Catalyst Fermentation System

[Lucille's Daddy]

Just finished my first brew in this thing.

Here's the review:

Cons:
-When assembling the unit, one of the screws stripped the threads off of the stand without much pressure applied to it. Stand doesn't seem very sturdy at all. I actually had to surround the fermenter in a corner, with full cases of beer, to be sure I wouldn't come back to a worty carpet.

-When kegging, the funnel would not fully seat, and I had to press a finger against one side to slow the leak. Had I not done so, I would have lost more than just the two pints worth that I did lose.

-The bottom lip of the slope has a little ledge that will catch a bit of trub, and stop all of the trub from easing itself down the sides.

-The system does not come with the smaller yeast collection jar it brags about being able to use.

Pros:
-The catalyst was pretty damn easy to clean. I imagine that I could machine wash the whole thing, if I bother to pull out the top rack of the washer.

-I thoroughly enjoyed being able to rack this brew by emptying out a mason jar. It saves a lot of time, and possibly, a huge mess when racking.

-The valve seems to work perfectly, without leaks.

-This system also helps to ensure that each batch is at exactly 5 gallons.

While the idea itself is absolutely incredible, and could make each brew a hell of a lot easier than dealing with narrow carboys, or home made home depot bucket fermenters, it fails to completely hit the mark.

While I'm glad I have this fermenter, I will still have to make adjustments to it to be able to safely continue to use it. The stand is one of the most important parts in this kind of system, and it is too flimsy to be able to trust. The funnel is a huge part of why I wanted to get the catalyst, as I'm annoyed with how easily syphons lose suction/break, and it's just easier to let gravity do the work for you. I imagine I may be able to find some sort of gasket to stop the funnel from leaking, but a gasket should have been included with this.

For $200 + shipping(or whatever other fees there were), this should include a funnel that makes a good seal, a smaller mason jar for yeast collection, and most importantly, and sturdy stand.

Anybody use this thing and not have any issues with it?

 

[bigdawg86]

Why don't you email them about the funnel? Seems odd that the funnel would leak but a mason jar would not. I have the same fermentor and have a few critiques as well...

CONS:
1.) The slope of the conical is not steep enough, so you still get alot of sediment racked using the bottling attachment. Retrofitting to use their racking arm helps remedy this.
2.) I wish their was more headspace, I have lost ALOT of beer with vigorous fermentation.
3.) It is a very tight fit in my fermentation chamber (not everyones problem) making checking interim gravity difficult, can't change mason jars easily while in ferm chamber (i.e. chest freezer)
4.) Changing mason jars to dump trub / collect yeast is nice concept on paper, but stopped doing it due to the mess.
5.) If you have to remove the lid for any reason during use, there is a 50/50 chance the gasket will come off.
6.) VERY awkward to carry while full, although they have the carrier cover now.
7.) No thermowell options without drilling lid.

PROS:
1.) Easy to clean.
2.) No leaks (that I have experienced)
3.) I personally haven't bottled using the supplied attachment, but found that racking to a keg or glass carboy for bulk aging is a breeze.
4.) You can use almost any size mason jar, I have used the 32oz ones on big brews to help alleviate the headspace issue... also helps if using alot of dry hops.
5.) It's clear... I like being able to have a visual peek at fermentation activity.
6.) I have had zero problems with the stand and feels quite sturdy (to me)

Oddly enough I have kind of reverted back to the plastic buckets with a gamma lid... just alot easier to move and handle. I get less trub / yeast into bottling bucket and keg by top racking. It's good, but TBH I want to change to a stainless brew bucket.

 

[Lucille's Daddy]

Why don't you email them about the funnel?

I'd actually sent the same thing I posted here, to them, and just made it more of a review for the forum, rather than a "gripe" to customer service.

 

[whovous]

My experience has been that almost anything can leak if you do not tighten it enough. If you do tighten it enough, it won't leak, but it may also be a real bear to get it loose again.

For my last few batches, I've been waiting several hours before pitching my yeast. I collect and pitch a lot of mason jar trub before I pitch. I try to get another jar full when I cold crash. It is not perfect, but I am pretty happy with it. I usually do 3-4 gallon batches, so headroom is never an issue for me.

 

[Lucille's Daddy]

My experience has been that almost anything can leak if you do not tighten it enough. If you do tighten it enough, it won't leak, but it may also be a real bear to get it loose again.

For my last few batches, I've been waiting several hours before pitching my yeast. I collect and pitch a lot of mason jar trub before I pitch. I try to get another jar full when I cold crash. It is not perfect, but I am pretty happy with it. I usually do 3-4 gallon batches, so headroom is never an issue for me.

Oh, it was on tight enough. Lol. Pain in the ass to get off, and it still leaked. Threads are pretty large, so it'd be quite a feat to accidentally crossthread, but then again.. it is made in china.

 

[augiedoggy]

seems a bit pricey for a plastic fermenter IMO with options like this now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fermentasa...hash=item41c7ce2344:m:mPlhDD74tJAvC8u26jblvbw...
and https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-5-Gallon...878776?hash=item3a6cd31ff8:g:B7UAAOSw791ZuVh7
I found the yeast sticks to the plastic conical walls no matter how steep (I have a V vessel (older fast fermenter) I bought for $50 likely from someone who had the same complaints as me before selling it to me)

 

[Lucille's Daddy]

seems a bit pricey for a plastic fermenter IMO with options like this now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fermentasa...hash=item41c7ce2344:m:mPlhDD74tJAvC8u26jblvbw...
and https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-5-Gallon...878776?hash=item3a6cd31ff8:g:B7UAAOSw791ZuVh7
I found the yeast sticks to the plastic conical walls no matter how steep (I have a V vessel (older fast fermenter) I bought for $50 likely from someone who had the same complaints as me before selling it to me)

Yea, it was a bit pricey, which is why I hadn't bought it for so long. Ended up being a christmas present from the ole lady.

Better her money, than mine, right? Oh wait....

As for the sticking to the sides.. Maybe a sanitized rubber spatula? Thought about using one this time around, then I inspected the one in the kitchen, and decided against it. Gonna let that stuff settle out in the keg and pour it off.

 

[CraftaBrew]

That funnel issue should not be happening so I hope you were able to get in contact with our customer service to get it resolved. If you get in contact with us we will help with the stripped thread issue, we don't want you to have to box The Catalyst in the corner to ensure it doesn't fall over!

There was a tradeoff on the angle of the conical and the height of the unit for fermentation chambers, we chose this angle because it gets all of the trub in the jar but some powdery yeast can still stick to the conical, this occurs in any angle conical yet you would not be able to see it in a stainless system or a fastferment. Generally if you are getting excessive buildup you can give it a light rock a day before bottling and anything that is loose will fall into the jar, anything that still sticks will still be there after bottling.

As for the plastic, we get this question a lot but the polymer we use is much more durable, harder and more scratch resistant then PET (better bottle and Fermentasaurus) or HDPE (Speidel and fast ferment). Tritan is a medical-grade, BPA-free, polymer. This material acts as an excellent barrier against oxygen, makes our tank 93% more scratch-resistant (harder) than other plastic fermenters and is even dishwasher safe, withstanding temperatures of up to 230º Fahrenheit.

 

[Lucille's Daddy]

Haven't logged into the forums in quite a bit. Meant to update this, but got busy with life!

So, here's the update, based on the exceptional customer service of Kaley Komanski.

The funnel issue seemed to correct itself on the second, third, and fourth brews. No clue what had happened last time, as it'd be pretty hard to cross-thread that thing(doing so would probably render it useless).

Craft-a-brew sent out a new rod for the stand, to replace the one that'd been stripped when installing. It's quite a bit more sturdy, though I'd probably worry about any kind of stand, and losing an entire batch.

The gasket for the lid however, continues to be a headache. This thing just does not want to go back into place. I'm thinking i'll need to have another set of hands there to try to get it back in, next time.

Overall, It's been quite a useful system.

 

[whovous]

The gasket can be done with two hands, but it definitely is easier with three.

 

[Lucille's Daddy]

The gasket can be done with two hands, but it definitely is easier with three.

I was having trouble doing it with two knees, and two hands.

 

[whovous]

I was having trouble doing it with two knees, and two hands.

Now if one of those knees had an opposable thumb...

 

[Action Jackson]

I just saw this blog as I was looking for other information, and decided to comment. I've used my Catalyst for six or seven fermentations, only as a primary. I was very excited to acquire it, and, like owning a boat, am equally excited to be passing it on to my son-in-law. I keep two fermenters active much of the time, and today, I received delivery of my replacement for my Catalyst. I'll not repeat the positive and negative comments already well stated above, and move on to a couple of others.

First, I drilled my lid and fitted a thermoprobe: a good decision. No leaks, and no problems. Also, no different from what you have to do with a Speidel, or other brands.

Second, I've gone through the whole process, including bottle filling via the funnel attachment. Each time I've removed the trub into the Mason jar, there has been significant trub stuck on the walls of the conical area. When filling bottles (I bottle condition), the trub releases from the sides and has actually clogged my bottle filler each time. I thought I had the perfect solution: I inserted a teacup strainer inside the funnel. It worked wonders until it filled and the wort flowed over the sides of the clogged strainer.

And lastly, I'm an in-shape 70 year old, but ultimately succumbed to buying the black sleeve with handles. The handles work great, especially when I have to lift the Catalyst into my upright brewing freezer for fermenting my lagers. But WHY was the sleeve designed with such a small hole in the bottom that you have to remove the valve to remove the sleeve. Not a big problem you say? Ok, but it's much easier to fill bottles while keeping an eye on the wort level to allow confirmation that you have enough bottles washed and ready. And as noted above, I prefer being aware of the falling trub. A hole large enough to allow the cover sleeve to be removed with the valve intact would be a big improvement.

I'm glad I bought the Catalyst, just for the experience. I've never had leaking problems; never had a problem putting the lid gasket back on; never had a clogged airlock due to active fermentation; and the stand is as solid (and light weight) as I could ever want. I'm also glad to be passing it on.