neck handle I had a grip on, I would have had a mess and likely a few more stitches to add to my collection. Those neck handles are meant for empty carboys, not one filled with 5.5 gallons of wort @ 40+ lbs. Gladly it held, but my commitment to glass carboys broke at that instant. It's not a matter of if you're going to drop and break one, it is a matter of when. I now believe that.
Stainless conical fermenters are a fortune (at least for me) and corny kegs only hold 5 gallons, which means my final yield will be about 4 to 4.5 gallons after I rack it off the trub. My solution that others have taken was to buy a 10 gallon stainless turkey fryer from Craigslist for $20 and turn it into a fermenter. It worked so well, I also purchased a cheap 8 gallon brew kettle from Craigslist (also $20) and made a second one for those double batch brew sessions. If buying used freaks you out, you can buy a new stainless 8 gallon pot from Amazon for $50.
It's now a breeze to safely move a full fermenter with the built in handles. No more nylon carriers with plastic clips that can break. I don't need to worry about shattering a glass carboy, nor any of the potential issues with a plastic bucket or plastic carboys. I also ferment 6+ gallons, which is enough to fill a corny keg, and a few bottles that I individually prime with corn sugar and use as samplers prior to the keg being tapped. They also become a space-saving storage vessel between brews unlike a carboy that takes up space. Cleaning is so easy and simple and with the help of a large sanitized stainless spoon, I'm able to easily harvest the top layer of yeast off the trub without a lot of washing steps. I simply boil and cool water, add the top layer of yeast to three quart-sized sterilized mason jars, fill with the sterilized water, put the lid on, and refrigerate until the next brew day. Simplified yeast harvesting alone will quickly pay for these stainless fermenters as I can get dozens of batches from a single yeast purchase by splitting a single harvest into 3 future batches and going 3 generations deep.
To convert a turkey fryer or kettle to a fermenter, I simply took 3/8 inch silicon tubing and slit it down the middle and put the open slit over the lip of the kettle. Clear vinyl tubing does not work. The walls of silicon tubing is more squishy so it forms a better seal. The lid then seals against the slit tubing to form an airtight seal. I then use a bunch of 1-1/4 inch binder clips to keep the lid in place. Use a 1-1/8 inch hole saw to drill a hole in the lid, deburr with some sandpaper or file. The bung that fits in a carboy will fit in that hole, as will the auto-siphon when it comes time to rack out of the primary.
If you cannot afford to shell out a few hundred bucks to buy purpose-built stainless fermenters, you have other options to consider.
slit silicon tubing over lip.
Seal in place. I put a piece of saran wrap over the seam to help stop leaks. Probably not necessary.
tight seal with the lip of the lid pressing on top of the slit tubing.
Inexpensive easy to find binder clips holds it down. I space the clips about 2 inches apart.
Hope this helps those that are still using glass carboys, but thinking of alternatives without breaking the bank.
~HopSing.