Giving up on my fancy conical...

[seatazzz]

I've looked at the conicals, and while I like the idea of the ease of dumping yeast/trub, they just don't fit in my system. My ferment fridge is an old Samsung side-by-side (don't use the freezer side for anything), and if I went to conicals, I could only ferment one batch at a time. With fermonsters I can fit two. And they are just easier to clean; take off the lid, fill with warm water, and use a microfiber towel to get the gunk out. I can fit my arm all the way to the shoulder in those things. I recently got a pressure-transfer setup for them, and I will never go back to either using an autosiphon or stuffing the tubing into the spigot; it's just too easy, and low oxygen, and CLEAN.

 

[Deric]

I would love to have a conical. It would be great to harvest yeast and dump trub/hops but... Lifting one in and out of a fridge/freezer is not appealing to me. I ferment in my garage that gets over 100 degrees in the summer (98 today) and close to freezing in the winter. Would need a glycol chiller and a heat source...

I've been fermenting in a Fermonster in a chest freezer. Works great. Do pressure transfers when kegging. Only time I have to open it is for dry hopping. To dry hop I loosen the lid then connect CO2 at ~5 psi. Let it flow for a few then open quickly and dump hops in. Put the lid back on half way, let CO2 flow for a few more seconds then disconnect the gas and tighten the lid. For cold crashing I hook up CO2 via a low pressure propane regulator. Works great - biggest problem can be loosening the lid. Only real downside is that I can only ferment one batch at time if I want different temp/fermentation profiles.

After weighing the cost/benefit of a conical (plus glycol, plus heat), I've been looking for 2 wine/beverage fridges that will fit a 7 gal Fermonster so I can have more than one batch going at a time. Hoping I can find a pair that will fit in the same space as my chest freezer for less than the price of a conical..

 

[NoCornOrRice]

I've had a conical for years, but I certainly understand the desire for returning to simplicity. To that end, I got rid of my 3v E-Herms. I put a heating element in the conical so I can mash, boil, ferment, and use it as a keg washer. Only downside is I can only make ~15 gallons (of strong beer) at a time instead of ~23. It's worth it tho. So much easier. Good casters for the fermenter are a must.

 

[GoodTruble]

I think the fermzilla all-rounder is the best bang for your buck, and best option for sub-$thousands home brewing. Dead simple but pressure-capable. And the light weight is great not just for moving but especially for cleaning (wipe down inside with paper towels and then 5 gallons of PET-safe cleaner with lid on, then flip upside down (!) to clean the top side - you can even just pick up and shake like crazy with cleaner inside).

I agree it has a slightly wider footprint than a fermonster, but it has way better pressure rating (want to cold crash? Spund to 7 psi and no suck back).

Plus, I love to watch the fermentation playing out. For me, that's a fun part of the process.

I also highly recommend these for the all-rounder. They slip over the stand and fementer and then the handles fit snug up and over the fermzilla's handles, allowing you to easily carry the fermenter and stand together. ....

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