Fav fermentation vessel?

[radwizard]

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.

 

[ddibbern5]

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!

 

[STMF]

My favourites are corny kegs.

* Stainless steel
* Allows oxygen free transfers
* Cheap
* Already have quite a few of them

 

[fragged]

My favourites are corny kegs.

* Stainless steel
* Allows oxygen free transfers
* Cheap
* Already have quite a few of them

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.

 

[raysmithtx]

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.

 

[STMF]

Assuming you use a spunding valve? Also, doesn't this limit your net to 4.5 ish gallons? Or do you use two kegs?

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.

 

[BrewZer]

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!