Fermonster size

[Jloewe]

Looking at some new fermenters as my buckets got lacto and I don’t want to use glass.

Pretty much decided on Fermonster because it’s cheap and has a system and easy mods.

Trying to decide what size. I do 3g batches but I’m planning on going Kviek krazy this year and maybe running on experiments with it.

Do I upgrade to the 6g for headspace on the aggressive beast from the north? Or save my money and get more 3g vessels so I can get into experimenting sooner?

 

[Broken Crow]

When I first began brewing in glass carboys for bottling, I became determined to finish with a full 5G batch in bottles. I naively put 5 1/4G in a 6G carboy and lost about 3/4G out the blow-off.
Though twice your batch size might seem excessive, you will produce enough CO2 to purge the headspace.
Go with the 6G.

 

[hotbeer]

You mention experimenting there at the end. So if that experimenting is to be splitting up a 5 - 6 gallon boil into different FV's. Then why not start off with several smaller FV's. Though they are really hard to find. At least they are for me.

But practically, you are probably going to still need at least one FV that can ferment the entire boil amount. So it does make sense to first get the 6 gallon FV even if you only put 3 full gallons in it.

I like the idea of clear FV's. I use to use 1 gallon glass jugs and seeing what the beer is doing without having to open the FV is sometimes fascinating if nothing else. I've since moved on to a 3 gallon Fast Ferment which is not clear. And it has taken quite a bit of effort and expense on my part to make it work correctly. Those plastic valves and the pipe thread connection to the FV are problems. I had to get a sanitary flange adapter, SS butterfly valve and site glass to be able to use it as a conical is intended.

I'll probably go with a Fermonster or Fermzilla for my next FV purchase. I've learned that conical fermenters don't really do much for me other than let me bottle directly from the FV. Beer to me tastes about the same whether it sits on trub the entire time or not. Though I'd actually claim it's better when on the trub the entire time. But only as a personal preference for the taste and not as a beer judge or trained taster.