hey guys im thinking about upgrading to a conical fermentor... what are you using??
60L Speidel plastic fermentor. It holds more than 60 liters and works pretty well for 15 gallon batches. I do use about 3 drops of foam control from 5-star in the fermentor and a blow off instead of the airlock.
Pros
Fits in my fermentation fridge
Half barrel volume
Holds pressure up to about 3 PSI for transfers
Huge opening makes it easy to clean
Just exactly fits on Mark II keg washer
Norcal accessories
Flexible so if you watch what you are doing with pressurization you can stop the gas before you damage your fermentor
Cons
It is plastic so need to be careful not to scratch inside
Too heavy to move when full - at least for me
Can't dump the trub
No sanitary yeast harvesting - it will be open to the environment when you harvest
Other issues
I am still struggling with the closed transfers. Without being able to dump the yeast I am trying to rotate my dip tup above the cake. Sometimes this works and I can get a decent flow but most times I pull a bit of yeast/trub and plug the poppet on the keg and have to disassemble, clean and reassemble completely wiping out the oxygen free transfer goal. I still \have to pressure transfer because the fermentor sits about 16" off the ground in my fridge and so can't gravity fill kegs. Last batch I was in a hurry and didnt even try the closed transfer. Just used gas to push the beer o an open kegs (I purged the keg a bit but completely no point). This went fast and easy and I'm trying out 1/2 tablet campden to scavenge the O2 in the kegs.
I had to re-think temperature control. I previously used STC controlling fridge and reptile bulb in the fridge. Taped probe to side of fermentor with insulation over. Worked fine with two six gallon glass or relatively thin walled plastic fermentors holding maybe 11 gallons max beer. When I went to 16 gallons in the thick walled Spiedel with probe in thermowell I immediately got off flavors that seemed similar to beers I'd tasted from new brewers with poor temperature control. Sure enough I got a data logger and tracked the temps in the fermentor and the fridge (actually got 2 data loggers and another thermowell) and saw ginormous temperature swings especially during first 24-48 hours of fermentation when the wort is relatively still - yeast activity not yet keeping it mixed. What was happening was my fridge would over shoot the chill and system would call for heat. Then the unit would get quite warm and overshoot high. I ended up switching the controller out for the Auber dual probe. That one lets you monitor the temp in the fridge and the temp in the beer and you set limits on how high or low you are willing to let the fridge go.
I'm considering switching to conical mainly due to my lingering packaging aggravation. I believe ability to dump the trub before kegging (less issues with plugging poppets) and having the beer higher than the keg to get more gravity assist would make this easier and faster. I guess down side would be a bit more work to clean but likely better certainty about the sanitation. I'd also have to get rid of my fridge and would plan to go to coil in the beer for temperature control and assume that would be a new learning curve but most seem happy with that strategy.
And look at the space around the dip tube lol. And to save what, $30? Besides, I prefer the Brewmaster bucket with the thermowell.
