Spike Brewing CF10 Conical

Have you heard Spike is releasing a new Conical line!? If you haven’t welcome from under your rock!! We’re extremely excited to officially launch the new CF10 on July 10th at 10am CST. We’ll be releasing specs over the next couple days detailing why the new Spike CF Series Conicals will be the best on the market!!

CF10 Features:
-304 stainless steel; 1.2mm (18ga)
-Sanitary welded design (no-weldless fittings) done at our facility in Milwaukee, WI
-Designed for 5 to 10gal batches (14gal total capacity)
-Etched volume markings
-Fully polished finish

Plus much much more…..

www.SpikeBrewing.com/CF10​

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We'd wanted to walk you through the new CF10 Spike Conical before the release next Monday, July 10th. Let’s start at the bottom with the bottom yeast dump.

We chose to use a larger 2" bottom port to prevent the dreaded stuck dump (nobody likes a stuck dump right!?). Most commercial breweries can get away with a 1.5" bottom port because they have 100's of gallons of head pressure pushing down and out. On the smaller home brew scale we need a larger port to prevent trub, yeast and hops from clogging the port.

We also chose butterfly valves as they are the most sanitary option available. These are standard on all commercial breweries and there's no reason home brewers should have to settle for less. Ball valves, when opened and closed, trap liquid in the ball between the seats. This can harbor bacteria and cause infections.

3 more days….

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Moving north we have the racking port!

Again we chose to use a butterfly valve as its really the only choice for a truly sanitary connection. This tri-clamp port along with the remaining ports are a more 'standard' 1.5" size. This allows for the remaining components to be interchangeable. Reasons for this will be explained later.

The racking port also accepts our specially designed racking arm which we will discuss later!

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Next up, the sample port!

Like all of our other fittings the sample port utilizes a sanitary welded 1.5" TC fitting. For reasons explained before, this is the only connection that should be used on a fermenter. Our sample valve is a sanitary design with no ball that can trap liquid which can harbor bacteria.

The sample port is super handy for taking gravity readings during fermentation. This design is taken directly from what the pro brewers use.

Since we designed our conicals to be as modular as possible the thermowell/thermometer can be moved from the top port down to the lower sample port for smaller batches. The sample valve can then be attached to the lower racking port butterfly valve. This allows all of our fermenters to accommodate a full batch as well as a half batch.

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Moving on up to the temp port!

Our new conical features a sanitary TIG welded 1.5" tri-clamp ferrule for the temp port. In addition to the welded port our conicals will also include a thermowell and thermometer.

The thermowell can be used with a digital temp control probe. We are currently finishing up design on our full temp control system. In the meantime there are many off-the-shelf temp control options out there as well as DIY setups. The thermowell creates a 100% sanitary way to read temps inside the conical.

An analog thermometer will also be included and will screw directly into the 1/2" npt threads on the thermowell. This is useful for people with fermentation chambers and the many people fermenting without any temp control.

Again one of our biggest design considerations was making our conical as modular as possible. Each conical has an 'optimal' fermentation volume it was designed for. However many brewers (including most of the brewers at Spike) like to do full and half batches. Our conical works perfectly in this situation as the thermometer port was placed at the half batch level. It can also be moved down to the sample port and the sample valve can be attached to the end of the racking port.

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Next, volume etchings.

Just like our brew tanks, the conicals will utilize volume etchings that are electrically etched into the metal. This ensures the volume markings will not wear off with use. Our conicals will have both gallon and liter etchings.

The polished interior makes cleaning a breeze! We've also noticed that the yeast and trub doesn't get stuck to the walls like our older style conicals that had a more brushed finish. Overall, another big improvement over our v1 conical!

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Look at this beautiful shot showing the welds our highly skilled in house welders have done! Our new fermenter features all sanitary TIG welded tri-clamp fittings which are welded in our facility in Milwaukee, WI. These TC fittings are the most sanitary connection available on the market and are the industry standard for brewing and food applications. All ports have been flanged to give a smooth easy to clean surface. We all know cleaning and sanitation are the worst part of brewing; not anymore!

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Next up on our teaser pic release are the fittings. All sanitary welded tri-clamps!

This is one of the most over looked aspects of design. Our design uses only sanitary TIG welded tri-clamp fittings (no o-rings here). Tri-clamp fittings are the industry standard connection for sanitary applications. Non-welded TC fittings can be a place for infections to hide, have a higher chance of leaking and wear out over time.

The welding is done by our highly skilled welders at our facility in Milwaukee, WI. Cut rate welding done else where can have voids, pitting and can rust over time. Our sanitary welded TC fittings paired with the thickest material on the market creates the most durable product available and will last a lifetime!

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Next! The lid and clamp!

We chose to us a band clamp because of the higher pressure capability (hint hint) and ease of install. The band clamp locks the bottom hopper and lid together tightly using a Silicone gasket to make an air tight seal. This gasket firmly locks onto the lid and will not fall out when turned upside down when installed onto the hopper (what a novel idea!). The lid also easily removes for easy cleaning. This is a much easier to clean design compared to a welded head design. Easily reach into the tank to clean any hard to reach areas so infections are avoided.

The lid features a massive 4” tri-clamp and a standard 1.5” tri-clamp. The 4” TC will come with a cap and be used for filling the conical, hop additions and mounting our temp control coil. We will be selling many additional accessories but the piece de resistance will be the temp control coil that will easily slip down through the 4” TC and firmly attach to the lid. This can be used with the many off the shelf and DIY temp control systems currently on the market. Eventually this will attach directly to our temp control system when it is available later this year.

The 1.5” TC will come standard with a 90° elbow for use with a blow off tube. We will also be releasing accessories like a blow off cane, pressure transfer hookup, CIP ball, etc. that can all be used with this port. The modular design of our conical lid will also allow you to dream up different setups that allow you to ferment using completely one-of-a-kind methods that will set your beer apart from everyone else out there!

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More lid!!

One of the most important aspects of brewing is fermentation control. This is one of the main design considerations when we developed our new conical line. The huge 4” top port is great from hop additions but it’s even more useful when a stainless steel temp control coil is attached to it! The coil can be attached to one of the many off the shelf units available or you DIY guys can design your own temp control device. Our plug and play temp controller will be available later this year. The coil is specifically designed to be long enough to be submerged in both a full and half batch size; again, modularity was the main theme behind our new conical design.

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We’re going to take a shot in the dark and assume you have a Chugger or March pump in your brewery. Were we right? Well that’s the exact reason why we specially designed a low flow CIP ball which works great with the lower output of the Chugger/March pumps. Our engineers have gone through about 15 renditions but finally settled on a design that is super-efficient with the Chugger pump as well as a large sump pump. We recommend cycling 160°F brewery wash through your conical for about 5mins to bring it back to spotless. Also works great for cleaning your temp coil while still installed!

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Are you planning a neoprene jacket for these? Thanks.

 

The most common question we have received is, “What is the pressure rating of the conical!?”. Well we finally have an answer for you…. 15psi!!

We have run our new CF10 conical through the gauntlet over the last 6mo to make sure we can safely offer our new conical as a uni-tank capable of pressures up to 15psi. We know the conical project has been delayed and this design was the main reason behind that. We made the conscious decision to delay the release until we had a pressure capable design. Unlike other manufactures releasing new designs every couple quarters we decided to offer one conical that is fully equipped and fully capable of everything you will need as a brewer.

What sets our uni-tank aside from others on the market is the capability to remove the head. This allows for easy cleaning. On the home brew scale a welded on head can cause issues with trying to clean. Since homebrewers are not using the same extremely harsh chemicals the pros use we need to be a little more diligent with cleaning. With a welded head it’s harder to inspect for cleanliness and clean any spots that need additional attention. Our head easily removes and easily locks into place with one (made in the US) band clamp.

Safety is our number 1 concern and therefore our conical has been analyzed by 3 different independent US labs in regards to pressure rating. The final design has had FEA run as well as being burst tested. An outside independent engineering firm has OK’d the design and a professional engineer (PE) has OK’d use for up to 15psi.

Be sure to always use a pressure release valve (PRV) that is set for 15psi. We will be offering our PRV, carb stone, pressure transfer manifold, etc a little after the release of the CF10. We appreciate your patience and apologize about being a little sneaky about the pressure rating. We hope the wait was worthwhile!!

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[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-ut_82CZag[/ame]
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We started this journey to redesign our conical line almost 1 year ago. Our engineering and design team listened and learned from you. As a result, we believe this will be the best product on the market and go beyond your expectations. As always, we strive to do as much production as economically feasible using our welders at our facility in Milwaukee, WI.

We’ve been blown away by your support and overall excitement for this product. We know that without your support, and saint-like patience, we wouldn’t be growing to the extent we are. We look forward to keeping you all up to date on the 7 gallon (CF5), ½ BBL (CF15) and 1 BBL (CF30) production throughout the year.

The CF10 is now available!

www.SpikeBrewing.com/CF10​

 

Yes, that is currently in the final stages of R&D.

 

Great. Thanks for the quick reply

 

I cant wait to get mine. Mine should be here monday. My birthday present to myself. I have no doubts that it will be great.

 

I've been checking my tracking # hoping mine gets here before Thursday. So excited to put it to work!

 

I got mine today. Yay. Happy birthdsy to me

 

Pics or it didn't happen

 

Would you please provide the numbers of how much gallon the thermowell will be at when placed at normal thermometer port and sample port?
How much the cooling coil will touch the wort for half batch, 5 gal?

 

I cant find the tab for the pics anymore. I did post them on the spike i need a conical thread.

 

CF10
Thermowell: 4.8gal
Sample Port: 2.47gal

There will be about 3.5 gallons of liquid in contact with the cooling coil with a 5gal batch (assuming starting volume is around 5.5g).

 

That's really designed to be good for half batch! Good job.

 

Did you guys order any of the accessories or just the conicals?

 

Yep,
Racking Arm, spray ball, blow off cane.

I will consider their fermentation control kit when it is available and I order my second conical later this year.

I have built a pressure racking kit that will just attach to the blow off cane with a 3 way t valve.

Built a few other accessories as well. oxygenation, etc.

 

I got the spray ball and blowoff. I forgot to order the racking arm. I'll get it on the next order most likely, along with the chiller coil and temp control.

 

Any estimate of when the 7 gallon one will be available?

 

+1

 

Supply chain is telling us Q4 of this year

 

I did not i wanted get the order for the conical in because i knew there was limited amounts of them and didnt want to waste time. I can always get them later.

 

Spike any plans on different tops with more tri clamp for a pressure gauge and pvr?

 

We have a special dual port TC manifold that will accept a gauge/PRV or PRV/gas hookup that we are working on currently. We have a lot of cool accessories coming down the pipeline!

 

Was going to wait until I got mine to post but after reading this thread I'm even more psyched! They must have been reading my mind as to the PRV, carb stone, etc. as I was going to send them an e-mail recommending those items. The other thing I would like would be a ball valve on the blow-off cane to seal the unit with it installed.

In any case...what's the quote from that movie...You had me at hello? Seriously, I have e-mailed Spike several times before placing my order and the responses have been very quick and extremely informative (thanks Scott!). I even mentioned to them that they were earning serious customer service points with their quick responses. I look forward to many new Spike toys (or perhaps tools is a better choice) down the road!

Well done!

 

I have a couple questions.

What is the plan for temp control? Simply the coil or do you intend to come out with some sort of heater/chiller to compliment it?

With regards to pressure rating it does not look like you could folly carb in this unit even with a carb stone. At 65 degrees I think it would take about 27-28 psi to reach 2.3 carbonation level. The unit is only rated to 15 psi, so how would that work? Partially carbonate than transfer to complete carbonation?

 

sub +1

 

You have to chill to get the carb to that level 40 degrees @ 12 psi will get you about 2.5 volumes. It is much cheaper to chill the beer than to build a tank sturdy enough to carbonate at room temperature. Home brew level or professional level

 

How much time to carb under those conditions? Is this the equivalent to cranking a keg to 30 for 48 hours? Im assuming the carb stone reduces the time, even at 12psi.

 

Please see attached for pre-production temp controller. It will have a set point and temp read out. It will be closed loop utilizing the sanitary thermowell our conical comes with standard. The temp coil will drop in through the 4" port in the lid. The controller will regulate a pump for cooling and heating pad for warming. It will also include a jacket.

You would not be able to carb at 65 degrees. You'll want to cold crash to ~35F, dump out sediment and then start carbonation process. Should be fully carbed up in 24hrs.

 

We carb at about 10psi @38F. Your beer will be fully carbed up in 24hrs. See attached for an example of a CO2 volume PSI vs temp chart.