Zymurgy article review help

I am preparing the following for the up-coming Gadget issue.

Any help?

I recognize the whole idea of a jacketed, stainless steel, conical fermenter for home brewing is ridiculously over the top. It is neither necessary nor practical. But honestly, since when has practicality really been part of the equation? “The Practical Brewer” indeed! For the brewer there is an allure in gadgets and for some of us their acquisition is driven by what is certainly close to a Crusader’s passion.
My quest for the grail of gadgets began with the winning of an on-line contest. My prize was a gift certificate from Toledo Metal Spinning, the manufactures of the hoppers that are at the heart of stainless steel conical fermenters. The certificate was sufficient to purchase two large hoppers, but as I explored my options an idea was born, “What if two hoppers could be nested together, with space between to create a single jacketed vessel?” The idea was at least worth investigating, and so I set about exploring the company’s website.

Toledo Metal Spinning manufactures 16 different hoppers, ranging in volume from .1 to 51.1 gallons. A PDF file is available for each hopper, providing specific dimensions for each. My investigation revealed that two models appeared perfect for my project. The design of the 21 gallon model TMS201014 allows it to nest inside the 24.1 gallon model TMS221014 with less then a ¾” gap between them. Unfortunately the standard outer diameters (OD) of the vessels’ upper rims are not compatible. I should point out that by this point I had a full case of gadget grail fever and so something as insignificant as a standard rim OD variation was not going to put me off. I contacted a company representative and after a brief explanation of my dilemma he offered to make a custom cut of the inner hopper’s rim so it would match the OD of the outer hopper.

My design is relatively simple, as illustrated in the cut-away graphic. (reference cut-away graphic) A ½” coupling is fitted and welded into a side-wall hole near the top and the bottom of the larger hopper. These will serve as the jacket’s inlet and outlet ports through which coolant will be circulated. (reference image) Next, the bottom portion of the outer hopper is removed to allow the tip of the inner hopper to protrude. The upper rims, who’s ODs were cut to match, are then welded together, creating a complete seal around the upper lip. (reference image) Finally, a donut shaped plate, a metal ring of sorts, is cut to fill the space between the bottom of the exterior jacket and the outer wall of the interior jacket where it protrudes. This ring is welded in place, creating a seal at the bottom of the jacket. (reference image)

A drawback of this design is that it does not allow for the use of a separate, rotating, racking arm, which is preferred by many conical owners. To compensate for this a sanitary T was attached to the bottom of the cone, with one arm hanging vertical and the other horizontal. (reference image) A racking tube is inserted through the bottom of the T (vertical), while the horizontal opening serves as a dump port.

My fermenter is cooled with glycol supplied from a glycol chiller. Mine chiller was given to me and while they are available commercially, they may be beyond the budget of even the most gadget obsessed brewer. Other systems can be developed, utilizing freezer space, plumbing, pumps and digital controllers. My system utilizes a circulation pump wired into a Ranco controller with a thermo-coupling in a thermo-well in the fermenter (reference image).

So, that is what I have done and how you can do the same. If you decide to build one of these yourself I advise finding and befriending a good welder. Mine are worth their weight in homebrew, and then some! (reference image)

"I should point out that by this point I had a full case of gadget grail fever and so something as insignificant as a standard rim OD variation was not going to put me off." - kind of a run-on sentence



"Mine chiller was given to me and while they are available commercially, they may be beyond the budget of even the most gadget obsessed brewer." - should be "my" instead of "mine"

That's all I can find

l chiller. Mine chiller was given to me and while th

Click to expand...

Chiller. My Chiller was Given to me


Congrats on this My Friend...Looks great and what an honor to read this pre-print!

Edit***
Big10 Already has it....Guess I should post faster instead of working....HA! Still an honor to see this here!

Thank you. Keep them coming!

My garage begs the question as to when enough is enough. Do we really need beer engines and 60 gallon steam kettles to turn out a drinkable six-pack of suds? We all know the answer, and yet there is something about a stainless steel counter pressure bottle filler with a three way valve that gets our pulses racing.

Much of the quest for gadgets is driven by a desire for control. There is, after-all, an element of science in this art of ours’. There are, of course, practical individuals who will tell you control is an illusion. Yet the siren’s song of precise, year-round, fermentation control is hard to ignore.
I recognize the idea of a jacketed, stainless steel, conical fermenter for home brewing is ridiculously over the top. It is neither necessary nor practical. Just toss a carboy in a water bath and call it good. But honestly, since when has practicality really been part of the equation? “The Practical Brewer” indeed!For most brewers there is an allure in gadgetry. We make the best with the pot in hand while dreaming of the two in the bush. And for some of us the quest to acquire that next great thing is driven by what is certainly close to a crusader’s passion.

The quest for my grail of gadgets began with the winning of an on-line contest. My prize was a gift certificate from Toledo Metal Spinning, the manufactures of the conical hoppers we all crave. The certificate was sufficient to purchase two large hoppers. Yet as I explored the possibilities an idea was born: “What if two could become one to create a single, perfect, jacketed fermenter?” It was obvious that the idea was not practical. But we’ve been through that.

Jacketed, conical fermenters are standard fare in the micro-brewing industry. Their stand alone design allows for individual control and eliminates the need for costly cold rooms. The cooling set-ups are generally straight forward and sometimes very simple. I even visited a small brewery once that used a chest freezer as a glycol chiller. Digital controllers regulate the pumping of coolant, utilizing thermo-couplers in each fermenter. The thermo-couplers signal the controllers to turn the pumps on and off as needed. Simple and effective.

Toledo Metal Spinning manufactures 16 different hoppers, ranging in volume from .1 to 51.1 gallons. A PDF file is available for each hopper, providing specific dimensions for each model. Only a handful of their hoppers are useful as fermenters, but to my delight I discovered that two models appeared perfectly match for my plan. The design of the 21 gallon model, TMS201014, allows it to nest inside the 24.1 gallon model, TMS221014, with less then a ¾” gap between their sides. This gap is perfect for circulating a coolant, such as glycol, to regulate the fermentation temperature. Unfortunately, the standard outer diameters (OD) of the vessels’ upper rims are not compatible for my purposes. I should point out that by this point I had a full case of grail fever and no standard rim variation was going to put me off. I contacted a company representative and after a brief explanation of my dilemma he offered a custom cut of the inner hopper’s rim so it would match the OD of the outer hopper. Problem solved. Order placed. Obsession begun.

My design is relatively simple. (reference graphic) A ½” coupling is fitted and welded into holes cut in the sidewalls near the top and the bottom of the larger hopper. These will serve as the jacket’s inlet and outlet ports through which coolant will be circulated. (reference image) Next, the bottom portion of the outer hopper is removed to allow the tip of the inner hopper to protrude. The upper rims, who’s ODs were cut to match, are then welded together, creating a complete seal around the upper lip. (reference image) Finally, a donut shaped plate, a metal ring of sorts, is cut to fill the space between the bottom of the exterior jacket and the outer wall of the interior jacket where it protrudes. This ring is welded in place, creating a seal at the bottom of the jacket. (reference image)

A drawback of this design is that it does not allow for the use of a separate, rotating, racking arm, which is preferred by many conical owners. To compensate for this a sanitary T was attached to the bottom of the cone, with one arm hanging vertical and the other horizontal. (reference image) A racking tube is inserted through the bottom of the T (vertical), while the horizontal opening serves as a dump port.

My fermenter is cooled with glycol supplied from a glycol chiller. This chiller was originally used to cool beer lines and contains a compressor, heat exchanger, glycol reservoir and digitally controlled pump. This chiller was given to me and while they are available commercially, they may be beyond the budget of even the most gadget obsessed brewer. Other systems can be developed, utilizing freezer space, chest freezers, pumps and digital controllers. My system utilizes a circulation pump wired into a Ranco controller with a thermo-coupling in a thermo-well in the fermenter (reference image). The chiller pumps glycol into an Igloo cooler that serves as a secondary reservoir. (reference image) The chiller recirculates chilled glycol through this secondary reservoir. A second pump, controlled by a Ranco Controller with a thermo-coupler in the fermenter, recirculates this glycol through the fermenter’s jacket as needed to maintain the desired fermentation temperature. In cold weather, the chiller can be turned off and an immersion heater can be utilized to warm the glycol for recirculation.

So, that is what I have done and how you can do the same. If you decide to build one of these yourself I advise finding and befriending a good welder. Mine are worth their weight in homebrew, and then some! (reference image)

I worked on this a bit last night and am getting closer.

My garage begs the question as to when enough is enough. Do we really need aeration stones, plate heat exchangers and steam kettles to turn out a drinkable six-pack of suds? We all know the answer, and yet there is something about a stainless steel counter pressure bottle filler with a three way valve that gets our pulses racing.

Much of the quest for gadgets is driven by a desire for control. Timers, thermometers, hydrometers and scales have all become standard tools for producing consistent beers. There are, of course, practical individuals who will tell you control is an illusion. Yet the siren’s song of precise control is hard to ignore.
I recognize the idea of a jacketed, stainless steel, conical fermenter for home brewing is ridiculously over the top. It is neither necessary nor practical. Just toss a carboy in a water bath and call it good. But honestly, since when has practicality really been part of the equation? “The Practical Brewer” indeed!For most brewers there is an allure in gadgetry. We make the best with the pot in hand while dreaming of the keggle in the bush. And for some of us the quest to acquire that next great thing is driven by a crusader’s passion.

The quest for my grail of gadgets began with the winning of an on-line contest. The prize was a gift certificate from Toledo Metal Spinning, the manufactures of the conical hoppers we all crave. My prize was sufficient to purchase two large hoppers. Yet as I explored the choices an idea was born: “What if two could become one to create a single, perfect, jacketed fermenter?” The idea was obviously impractical. But we’ve been through that.

Jacketed, conical fermenters are standard fare in the micro-brewing industry. Their stand alone design allows for individual control and conservation of valuable floor space. Their cooling set-ups are generally straight forward and sometimes amazingly simple. For example, I visited a brewery once that used a chest freezer as a glycol chiller. Thermo-couplers in each fermenter signal digital temperature controllers to turn circulation pumps on and off as needed. The circulated glycol passes through the jackets to control the ferment’s temperature. The better commercial conicals have zoned jackets, including jacketed cones. Less expensive models many have only a single, small, jacketed area. But in every case the goal is control, simple and effective.

Toledo Metal Spinning manufactures 16 different hoppers, ranging in volume from .1 to 51.1 gallons. PDF files are available for each hopper, providing specific dimensions information. Only a handful of the company’s hoppers are useful as fermenters, but two of their models work perfectly for my design. The dimensions of the 21 gallon model, TMS201014, allow it to nest inside the 24.1 gallon model, TMS221014, with less then a ¾” gap between their sides. This gap is perfect for circulating glycol around the fermenter to regulate its temperature. Unfortunately, the standard outer diameters (OD) of the vessels’ upper rims are not compatible for nesting. However, the company offers a variety of custom modifications. Specifically, they are able to trim the inner hopper (TMS201014) so its rim OD matches the OD of the outer hopper (TMS221014). Problem solved, obsession begun.

My design is relatively simple. (reference image #1) A ½” stainless coupling is fitted and welded into holes cut in the sidewall near the top and the bottom of the larger hopper. These will serve as the jacket’s inlet and outlet ports through which coolant will be circulated. (reference image #2) Next, the bottom few inches of the outer hopper is removed to allow the tip of the inner hopper to protrude. This allows for a relatively simple union to be made at the bottom of the jacket. The matched upper rims are then welded together, creating a complete seal around the upper lip. (reference image #3) This weld must be ground smooth to allow a proper seal on the finished fermenter. Finally, a donut shaped plate, a metal ring of sorts, is cut to fill the space between the bottom of the exterior jacket and the outer wall of the interior jacket where it protrudes. This ring is welded in place, creating a seal at the bottom of the jacket. (reference image #4)

There are numerous designs for legs and stands. My fermenter is supported by three stainless pipe legs which have been welded to the outer wall. Consideration should be given to the height of these legs, as well as their stability. A friend, welder, and fellow homebrewer, Bret Haskins, constructed a bracketing system to mate the round pipes with the cylindrical body of the fermenter, providing exceptional strength and stability for the legs. (reference image #5)

Another major consideration is the lid and even more so the seal of the fermenter. This is an area where you Yankee ingenuity needs to shine as you determine the system that is best suited to your needs. Toledo metal spinning sells both flat and domed covers. Other companies, such as Blichmann Engineering and More Beer, successfully utilize gaskets and clamps on their systems. My fermenter uses a Blichmann gasketed domed top with a wrap around barrel clamp. (reference image #6) This system is air-tight and very satisfactory.

A drawback of my jacketed design is that it does not allow for the use of the type of separate, rotating, racking arm, preferred by many conical owners. To compensate for this, a sanitary T is attached to the bottom of the cone. (reference image #7) A racking tube is inserted through the vertical arm of this T, while the horizontal arm serves as the dump port. The racking tube has a T tip to help prevent clogging during fermentation. Its length is such that it rises a few inches into the cone, allowing the beer to be racked off the settled yeast and trub. Whatever racking system you choose it should be removable for easy and thorough cleaning.

My fermenter is cooled with glycol supplied from a glycol chiller. This chiller was originally used to cool draught beer lines and contains a compressor, heat exchanger, glycol reservoir and digitally controlled pump. This chiller was given to me and while they are available commercially, they may be beyond the budget of even the most gadget obsessed brewer. Other systems can be developed, utilizing freezer space, chest freezers, pumps and digital temperature controllers. My system utilizes a circulation pump wired into a Ranco controller with a thermo-coupling in a thermo-well set into the fermenter’s lid (reference image # 8). The chiller pumps glycol into an Igloo cooler that serves as a secondary reservoir. (reference image #9) The chiller recirculates chilled glycol through this secondary reservoir, keeping it at a set temperature as determined by its digital temperature controller. A second pump, controlled by a Ranco Digital Temperature Controller (model ETC-111000-000) with a thermo-coupler in the fermenter, recirculates this glycol through the fermenter’s jacket as needed to maintain the desired fermentation temperature. In cold weather, the glycol chiller can be turned off while an immersion heater is utilized to warm the glycol for recirculation.