Fermenters - is there anything new??

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TonyKZ1

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Hello All. I'm looking at replacing my plastic 6.5G fermenter buckets. I've had/used them for several years now. They've got stains of course, but after cleaning them from the last fermenting/bottling I did last weekend, I'm now noticing some deep scratches too.
They're still working good I guess, well other than the one fermenter bucket that I drilled a spigot hole in and drilled it too big
:oops:


I've still got my 2-Brew Demon 3G conicals and my 2+ Mr. Beer 2.5G LBKs, they're still in good shape as I only use them for 1G recipes anymore. So I guess I could go back to using those, and just splitting a 5G recipe into two fermenters.
I like the idea of the Big Demon conical fermenter from Brew Demon ($160) and The Catalyst Fermentation System from Craft a Brew ($199), but they're both pretty expensive.

Or do I just order a couple more 6.5G fermenters from somewhere online, or go by my somewhat-local (an hour away from home or work) home brew shop and see if he's still open and has any in stock.
Hmmm, decisions, decisions...
 
Yeah, that's one reason I like the BrewDemon 3G and the 1G glass jugs as I like watching the fermentation process too. I've not had any problems with the 1G recipes in the glass jugs, so I guess the light isn't causing any issues.

I also like having spigots in my fermenters as it makes bottling a little easier/quicker, just bottle from the fermenter, ie. not needing to transfer the wort/beer to a bottling bucket.
 
I'm considering getting a second SS Brewtech brewbucket... One thing they need to develop is a screen or some kind of filter for the racking arm for dry hopping. Great fermenter though. I just cannot possibly imagine ever using an autosiphon again. What a pain the a$$
 
I'm considering getting a second SS Brewtech brewbucket... One thing they need to develop is a screen or some kind of filter for the racking arm for dry hopping. Great fermenter though. I just cannot possibly imagine ever using an autosiphon again. What a pain the a$$
Have you seen the Pure Screens? I've always thought that these would be a good mod to the brew bucket dip tube, and plan on trying it on our next beer with dry hops (let's be honest, I dry hop everything, lol).
 
Have you seen the Pure Screens? I've always thought that these would be a good mod to the brew bucket dip tube, and plan on trying it on our next beer with dry hops (let's be honest, I dry hop everything, lol).
Will that fit on the pick up tube in the brewbuckets?? If so, that's a game changer roght thur.
 
Have you seen the Pure Screens? I've always thought that these would be a good mod to the brew bucket dip tube, and plan on trying it on our next beer with dry hops (let's be honest, I dry hop everything, lol).

I just measured the OD of the Brew Bucket dip tube. It's about .395, so too large for the 3/8" I.D. Pure Screen to slide over it. I suppose the Pure Screen could be attached to the end of the dip tube with a bit of plastic tubing.

Might have to consider that, as I've had a few clogs while racking from the BB.
 
I just measured the OD of the Brew Bucket dip tube. It's about .395, so too large for the 3/8" I.D. Pure Screen to slide over it. I suppose the Pure Screen could be attached to the end of the dip tube with a bit of plastic tubing.

Might have to consider that, as I've had a few clogs while racking from the BB.
Dang. Thanks for the information. It needs something because I've had clogs before as well from dry hopping.
 
It's definitely a little big, but still going to put it through it's paces. I might try a stepless clamp, but seems like no clamp would be better than no filter, and still give it plenty of surface area to filter out some hop matter.
 
@beersk - why not try the larger screens like Kettle Screen Stainless Steel 6" , you will just need to press down on the stainless a little where you want to clamp it on the dip tube.

By the way, I only referenced brewchatter site as I was looking at the other screen. I also do not have the brewbucket, just thought that this option would work though.
 
We've been using a 55l FermZilla with great results. It is super light weight and you can do pressure transfers with it straight to a keg or dump trub, harvest yeast, and carbonate and serve from it. We would eventually like to get a stainless fermenter, but it is hard to overlook the performance that we are getting out of the FermZilla.
 
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Unless you’re dead set on having a conical dump, I usually always recommend fermenting in sankey kegs and ditching the plastic. Sub 5 gallon batch = 1/6 bbl, 5 gallon batch = 1/4 bbl slim, 10-14 gallon batch = 1/2 bbl. Floating dip tubes are the way to go. With a couple tri clamp and ball lock parts you’re fermenting in a pressure rated vessel that’s easy to clean/sanitize, and will outlast anything plastic. Check out the link in my sig.
 
@beersk - why not try the larger screens like Kettle Screen Stainless Steel 6" , you will just need to press down on the stainless a little where you want to clamp it on the dip tube.

By the way, I only referenced brewchatter site as I was looking at the other screen. I also do not have the brewbucket, just thought that this option would work though.
I'm not really sure how this would work for the SS Brewtech brewbucket. I think I'm just going to quit dry hopping in the fermenter and do late additions/hopstands and keg hops. Simpler and I don't have to open up the fermenter once it's sealed.
 
I have one of these 7.6G Kegmenter and like it well. Essentially a converted keg with a 4" tri-clamp opening and a a floating dip tube. Works well for pressurized fermenting and transfers. Not as sexy or as feature-rich as a conical, but much cheaper but infinitely more durable than plastic buckets.
 
For the price, the Spiedel fermenters are hard to beat. Fermonsters looks quite great too.

I have two fast ferment conicals for ales and a SS Brewtech brewbucket with chilling for lagers. If I had to do it again, I'd still get the brewbucket but I would get two spiedels as i don't really harvest and farm yeast.
 
For the price, the Spiedel fermenters are hard to beat. Fermonsters looks quite great too...

I have one of those too, but so far have only used for a 6G batch of wine. I agree they are a good value. So far, I only ferment one batch of beer at a time, so the one "good" fermenter is sufficient for my current needs.
 
I have one of these 7.6G Kegmenter and like it well. Essentially a converted keg with a 4" tri-clamp opening and a a floating dip tube. Works well for pressurized fermenting and transfers. Not as sexy or as feature-rich as a conical, but much cheaper but infinitely more durable than plastic buckets.
Do you harvest yeast from this fermenter? If so, is it fairly easy or kind of a pain? Also, cleaning, how do you clean it well? Stick your arm in there and scrub or do you have some kind of CIP process you employ?
 
Do you harvest yeast from this fermenter? If so, is it fairly easy or kind of a pain? Also, cleaning, how do you clean it well? Stick your arm in there and scrub or do you have some kind of CIP process you employ?
I'll chime in based on my own experience. After racking beer, either clean right away, or leave under CO2 pressure and don't allow oxygen to enter the tank. Dried out/oxidized krausen/yeast cake will take extra elbow grease.

Once rinsed as good as possible, I pour in a couple quarts of hot pbw soultion and shake the keg and slosh it around for 5 minutes. Rinse, sanitize, and then put a 2" tri-clamp plastic cap on the keg connection (same size and snaps right on).

A 4" tri clamp opening is enough to fit your arm through (only my forearm) and scrub as needed. However the method I described above negates the need for internal elbow grease.
 
Do you harvest yeast from this fermenter? If so, is it fairly easy or kind of a pain? Also, cleaning, how do you clean it well? Stick your arm in there and scrub or do you have some kind of CIP process you employ?

I have just started harvesting yeast. It's not too bad really. I just turn it over into a sanitized bucket or similar. Surely not as elegant as a conical, but does the job. For cleaning I recently built a CIP setup using a sump pump and a timer, shown in the pix here. Prior to that, I would just scrub it out by hand. The 4" opening is sufficient to do that. I use the CIP for corny kegs, kettle, transfer buckets and the like. I also built a manifold to clean beer lines using a fountain pump (green in the pix). What I don't like is how much foam PBW produces (or in this case straight OxyClean). Aside from that, it works well.
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For the price, the Spiedel fermenters are hard to beat. Fermonsters looks quite great too.

I have two fast ferment conicals for ales and a SS Brewtech brewbucket with chilling for lagers. If I had to do it again, I'd still get the brewbucket but I would get two spiedels as i don't really harvest and farm yeast.


I have 2 Speidel fermenters (30l). Just a good, basic fermenter. Guy on eBay has them for $45 shipped. I also use a 10G Torpedo Keg for my pressurized fermentations. Very happy with both setups.
 
I have 3 Fermzilla All-Rounders (7.5gallon) and absolutely love them. They allow for pressure fermentation and pressure transfers, have the ability to had thermowells and coiling coils if you end up going that route. They're super clear so watching fermentation is a blast. The opening is also plenty big to make cleanout a breeze. They're also pretty damn cheap. If you haven't at least looked into them, spend the 15-20 minutes before making a purchase. Not quite as easy to harvest yeast as a Fermzilla conical, but not a big deal to me because I just over build starters and keep my yeast rolling that way.
 
I have a conical fermzilla and its a pain in the a$$. The threads always end up too tight and I can never get the collection jar off unless I use the strap wrench they provide. Lying on the ground, cursing and trying to get the damn jar off with a full fermenter is not my idea of fun. I'll sell you mine for cheep if you live in so cal. LOL, I have fermonsters and an SS conical brewbucket (no yeast trap), and I really like using these. I haven't tried to do a pressure transfer with the SS, but have with the fermonster with the DIY lid and it works okay. :mug:
 
The threads always end up too tight and I can never get the collection jar off unless I use the strap wrench
Ditto this. I love the ausi approach here, simple parts, using coke bottle screw caps, & PET etc to make the cheapest, very functional unitank you can get (to my knowledge). And it works great... but the screw threads can be a pita. Constant pressure and they always shift for me but I wish for a 4 inch tri-clamp...
I tend to use it over my gf conical unless I have a brew on the go already though which says something... cold crashing under 15 psi is excellent peace of mind if you have a neipa in there... seeing your hops all release from magnet bags and yeast/trub/hops drop out into the collection pot when you crash is reassurance thats worth the awkward screw threads for me...
 
Tomorrow I am receiving a 6.1 gallon Torpedo keg that I plan on using as a fermenter. Seems like a number of people use them, but I can't find any good reviews of using them as fermenters. I plan on writing something up after I have used it the first time.
 
First impressions of the Torpedo 6.1....
  • Man this thing is light. I'll toss it on a scale this weekend, but compared to my corny kegs, it's really easy to move around.
  • Finish is really easy to scratch. I have pin locks, so the first thing I did was swap the posts to pin lock... and scratched the finish near one of the posts when my wrench slipped off. If having a pretty keg is important to you, you may want to skip the Torpedo.
  • Ships with a little bit of pressure; I guess to ensure that it seals. Not enough to harm anything and I released it just by opening the lid and pressing down.
Awaiting my floating dip tube and then I'll be able to truly assess this thing's value as a fermenter. IMO, it seems to be the best "budget" stainless fermenter option out there right now. We'll see how it performs.

I plan on using a pin lock connector on the gas inlet with a blow off tube for a day or two, then use a jumper from the gas in to the beer out of my serving keg (with a Spunding valve on the gas port) to purge my serving keg.
 
+1 on the kegmentor iv got 2, great for closed transfers. Cleanup is easy after I picked up my ss brewtech keg washer.
 
I've been mostly happy with my 2 Brew Buckets, but just saw this in a recent issue of Zymurgy, an 8-gal ss fermenter from Delta that should give the Brew Bucket a run for their money. It's a gallon larger, has a thermowell and thermometer, domed lid to hold up to pressure transfers, welded drain valve, adjustable legs, and a few other things. And at a few bucks below the price of the basic 7-gal BB.
 
did my first purged closed transfer with the Fermonster DIY pressure lid, Turning your Fermonster into a complete closed transfer system for cheap! it worked great. Now I have to see if it makes a difference. The only problem with that is I never make the same beer twice. LOL :mug:
I just did my first Fermonster closed transfer last week, too. Even if it had no oxygen benefits, the ease of transfer alone would make me a convert. I was using glass carboys before, but I don't think I'll ever go back, unless I do a split batch and need two fermenters at once.
 
+1 on the kegmentor iv got 2, great for closed transfers. Cleanup is easy after I picked up my ss brewtech keg washer.

I like the Kegmenter as well. They even come with a floating dip tube now, which is great.
 
I considered the Kegmenter, but went with the 6 gallon Torpedo instead, mainly due to cost. Even after adding the floating dip tube the, 6 gallon is cheaper than the Kegmenter. Any advantage to the Kegmenter which I may have not recognized?
 
I considered the Kegmenter, but went with the 6 gallon Torpedo instead, mainly due to cost. Even after adding the floating dip tube the, 6 gallon is cheaper than the Kegmenter. Any advantage to the Kegmenter which I may have not recognized?

You can get a 15 gallon one. Not sure if Torpedos have that size.
 
You can get a 15 gallon one. Not sure if Torpedos have that size.

Edited: NM... I misread your post.

Torpedo does have a 15 gallon keg... And again with the cost of the dip tube, it would still be cheaper than the Kegmenter.

I only do 5 gallon batches, so a 15 gallon is too much for me. Any advantage of the Kegmenter other than that size?
 
Edited: NM... I misread your post.

Torpedo does have a 15 gallon keg... And again with the cost of the dip tube, it would still be cheaper than the Kegmenter.

I only do 5 gallon batches, so a 15 gallon is too much for me. Any advantage of the Kegmenter other than that size?

Looks like the only difference is that the kegmenter has a larger triclamp opening, making it easier to clean
 
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