Deep Wood Brew Products

[erikrocks]

I picked up one of THESE when I was at NHC in Philly. They had a special $50 off promotion going, so it was only $150. I've brewed with it twice since and it's awesome! Extremely lightweight, very easy to clean, and the handles make it much easier and safer to haul around than a glass carboy. Additionally, it has a greater capacity than the 12 gallons stated on the product description. I was able to ferment 12 3/4 gallons of lager with a few inches of headroom. The port on the bottom is a nice extra, but I removed my ball valve after the first batch. The hazard of breaking it off while lifting the Cavern in and out of my freezer outweighed the possibility that I would want to dump yeast from it.

The Cavern was a great second fermentor to my Brewhemoth. I'm getting rid of my 6+ gallon glass carboys for good now...

 

[hunter_le five]

Thanks for the review! I've been looking real hard at their 7 gallon model, but was hesitant because I hadn't seen any reviews yet.

 

[hanson95]

Thanks for the review! I've been looking real hard at their 7 gallon model, but was hesitant because I hadn't seen any reviews yet.

I've been meaning to get around to writing a review as well. I have the 5 gallon, and I LOVE it! Like the previous poster said, it's lightweight and handles make for very easy handling. The best part is that it's as easy to clean as my brew kettle.

I think Deep Woods should edit their site to reflect how much these things actually hold. When I was first looking at them, I thought I HAD to get the 7 gallon because I want to ferment 5 1/2 - 6 gallons. After emailing the company, I found out that the "5 gallon" Cavern holds over 6 gallons. I have 5 1/2 in there now with a few inches to spare. I pitched 2 smack packs for my Scottish Ale with no need for a blow-out tube (not that I won't ever need one).

Yes, it's a luxury, but one I'm willing to pay for.:rockin:

 

[hunter_le five]

....I thought I HAD to get the 7 gallon because I want to ferment 5 1/2 - 6 gallons. After emailing the company, I found out that the "5 gallon" Cavern holds over 6 gallons.

Damn, thanks for the tip! I was thinking the exact same thing! I guess I'll get the "5 gallon" one, which will fit better in my ferm chamber anyway.

 

[hanson95]

Damn, thanks for the tip! I was thinking the exact same thing! I guess I'll get the "5 gallon" one, which will fit better in my ferm chamber anyway.

Oh, right, that's another thing I like about this fermenter - it fits in my fermentation freezer, which won't even hold a 6 gallon plastic bucket.

 

[erikrocks]

I think Deep Woods should edit their site to reflect how much these things actually hold. When I was first looking at them, I thought I HAD to get the 7 gallon because I want to ferment 5 1/2 - 6 gallons. After emailing the company, I found out that the "5 gallon" Cavern holds over 6 gallons. I have 5 1/2 in there now with a few inches to spare. I pitched 2 smack packs for my Scottish Ale with no need for a blow-out tube (not that I won't ever need one).

Yeah, it's a marketing gaff on their part. A 5-gallon glass carboy is this that...it holds 5 gallons. Why they would call a 6+ gallon fermentor a "5 gallon" Cavern beats me.

 

[davcar74]

Thanks also for that tip as it's on my list as my next purchase but the 5 gal "limit" was stressing me out

 

[hunter_le five]

Finally picked up a "5 gallon" Brew Cavern from my HBS a few weeks back. So far I'm really impressed. My first beer using the cavern is finishing up right now.

I've always been a bucket-brewer, made a brief foray into SS conicals before deciding it wasn't worth it and selling it, and now this seems to be a great compromise between the two.

I added a $12 thermowell, which makes controlling the temp of the fermenting beer a snap. No more guesswork and constantly adjusting ambient temp to achieve desired beer temp. The cavern came with two 1/2" threaded ports, so it took me all of 10 seconds to install. I might add a ball valve to the bottom port, but right now I'm not sure I need it.

My only complaint (minor) is that the lid gasket seems to be pretty loose, and every time I unscrew the lid, it tries to fall off the lid and into the beer. I'll need to find a way to remedy this.

Another note is that the volume seems to be slightly over 6 gallons. For fermenting ales and lagers of modest gravity at controlled temperatures, this seems fine for fermenting 5.25 gallon batches. I added a few drops of fermcap just to be on the safe side, but so far no blowoff has been needed. If I do a higher gravity beer or a more vigorous yeast, I will probably need to rig a blowoff tube on there.

Apart from that, this is my favorite fermenter I've ever used, and probably my 2nd-best brewing investment ever made (after temp-control). At ~$135, it's a pretty cost effective way to get into stainless steel fermenters without breaking the bank.

 

[AleForce1]

Just wanted to say how great it is to deal with Deep Wood Brew Products. They stand behind the products that they sell.

I've purchased several products from them... the growlers, bottles and carboys. Recently I went to use a 2L SS growler that had never used and found that it was leaking. I contacted DWB and they promptly sent me a replacement & I sent the defective one back.

 

[bucksnort999]

How long did it take for them to respond? I have left 3 email messages over last week and no response. Do you have a phone number?


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[AleForce1]

Everytime I've contacted them (email only), It's usually been the same day.

 

[bucksnort999]

I used the contact section on the web page. No response. Do you have an address?


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[AleForce1]

The email address I've used is the same as what appears on the bottom right section of their website.