Fav fermentation vessel?
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IKR
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I think you're looking for alternatives but personally I'm still good with my carboys. I use alternatives to glass at times (Betterbottle), but the tight seal and easy cleaning are good with me. I'll live with the more difficult transfers compared to other fermentation vessels.
cheers
cheers
LLBeanJ
Well-Known Member
SS Brewtech Brew Bucket. Easy to fill, easy to clean, no glass or plastic, fits in my chest freezer ferm chamber. Mine is set up for CO2 pressure transfers and CO2 back-purge during cold crashing.
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Grod1
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im really feeling the fermonster carboy 7-gal because i can brew enough to fill a 5 gallon keg. they also great for large fruit additions. so far i have bought 3 in the last 3 months.
but it doesnt have a racking arm its all the same. if you want something " better" get something you can rack out of without a auto syphon.
but it doesnt have a racking arm its all the same. if you want something " better" get something you can rack out of without a auto syphon.
Better Bottles. Inexpensive, light, clear, safe. Easy Peasy! I have no need for fancy fermenters at the moment.
Just used mine for the first time last weekend and I couldn't agree more. Best vessel I have used. Easy to clean. Easy to sanitize. Easy to do CO2 transfer. Easy to take samples. Easy to dry hop (if you add a 1.5" TC fitting...which I'd recommend).
TANSTAAFB
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I'd like to go stainless, but for the price? I love my Speidel!
casualbrewer
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My brew pot! Never have to sanitize again lol. Mash, boil, and ferment all in same vessel. Always sanitized before each fermentation. Works well for me because I don't ever start a new brew while one is still fermenting.
Anything that lets me avoid using the autosiphon is a good start.
(I too like my Ss bucket, and plan to get a second one.)
(I too like my Ss bucket, and plan to get a second one.)
I’n also a big fan of the 7 gallon Fermonsters and recently bought 3 as well. Lots of room for 5 gallon batches. Convenient 5, 6 and 7 gallon volume markings. Light, durable and easy to clean with the large opening. I’ve added spigots to mine—they have an indentation just for that purpose and keg transfers are so nice with a spigot. They’re just about perfect. My only complaint is the black gasket in the lids can be finicky sometimes.
Stainless looks great but I love that I can fit two 7 gallon Fermonsters in the chest freezer I use as a fermentation chamber.
I was using 6.5 gallon glass carboy but recently upgraded to 7 gallon Fermonsters (currently have 6 clean and 2 sour) and am loving them. I normally have ~6 gallons going into fermenter and have yet to have the need for a blow off. With a 6.5 gallon carboy I almost always needed one.
I'm content with glass carboys for now. I use Brewhaulers to carry and the risks for me are minimal. However, I'd like to switch to stainless at some point. No more siphoning and easier to clean and sanitize. I like the 7 gal. Brew Bucket, as it would not be too tall to fit into my ferm chamber.
I have glass carboys and a few 7 gallon fermonsters but I prefer 6.5 gallon plastic brew bucket. Its what I first started using and I've never had any issues with them. When one gets discolored or scratched I use it for a yard work bucket and just by a new one for brewing.
Kerrbrewer
I just wanna brew!
Beer: 7 gallon Chapman UniVessel. Modified with internal ss coil for lagering. Cider and wine its glass.
I use 15 gallon screw-top drums for 12 gallon batches. I love them and the lids have a silicone gasket. For smaller batches I use 7.9 gal buckets. If money were no object I would buy stainless. Something with a sampling port, and able to pressurize. Fermentasaurus looks like a nice spot in the middle.
Clearly bucking the prevailing wisdom I use 6.5 gallon Italian glass exclusively.
I'm the original owner for all six of them, the oldest is 14 and the youngest 11, and I know each one by name
I treat them like the grenades they are: they've never experienced thermal shock, never mind physical knocks.
But I wouldn't advocate this path to anyone less OC than me
Cheers!
I'm the original owner for all six of them, the oldest is 14 and the youngest 11, and I know each one by name
I treat them like the grenades they are: they've never experienced thermal shock, never mind physical knocks.
But I wouldn't advocate this path to anyone less OC than me
Cheers!
cooper
Well-Known Member
Looks like MoreBeer is running a sale right now:
https://www.morebeer.com/products/ss-brewtech-brewmaster-brew-bucket-7-gal-fermenter.html
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When I first brewed a little under a year ago, I was researching equipment and stumbled across the SS Brewtech thread regarding the SS Brew Buckets on here. I remember reading someone say that they will never go back to using anything else after their experience with their SS Brew Bucket. That was good enough for me, so I splurged a little and got one. Now a have 2 of them and their 7 gal. Chronical. Their products are the only thing I’ve ever used but their range of products, service, and quality have treated me so good I haven’t thought of using anything else thus far. My goal is to save up for one more Chronical from them so I get in a routine of brewing/kegging something on a weekly basis, and if I want to do more maybe go with a cheaper carboy later to try it out, but they’ve been nothing but fantastic thus far.
I use Speidels exclusively. I love 'em.
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Another Ss brewbucket convert here. I have other options but usually just wait til the brewbucket is free!
Never buy their stuff from anyone but them directly. The MB "sale" price is the list price from SS direct.
Another vote for the Brew Buckets - I have 2 of the ones with thermowells and love how easy they are to use and clean. After losing a batch to a cracked glass carboy and having nothing but frustration with a leaking FastFerment, Brew Buckets are my favorite.
$185 for the regular brew bucket http://www.birdmanbrewing.com/brew-bucket-stainless-fermenter-free-shipping/
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I recently added a 6.5 gal. Minibrew plastic conical to my fermentor line up. Stainless fittings, blocks light, holds temperature like it is insulated. Love it. Maybe a second one will show up soon...
fragged
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I have glass carboys, buckets (with and without spigots), and plastic big mouth bubbler.
The bubbler is my favorite, as it is clear and easy to clean. I'm not a huge fan of the lid on it though, it is just a silicone seal that uses froction to stay in place and will almost come out with the slightest pressure on the bottle.
For those reasons, a fermonster is likely next, unless I splurge decide to get the Brewbucket.
The bubbler is my favorite, as it is clear and easy to clean. I'm not a huge fan of the lid on it though, it is just a silicone seal that uses froction to stay in place and will almost come out with the slightest pressure on the bottle.
For those reasons, a fermonster is likely next, unless I splurge decide to get the Brewbucket.
Solidsnake
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I prefer to use slim quarters with the fermentation conversion kit from brew hardware. I move a lot and plastic won’t hold up and glass will break. It’s a cheap way to get into stainless steel.
triethylborane
Well-Known Member
5gal mexican glass and 6.5 italian glass carboys, plus a few 6.5 brew buckets.
I think about a ss conical from time to time, but I wind up forgetting about it and just use the carboys.
I think about a ss conical from time to time, but I wind up forgetting about it and just use the carboys.
radwizard
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I prefer my 2, 7 G SS Brew Buckets with Temp Cont. I still use carboys for sours, farmhouse's and such, but I just love the ease of the SSBB's, and for my needs (and investment) I wouldn't consider anything else. FWIW, If I won the lottery I would get some true conicals, because they are prettier.
I’m funny about plastic... I won’t ever ferment in a plastic, be it a bucket, carboy, or conical.
Right now I use glass carboys. As soon as I stop getting excited watching the fermentation I’ll switch to stainless... But I don’t think that will ever happen.?
With that said I’ve been following a recent thread about fermenting in 5 gallon kegs that’s very interesting!
Right now I use glass carboys. As soon as I stop getting excited watching the fermentation I’ll switch to stainless... But I don’t think that will ever happen.?
With that said I’ve been following a recent thread about fermenting in 5 gallon kegs that’s very interesting!
fragged
Well-Known Member
Assuming you use a spunding valve? Also, doesn't this limit your net to 4.5 ish gallons? Or do you use two kegs?
My lbhs always has pin locks dirt cheat and every once and awhile ball locks. Have enough ball locks right now to fill the fridge and store 2 more, been thinking if picking up a few more though for fermenting.
I went from glass carboys to Speidels (larger and easier to clean and safer), then to fermenting in corny kegs. I use a spunding valve and the volume is just a little less than a carboy because you can fill the corny almost to the very top. Since you are fermenting under pressure it really keeps the krausen down. I typically fill to the top of the top weld and have never had a problem. Transferring to the serving keg is a snap too. No worries about additional oxygen intake. I'll never go back.
I don't use a sounding valve. I just use a gas connection and a bit of hose.
I don't mind to make 4.5 instead I 5 gallon at all. Its not that big of a difference and if I need more, I just make a double batch.
I started brewing with a 6-gallon Mr Beer that I got for Christmas one year back in the '90's. It's great because (a) wide top so it's easy to fill and clean, (b) clear plastic so you can watch the flocculation, and (c) side spigot 1" off the bottom so you can dump straight to the bottling bucket without much (if any) trub.
Then I graduated to a 7-gallon plastic fermenting bucket. It was OK, but the lid seal could be tricky, and I didn't like the lack of visual feedback. It also sports the wide top, but no spigot, so siphoning and all the issues associated with it. But I got rid of the Mr Beer at a yard sale.
Then the fam came thru again on another Christmas and got me a polyethylene conical fermenter, plenty big enough, with wide top, temp gauge tap, spigot tap, and 1" ball valve at the bottom of the cone. I used it twice, I think, before I went into brewing hiatus. I was worried about all those taps and the potential to harbor bacteria. There was no gasket around the lid, and on my second batch I noted a pellicle on the kreusen -- not pleasant to see, and I think I scared myself off of using it.
Fast forward about 8 years, and while browsing a church garage sale I noticed a brand-new (as in unused) 6-gallon Mr Beer, complete with six two-liter bottles and fermentation lock. They wanted $5 for it, and something pushed me to buy it.
Fast forward another year, and guess what I've brewed my last three batches in? Mr Beer!
Then I graduated to a 7-gallon plastic fermenting bucket. It was OK, but the lid seal could be tricky, and I didn't like the lack of visual feedback. It also sports the wide top, but no spigot, so siphoning and all the issues associated with it. But I got rid of the Mr Beer at a yard sale.
Then the fam came thru again on another Christmas and got me a polyethylene conical fermenter, plenty big enough, with wide top, temp gauge tap, spigot tap, and 1" ball valve at the bottom of the cone. I used it twice, I think, before I went into brewing hiatus. I was worried about all those taps and the potential to harbor bacteria. There was no gasket around the lid, and on my second batch I noted a pellicle on the kreusen -- not pleasant to see, and I think I scared myself off of using it.
Fast forward about 8 years, and while browsing a church garage sale I noticed a brand-new (as in unused) 6-gallon Mr Beer, complete with six two-liter bottles and fermentation lock. They wanted $5 for it, and something pushed me to buy it.
Fast forward another year, and guess what I've brewed my last three batches in? Mr Beer!
