FastBrewing.com

[guapodad]

These folks have provided great customer service. I had a problem with a gasket (FastFerment), they mailed me another. Had a problem with that gasket providing proper seal, and after exhausting a few tricks that failed they mailed me another fermenter body. In short: they will stop at nothing to make you happy with their products.

I highly recommend you try the FastFerment, it has made brewing much much much easier. http://www.fastbrewing.com/

 

[Mobstar76]

Hello folks.

I seem to be the only one that has a huge complaint about Fast Ferment conical fermenter.
Has anyone else been experiencing problems with the yeast building up in the narrow part of the vessel right before the valve?

I'm on my second batch and both times the sediments sit above the valve and doesn't make it's way to the collection bulb.
The first time I ended up filling the bulb with beer, re-installed it then re-opened the valve. it looks like the carbonation dislodged the yeast and it dropped. The second time I didn't have beer so I just sanitized it and opened the valve. it sucked a bunch of air in from the top and the yeast still just sat there.

I purchased this to minimize air exposure to the wort and also to reduce the workload but it's been a major pain since day 1.

 

[chezhed]

Never had that problem....with any of my 3 Fast Fermenters. Sometimes it may take a day to drop if I didn't open the valve when I meant to. I usually wait one day and then open the valve, whether I have "seen" activity or not. And the ball is empty because I think that burst of air gives the yeast a little more O2 and it does help to dislodge any trub, coldbreak, yeast that has settled.
Is this problem related to different yeasts and brews or always the same?

 

[trailrider]

I have two FF and have not had the problem you've described. I usually let the wort settle in the boil kettle for 30 minutes or so before it goes into the FF. This seems to help minimize the sediment going into the FF.

 

[CudaJoe]

I have a fast fermenter that I havent even taken out of the box yet.. I dont have a stand and Im not wall mounting it... Seems like a great idea but should always come with a stand. It was a gift and I saw the wire stand is sold separately for like $50. I'll stick to my kegs, buckets, and carboys.

 

[Mobstar76]

I have two FF and have not had the problem you've described. I usually let the wort settle in the boil kettle for 30 minutes or so before it goes into the FF. This seems to help minimize the sediment going into the FF.

I haven't even tried using this with a beer I brewed. I used a full 25l kit beer. Basically just pour it into the FF and add yeast. The Wort is super clear with zero sludge from the brewing process. I went back to the basics to experiment with the FF. So far I'm not liking it.

 

[Vandulus]

I tried a FastFerment for four batches before I sold it in favor of a SS Brewtech Brew Bucket. For starters I did experience the same problem with the yeast buildup being so thick that the valve clogged. I also had numerous headaches with trying to get the seals tight. I now use this inline filter when transferring beer from my Brew Bucket and haven't had any issues since.

 

[Mobstar76]

I tried a FastFerment for four batches before I sold it in favor of a SS Brewtech Brew Bucket. For starters I did experience the same problem with the yeast buildup being so thick that the valve clogged. I also had numerous headaches with trying to get the seals tight. I now use this inline filter when transferring beer from my Brew Bucket and haven't had any issues since.

Thanks for the info.
Do you need a pump to push it through the filter or does gravity work?
Also, is the filter small enough to catch all the yeast sediments?

 

[Vandulus]

Thanks for the info.
Do you need a pump to push it through the filter or does gravity work?
Also, is the filter small enough to catch all the yeast sediments?

I've been using this filter with gravity only. This filter has a small screen mesh and will catch the larger trub particles, but it does allow yeast through. I need some yeast since I bottle. If you're looking for something finer, you'll probably want to look at a plate filter system.

 

[Owly055]

I installed a spigot above the typical trub level on my FF after the first brew, and can't imagine using one without. Like a typical stainless steel conical, you don't rack from the bottom.
I've done 21 brews in it so far with no complaints at all. Just cleaned it after 20 brews using it as a continuous brew with Kviek yeast. 2 gallons (33%) drained off and replaced with fresh wort every week. The yeast ball was used to protect the yeast as I added the wort boiling hot directly from the boil, allowed the total amount of wort to cool and pitched the yeast back. At the end of 19 brews, the product was the same as at the beginning.

I'm very happy with the FF except for the stupid gasket under the lid. I replaced that with one I made from silicon rubber. Unlike a stainless conical, you can sort of see what's going on. I'd have preferred a clear plexiglass unit though.


H.W.

 

[TorMag]

I have a fast fermenter that I havent even taken out of the box yet.. I dont have a stand and Im not wall mounting it... Seems like a great idea but should always come with a stand. It was a gift and I saw the wire stand is sold separately for like $50. I'll stick to my kegs, buckets, and carboys.

You can get the stand for $30 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2ipN0WZ

I love my fast ferment. Yeah, you get trub build up in the neck, but if you change the ball out, it will drop. If you have too much and it's not dropping, you might need to look at your brew process.

Also, I have mine wall mounted, love it there, keg fits right underneath for easy filling.

 

[chezhed]

You can make stands. Do a search on the fast ferment discussions here and you will see many, many ideas... I made three for the price of 6 8' 2x4.
And TorMag is right...change the ball, and the trub build up does drop on out. I've got a few hundred brews through my 3 and not one has ever stuck like mentioned.

 

[TorMag]

I like mine so much I'm building a fermentation chamber for it. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1503534649.595937.jpg

 

[stan1007]

Zero issues with mine. I don't open the valve on mine until the day before I'm ready to transfer to a keg. You don't want to fill the ball with anything. Attach it empty, open the valve and let gravity work.

 

[Brett_Bellmore]

Just got two of the "3 gallon" model for my birthday. (They're assembled and leak testing now.)

I suppose the only complaint I've got at this point is that they should call it a "2 1/2 gallon" fermenter; I measured the water when filling it for the leak test, and you'd have to fill it to the brim to reach 3 gallons. My "3 gallon" glass carboy has 3 gallons capacity with a decent head space.

Not a big issue for future batches, but I've got 3 gallons of mead in the primary I'd planned on transferring to the new fermenter for secondary, and I'm going to have a little bit left over after I fill it as high as feasible.

 

[Brett_Bellmore]

Well, I had my first issue with one of them: Closed the valve before unscrewing the jar to remove the lees from under a cyser, and as soon as the threads got loose, it started leaking. The handle had turned, but the valve hadn't. Had to screw it back up tight real quick!

I talked to Fastferment about it, and they've mailed me a new valve, free of charge. Mind, I meant to do something about it this weekend, so I ordered one from Amazon before they got back to me, but I'll have a spare in the future.

No real complaints about the company, I didn't expect hardware that cheap to be terribly robust.