Food grade plastic fermenters

[tmccumber]

Hi. I wanted to know if anyone has experience with the food grade plastic or PET fermenters? Cost and size seem nice compared to glass and stainless. Fermonster PET seem interesting.

Thanks

 

[OleBrewing]

I have been planning to buy a plastic conical from us plastics for a while. Still use buckets then glass for long term beers. Plastic is great it's lighter doesn't break and much easier to clean. But stainless steel is still king. Cost is usually the factor. But keep in mind glass un broken will still last forever and plastic will eventually soak up some residuals over time.

 

[Malticulous]

I Like Plastic Fermenters.

 

[Deric]

Broke a carboy several years ago. Will never use glass again. Currently ferment in a 7 gallon Fermonster and 2 6 gallon Torpedo kegs. The Fermonster works great, light weight, easy to clean and with a few modifications is great for closed transfers.

Fermonster Closed Transfer

 

[tmccumber]

Thank you for replies. I should have specified kombucha brewing. I used to brew beer but non drinking has shut that down. I just started making kombucha and my glass carboys won't work for this due to narrow opening. Was thinking the 3 gallon fermonster PET. Good size, good cost for one or 2 people drinking.

Thanks again

 

[bwible]

Fermonsters are awesome. My only complaint is they don’t make a 5 gallon size for whatever reason. You can get 1 gallon, 3 gallon, 6 gallon, or 7.5 gallon sizes but no 5 gallon. I love love love the wide mouth opening which makes it easy to clean compared to other carboys and for adding dry hops, oak, or whatever.

 

[hottpeper13]

I use a 2.5 gal ceramic water dispenser with a valve for dispensing. Whichever direction you go it's best to have a valve for tasting so you don't disturb the scoby. And I bottle rite from the valve into 16 oz flip tops.

 

[BongoYodeler]

I have a 30 liter Speidel fermenter. It's food grade and built like a plastic tank. No real complaints with it except you can't really see through it, if watching fermentation progress is a big thing to you. I've heard of people cold crashing with them, but I don't and wouldn't recommend doing it.
Also, NorCal Brewing has a lot of custom made options for these fermenters. All that said I've been getting in to fermenting in a corny keg lately.

 

[SanPancho]

the fermzilla fermenters should still be good for you doing kombucha. (like @Malticulous has ^) the wide mouth lids should let you pull the scoby out when it's done, which is the the issue with carboys. cleaning is easy with the big lid hole.

PET is way lower in leaching oxygen than HDPE plastic like buckets, so it wont push more acetic
there's the bottom dump, if you do any sort of dumping of the muck at the bottom
they have the bottom canister that can be used to add more stuff like fruits, hops, etc. after scoby has formed
You can pressurize the ferment so its carbed and ready right from the fermenter, or closed transfer to keg
the floating diptube should probably be fine for samples, hopefully the scoby will grow over it. worst case, add one or two stainless nuts/washers/etc to the line to pull the float ball an inch below the surface, and you'll be all set. scoby will grow right over it.

they're way cheaper than stainless, easy to clean for kombucha, and do pressure.

 

[tmccumber]

Interesting. I had not thought of that option. I have a few of them from my beer brewing days.

I have a 30 liter Speidel fermenter. It's food grade and built like a plastic tank. No real complaints with it except you can't really see through it, if watching fermentation progress is a big thing to you. I've heard of people cold crashing with them, but I don't and wouldn't recommend doing it.
Also, NorCal Brewing has a lot of custom made options for these fermenters. All that said I've been getting in to fermenting in a corny keg lately

 

[BongoYodeler]

Interesting. I had not thought of that option. I have a few of them from my beer brewing days.

LOL. I assumed, without looking at the category this was originally posted in, that this was a beer related question. My bad. I hope they work for you, or that you find something that will.

 

[z-bob]

Broke a carboy several years ago. Will never use glass again. Currently ferment in a 7 gallon Fermonster and 2 6 gallon Torpedo kegs. The Fermonster works great, light weight, easy to clean and with a few modifications is great for closed transfers.

Fermonster Closed Transfer

Same here, except I won't say never. I use glass carboys for wine, very carefully now. And I still use 1 gallon glass jugs for small batches of mead.
Mostly I use white 5 and 6 gallon buckets, and disposable 4-gallon PET carboys: https://www.menards.com/main/grocer...n-water-jug/200000/p-1560407760538-c-6646.htm I just bought a new one a couple of weeks ago and threw away (recycled) one that was getting pretty old.

Edit: Oops, I didn't realize this was a kombucha thread. I use Utz cheese ball or pretzel barrels for that. I believe they are PET plastic.

 

[rushpapers]

One problem with plastic Fermenters is that micro plastics will get into your brew. Larger micros get put into your brew through abrasion from metal instruments. Smaller micros shed from heat and friction.

I recommend stainless steel. NSF approved—American, German, Italian…

Stay away from the Chinese stuff—it’s metallurgical mystery meat.