Brew Bucket by SS Brewing Technologies
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maplemontbrew
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According to this article the new SS Brew fermentation temp stabilization system will be out in September.
http://pbc.pacificgravity.com/ss-brewing-technologies/
http://pbc.pacificgravity.com/ss-brewing-technologies/
Moby
I need more gadgets....
Anyone have any problems with gas escaping the lid rather than through the blow-hole? I've got a blowoff tube setup through a 3-piece bubbler and I can smell the ferm gases in the fridge, but there's no bubbles coming through the blowoff bucket. With the amount of keg lube that i have around the blowoff tube and that crappy stopper, there's no way the gas is getting out from there…only thing i can think of is that the lid isn't sealing properly…
Anyone else?
Moby
Anyone else?
Moby
^its very common.
i rolled up some thing cardboard and shimmed the hooks. this created a tighter seal and it functions as it should now
i rolled up some thing cardboard and shimmed the hooks. this created a tighter seal and it functions as it should now
Moby
I need more gadgets....
yeah - i was bummed as well. does my little trick make sense? it works pretty good and i could post pics if needed. i still love the bucket though and the wimpy seal doesn't bother me.
some folks say that putting the gasket in upside down works as well.
good luck
some folks say that putting the gasket in upside down works as well.
good luck
BreezyBrew
IPA is my spirit animal
I'd be pissed for that price. The fixing it wouldn't bother me if it was like $80
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
Neither of mine or any of my friends that have them have problems with leaking. I have not brewed with mine, just pressurized it with CO2.
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Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
do you even homebrew? $80 for that much stainless is laughable
i guess you could just choose from the many other stainless fermenters in this price range.... oh wait...
people seriously need to stop crying about the price of these units. they are a ground breaking product the market has been wanting for a long time. they are a great value in my experience and would buy them again.
we all know they're made in china and for the price we are paying are not expecting something like you'd get from sabco or portland kettle works. the customer service from these guys is TOP NOTCH as well.
sorry to rant on you bro but these are great products and people are giving them a bad rap for no good reason
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
yet another stereotype/generalization. i've seen more bling around here than almost any other forum i frequent
good thing you saved so much coin on that ipad though....
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
I'm not cheap.
It's an interesting thing about Homebrewers. Some things they will spend on with reckless abandon, but others the tighten up like a hipsters skinny jeans.
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yes indeed. we are all individuals are choose how to spend our money as we see fit.
it's not an interesting thing about homebrewers, it's a characteristic of people in general.
Spartan1979
Well-Known Member
I did a similar thing. I cut some shims out of some vinyl siding I had laying around and it solved the problem. I'd prefer not to have to do that, but it's not a big deal.
I tried putting in the gasket upside down, but that was too much. The lid looked wavy. I was afraid of permanently warping the lid.
I had to really bend the 4 lid locks to make them uber tight and that seemed to help with gas escaping.
But, almost every brew I've had, even using a blow off tube, has had some krausen get thru the lid. Not a big deal but I wish it were a bit taller.
My only small pet peeve is that ALL my brews produce so much yeast that it goes way above the conical bottom rendering the spigot useless. I don't mind kegging with the auto siphon but I don't understand why I'm getting so much trub that it covers the spigot.
When transferring your wort from the boil kettle to the fermenter are you leaving the trub behind in the kettle? Or are you just dumping everything from the kettle?
BreezyBrew
IPA is my spirit animal
Thanks for the rant, but all I really meant was why spend $200 on something that doesn't work out of the box. To me, it's worth about $80 if it leaks. If it works properly, it's worth whatever they cost these days... I haven't even looked.
Weezy
Well-Known Member
Come on guys. It's really nice but not ground breaking. It's a SS pot with a dent in the bottom and a rotating spigot.
The dent serves zero purpose. They're merely trying to emulate conical in style only.
The rotating spigot doesn't need to rotate. A straight spigot installed above the trub line is just as well. You end up tilting the thing anyways to get the last drops to the spigot.
The sealed lid? Silicone tube sliced and run around rim of SS pot and a bungee cord to hold the lid down. Open fermentation isn't a crime to begin with, anyway.
Modify for pressurized delivery? Give me a break. It's 5 gallons not 5 barrels. Put it on the counter, add a hose, open valve, and let gravity work.
Point is, it is really nice but not so special that people shouldn't be judging it based on cost. I can buy a plastic carboy with spigot, bar fridge, and build a STC1000 temp controller for the cost of one of these.
The dent serves zero purpose. They're merely trying to emulate conical in style only.
The rotating spigot doesn't need to rotate. A straight spigot installed above the trub line is just as well. You end up tilting the thing anyways to get the last drops to the spigot.
The sealed lid? Silicone tube sliced and run around rim of SS pot and a bungee cord to hold the lid down. Open fermentation isn't a crime to begin with, anyway.
Modify for pressurized delivery? Give me a break. It's 5 gallons not 5 barrels. Put it on the counter, add a hose, open valve, and let gravity work.
Point is, it is really nice but not so special that people shouldn't be judging it based on cost. I can buy a plastic carboy with spigot, bar fridge, and build a STC1000 temp controller for the cost of one of these.
Well said !!
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SpeedYellow
Well-Known Member
^^^ +1 Weezy.
The rotating spigot is useless for me as well, so I don't even install the internal stainless arm. Tipping the bucket works great.
The rotating spigot is useless for me as well, so I don't even install the internal stainless arm. Tipping the bucket works great.
I'm leaving 85% of it behind for sure. Even the yeast is usually above the spigot. I don't add more yeast than I need, at least not according to yeastcalc but as I said, it's not a big deal, just a small peeve of mine so far. I just had to find something wrong with it.
That's weird. I've done about a dozen brews in one and with most beers the yeast compacts down into the cone and I can rack off clear beer with the new style (longer) arm at its lowest position.
With imperial stouts I can rotate it a little below horizontal before I start picking up junk.
I do cold crash them all though and that might be making the difference.
With imperial stouts I can rotate it a little below horizontal before I start picking up junk.
I do cold crash them all though and that might be making the difference.
TVHABrewguy
Well-Known Member
I don't know, I have more than anyone else of these (10 right now) and somehow don't have any of the issues that some seem to be whining about. I have had as many as 6 going at the same time and love them. I have zero regrets about changing from plastic buckets and carboys and even went ahead and got one of their Chronicals. I know of at least one large craft brewer who uses these things for their hop trials when doing experimental batches, so how bad can they be?
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I'm leaving 85% of it behind for sure. Even the yeast is usually above the spigot. I don't add more yeast than I need, at least not according to yeastcalc but as I said, it's not a big deal, just a small peeve of mine so far. I just had to find something wrong with it.
One thing I do (and did with previous fermenters too) is that I put my fermenter on top of counter (or where ever you plan to put it for kegging/transfer) about 2-3 days beforehand. That way it is sitting in place, without being disturbed for a couple days before transfer. Moving it around, lifting, etc. can kick up a lot of sediment.
I generally don't cold crash and get pretty clean to totally clear beer straight out of the primary and into the keg.
The only time I generally have some problems is when I have really highly hopped beers - like 4-6 ounces throughout the boil, 4-6 ounces in whirlpool and another 4-6 ounces dry hop ...... that is the only time I tend to get some debris in the transfer.
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
Do you have pics of the pits? These have become really popular with a lot of people I know, and I have not heard any complaints. I have two, my sister in law bought 5, and I have a number of friends who have a LOT.
Would really like to know what kinds of pits people are seeing. If there is a quality issue SSBrewtech should know about it.
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
I'm leaving 85% of it behind for sure. Even the yeast is usually above the spigot. I don't add more yeast than I need, at least not according to yeastcalc but as I said, it's not a big deal, just a small peeve of mine so far. I just had to find something wrong with it.
I have a false bottom in my boil kettle and do a whirlpool then rest after flameout. I end up with very little trub, hop matter, or break material in the fermenter.
The lid gasket issue is really a non-issue. It's not supposed to be air tight, it's just supposed to keep dust, bugs, and other stuff out of the fermenter. Has no one here heard of open fermentation? I'm not saying this is the equivalent to that, but the point is a loose gasket or stopper seal is not the end of the world for fermenting beer - in any container. People have been making beer for thousands of years. Do you really think they had completely air tight vessels that entire time? If you have buyers remorse so be it. Use something else. No one is stopping you. But some of you guys sound like a bunch of whiny women - no offense intended to the actual Frau Brauer on this forum.
I definitely let the fermenter sit a day or so before kegging but the inside arm is still mostly covered with yeast.
I'm very pleased with this fermenter and think my beers taste better in this though it could just be me. I'm not sorry at all I got it and have only used a bucket once since I bought it and that was because the SS Fermenter was in use.
Photo of pitting attached as requested by a previous poster. I have some guys in my club that love these too. I pretty much always get defective products, so I wouldn't take my experience as a typical example.
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity, why is this pitting an issue for you?
You said you sent it back, and they sent you a new one? I think we can all say one thing, SSBrewtech customer service has been impressive.
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
I was talking to a friend about the issues people have had, he has some buckets too. He sent me this screen shot. Apparently Stone is using the buckets for hop trials and is very happy with this. I thought that was pretty cool, and a good endorsement.
Umm, I'm not really looking to get into anything here. I bought a new product, which I expect to be free from defect. I gave them two shots. I'm glad you're having a positive experience. I didn't, unfortunately. This is a thread for sharing experiences with the product. I simply shared my experience.
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
RyanSweeney
Well-Known Member
"Cool factor" aside, are these really worth $225 over a bucket with a spigot?
I use/used bottling buckets for fermenting exclusively for years...... They work great. I bought a couple SS buckets on first release for the cheaper price. I liked them and bought two more for a more expensive price a couple months later. I am happy with them. Glad I bought them. I still use bottling buckets too if I have more than 4 beers going.
Are they "worth it"???? If it is not going to "put you out" to buy them..... sure.
To me I am happy I bought them. Now, I would not spend that money on the SS buckets instead of temperature control, or other aspects of brewing if it was a choice. But, I have everything else I need, and I had some money to spend on them.
They are easier to clean, they are obviously stainless instead of plastic which is a plus. The conical bottom drops sediment out better than it seemed to just settling in a bucket. The only thing that I still worry about with the SS bucket is the ball lock spigot..... I am really paranoid about cleaning it. PBW soak after every batch, starsan soak after and before every batch. Boil it every 3 batches or so...... I don't like things I cannot see inside of when it comes to cleaning/sanitizing.
Now, I would DEFINITELY buy 2-3 SS buckets before I would ever buy any of the more expensive stainless conical fermenters .... Almost bought one or two of those at one point - really glad I did not now that these came out.
RyanSweeney
Well-Known Member
Lots of good info here. Thanks!
I am just starting to get the necessary equipment needed for all-grain brewing. I've been doing extract for a while and want to move on to more elaborate all-grain setup.
Unfortunately, I don't have any sort of fridge to use as a fermentation chamber. I just sold my old dorm fridge kegerator to make room for the vintage fridge kegerator I just converted...but that'll be holding beer to serve rather than fermenting. I'll just be fermenting in the house at room temperature for now.
I would worry about that stuff first then. A plastic bucket in a temperature controlled setting will produce better beer (every time) than a SS bucket at random room temperature (especially if it is warm). Once you get the rest of your setup in place..... then revisit the SS bucket.
RyanSweeney
Well-Known Member
That's all I needed to hear. Thanks man!
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