Chapman univessel

[davemattb]

Just saw this item. Looks pretty cool like you can BIAB and ferment in same vessel. Price point looks decent too. Anyone using this? Much to the disappointment of SWMBO im always looking for cool new stuff !

https://www.chapmanequipment.com/co...allon-steeltank-fermenter?variant=19580135809

 

[giraffe]

I had 2 of those from the kickstarter when they were starting up, and dont use them anymore. Initially they leaked/didnt hold water and i had to replace the seals around the spigot.

The finish was really rough and the steel was thin. Which given the price, fine. But I kept getting infections in them. And ive done 300 batches total, and rarely rarely get an infection. But 8 of the 10 batches i did in them came out infected. I dont know if they werent airtight, or the rough finish made it impossible to sanitize. I dont know. I gave up on them, and went back to glass carboys and the infections went back to my usual rate of like one batch in 30 being off.

That was early on though, hopefully they have improved. I have their mash tun though, while not the best made, for the price is very excellent, holds temp very well, and ive done 70 batches in it without issue (i did rip out the false bottom and put in a bazooka,).

 

[drgonzo2k2]

Yeah, I was in the Kickstarter as well and did not have much luck. I will say that Steve Chapman seems to be a very nice guy and had no problem refunding my my money.

I sold off the fermenter immediately. It wound up not being right for my setup, and the volume markings were off. I went through 3 kettles and could not get a good one. I do still use the Thermobarrel, and I think it's a pretty nice product.

 

[sikkingj]

I have the 7 and 14 gallon fermenters. I've not had any issues, I was a late kick starter backer.

I'm unsure if I would buy again, SS has some great products for not a whole lot more...

 

[jekeane]

I have a buddy who has 2 fermenters and wishes he had my brew buckets instead.

 

[petrolSpice]

Man thats a great price, but I'm steering clear with the above comments.

THe comment about injections is surprising especially if your boiling in this kettle. That should kill absolutely everything.

 

[davemattb]

Very good info! The concept of doing everything in one vessel sounds great. But not worth infections. I have a SS conical but thought this might be nice for in between brews.

 

[giraffe]

Man thats a great price, but I'm steering clear with the above comments.

THe comment about injections is surprising especially if your boiling in this kettle. That should kill absolutely everything.

I wasnt. I was just using as a fermenter. I was boiling 11 gallon batches and transferring to two 7 gal fermenters. I was cleaning with pbw and soaking in starsan solution to sanitize. It was their first batch though and the inside was covered in light scratches, and i dont know how well their gaskets fit at that time. They are likely to have improved, the owner seemed like an honest well intentioned fellow.

That said, I wouldnt boil in steel of this thin of gauge.

 

[drgonzo2k2]

Like giraffe said, Chapman seemed like an honest well intentioned fellow, and he had no problem refunding my money when I wasn't satisfied with the products I ordered.

At the end of the day he's just reselling products manufactured in China, similar to what other brands in this product space do; however, this was his first foray into this area, and based on my experience I think his manufacturer got the best of him.

There's a pretty long thread on here dealing with the kickstarter and problems folks had with the gear is people care to read up on it, but the experiences in this thread aren't isolated incidents.

For me I thoughts something was askew when he reached out to everyone before shipping letting us know that the volume markings in the fermenter were incorrect. I went through three kettles, all of which rusted after an overnight water soak to check for leaks. I've not had any problems with the Thermobarrel, although I did immediately replace the dip tube design as it didn't seal all that well and was a pain to remove for cleaning.

 

[sikkingj]

Just to be clear my fermenters work well, no rust no problems, but I still think I'd pony up the extra $40-60 bucks for a more mature product (e.g., SS, etc.).

When I first started looking at fermenters I could not get by the price, in retrospect it was a smaller differential then I first imagined.

 

[Kerrbrewer]

I just bought 2 of them. I modified one and put a ss coil in it to cool it to lager temps like the ss conical. I racked to a keg tonite to lager it. It had no infection and when giving it a rinse to sit overnight I saw no rust. Happy with my first use, but I havent checked if the graduation markings are acurrate yet.

 

[Jordanomyces]

I have been using the Chapman 7 gallon Univessel for over a year. It is an excellent product. I work at a brewery so I could order it from BrewcraftUSA for only $80.

It does come with some pretty cheap gaskets but any hardware store has gaskets for a matter of cents.

I bought a bazooka screen ($10) and screwed it to the ball valve. I have been using it as a Mash Tun and a Boil Kettle. I just dump the spent grains and rinse it out then add the wort back into it to boil. I have no trouble boiling on the stovetop (mine is 7 gal not 14)

I have used it as a fermenter once. I did NOT have an infection, but I did boil in it.
I tend not to ferment in it because it occupies my mash tun and boil kettle.

Never has it rusted.
I have measured myself and the volume markings are spot on.
And Im not sure what people meant about it being rough. Mine is shiny and smooth.
It holds its mash temp very well.
For less than $100 bucks I was rocking and rolling with a Stainless Steel All Grain Brewing Set Up. Doesnt get better than that.