Conical Fermenters - which to go with? Stainless only

[ChappysBrewing]

Hello everyone. So I am coming to the point of needing to truly work on my fermentation side as my brew system has recently escalated and can now do quite a bit larger batches. I was originally going to look at a 14g fermenter but believe it would be smarter to just do the 1/2 bbl to have a little more head space and could then make 15 gallon batches easily enough (keg into 3 different kegs). Now with that being said, I have been scouring the market to try to find out who all makes them and overall which would be the best for the money. I personally don't own any so am truly hope to get some insight from folks using theirs to determine which avenue may be best to go.

As for options, the main 1s I know of are blinchmann, ss brewtech, stout and spike brewing. I am looking at stainless steel and willing to spend a tad of money on them, may end up getting 2 in the end of it all. I honestly haven't really looked at Blinchmann as well its more or less basic and doesnt have a tasting port and has been on the market probably the longest. SS Brewtechs are nice, the 1 downfall I have found is if its not the brewmaster version then it doesn't have a tasting port which I was hoping to get just because I think it could be beneficial for simply testing and is more like commercial breweries. The bad part is the brewmaster is quite expensive and I dont need some of the bells and whistles it comes with such as the coils flowing through it and it makes the price much larger. I currently will be able to use my system and transfer the beer at whatever temp I want so to speak into the conical.
Stout tanks looks alright just dont know much about them really except for the fact its another company that makes brewing equipment. Lastly, SpikeBrewing has just upgraded their entire product and are just now making them to release later this year and have made quite a few improvements. It does come with butterfly valves, tasting port, and everything you could think of, just are a tad up there in price due to them being brand spanking new in design and build. Overall I wanted to get some peoples opinions based on their hands on experience as I dont have any of my own to really go off of except for reading online, pictures and what not.

 

[snowveil]

I have a stout 14 gallon conical I purchased second hand and I'm really pleased with it.

I have a feeling Spike is going to have a hard time keeping up with production demands because their new conical looks like the best in it's price range coming into the market.

The SS Brewtech stuff just looks chintzy to me. A lot of people like them but seeing them in person didn't impress me with build quality as much as the Blichmann, Spike, and Stout hardware.

A few reasons I like the Stout:
-The top has a 3" Triclover port, which I'm able to attach a blowoff assembly or co2 and CIP assembly to.
-The top is banded on, meaning I can remove the entire thing and get in there to scrub with a sponge if I need to.
-Triclover connections throughout. No threads anywhere except the CIP assembly I made.
-Butterfly valves
-Triclover port for a thermowell
-Clean welds
-Heavy Duty Construction

Things I'd improve:
-2" Triclover dump port instead of 1.5". The 1.5" can get clogged if you let the trub compact too much before dumping.
-Ability to attach wheels to the base. I'll wind up building a stand for it eventually but it'd be nice if you could thread wheels straight onto it.

 

[normonster]

.......

The SS Brewtech stuff just looks chintzy to me. A lot of people like them but seeing them in person didn't impress me with build quality as much as the Blichmann, Spike, and Stout hardware....

Unfortunately I have to agree with this. I own two of the 7.5G brewbuckets and I'm not impressed. The build quality is not great and the SS is very thin. The pads on the legs wear out quick, the gaskets go bad quick, the fitting is weldless and the valve is really small.

If I had a do-over I'd at least consider the other brands.

 

[303Dan]

I have to disagree about the SS Brewtech Chronicals. I think they offer great value and a very easy and reliable means of temp control if you don't want to use a fermentation chamber. I realize they have some weldless fittings, but with sound sanitation techniques it should never be a problem. I'll admit I'm wrong about that the first time I lose a batch.
I do have the Brewmaster edition, so the valves(butterfly) and other features are of better quality than the base model, for what it's worth.

All that being said, I'll be in the market for a second conical soon and I'm anxious to see Spike's offering.

Dan

 

[Dcpcooks]

I own two Ss 1/2 bbl conicals. They work as advertised and perform very well for the price.

Spike looks interesting if they ever launch the line.

Brewers hardware is a great product if you can swing the price point.
Stout is a good product for the price point.

 

[ChappysBrewing]

Yeah I have been excited about the Spike Brewing as they are currently in production. The 14 gallons should be done within the next month and then they're going to either the 7gal or 1/2bbl after. I cant remember exactly which. They just seem to have some of the bigger bells and whistles such as a quality tasting port and can even get the coils inserted for an extra cost but the quality looks fantastic as in they didnt go cheap with the production. And the price points arent ridiculous but a little higher. But I give that to the costs associated with the rebuild and then producing a new line. I do know the costs posted and pictures are the exact item you will buy when they are launched.

 

[panaceabeachbum]

here is a thread where i asked a similar question last year and settled on one on the upper end of the spectrum

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=591682

 

[augiedoggy]

I have a stout 12.5 gallon conical, a friend has 2 ss brewing conicals. The stout conicals are made of a heavier gauge stainless and are polished which makes them easier to clean they appear to be welded vs stamped like the thinner walled conicals. Its also sanitary, without the weldless fittings to have to disassemble and sanitize.
That said they both work well and get the job done.. Im not sure if the half barrel model is the same but the 12.5 has a design that makes it easier to use a jacket to cool it wrap with a heat strip since the legs are not in the way. the taller design also allows more headspace with less blowoff withe the same amount of wort in the same size conical (I have 2 12.5 gallon conicals, a shorter wider one and the stout and the shorter conical often gets messy blowoff through the blowoff tube which rarely happens on my taller stout conical.)