Going stainless, need advice.

[Miraculix]

You can rack out of a keg just like anything else.

I know but I want to use a spigot.

 

[mongoose33]

It's advice you want?

Here it is: turn back while you still can.

 

[Dland]

Yup, stick to the plastic milk jugs on all your shelves and in all your cupboards. Probably used to the oxidation by now too, so why change anything? :}

 

[Miraculix]

Yup, stick to the plastic milk jugs on all your shelves and in all your cupboards. Probably used to the oxidation by now too, so why change anything? :}

Who are you talking to?

 

[Dland]

ah...applescrap? ...just kidding....

 

[Brooothru]

An s style airlock serves the same purpose. What is more of a factor is that with either you are allowing oxygen into the fermenter while cold crashing. I personally have only done a few cold crashes and have not noticed any off flavors from oxidation. Others claim it ruins their beer.

Agreed, but the point of having a Meta soaked towel in the airlock is to sequester O2 when air is drawn into the fermentation vessel due to contraction during the chill. The incoming air passes thru the towel and (hopefully) traps incoming 02.

I don't use this process but rather cold crash under pressure to prevent a vacuum from forming at all in the fermenter. But if one wanted to try this, it would be easier in a 3 piece airlock than in an "s" type.

Brooo Brother

 

[mongoose33]

My point to @Miraculix was that once you start buying shiny stuff, you're trapped in a never-ending cycle of bling, and cannot escape.

Probably.

I brewed some excellent beer using plastic Bigmouth Bubblers, so it's not as if Stainless Steel is anything like a requirement. It's surely not.

My Spike CF10 lets me do things that the BMB would not, including the ability to carbonate in place, avoid exposure to oxygen in certain contexts, and so on.

I'm fermenting a Moon Man clone right now, and this morning added 3 oz of dry hops using my hop dropper. I had CO2 moving through that to flush those hops of oxygen before dropping them into the fermenter. This is an approach I couldn't figure out using the plastic fermenter.

Here's a video of that:



This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I'm talking about when I say there's no turning back. First it's a stainless fermenter. Then a conical. Then you want to go to electric brewing. Then you're looking at glycol chillers. Then hop droppers. Then...lots of connectors and hoses and clamps and gaskets and....

Oh, what's the point?

 

[Brooothru]

My point to @Miraculix was that once you start buying shiny stuff, you're trapped in a never-ending cycle of bling, and cannot escape.

Probably.

I brewed some excellent beer using plastic Bigmouth Bubblers, so it's not as if Stainless Steel is anything like a requirement. It's surely not.

My Spike CF10 lets me do things that the BMB would not, including the ability to carbonate in place, avoid exposure to oxygen in certain contexts, and so on.

I'm fermenting a Moon Man clone right now, and this morning added 3 oz of dry hops using my hop dropper. I had CO2 moving through that to flush those hops of oxygen before dropping them into the fermenter. This is an approach I couldn't figure out using the plastic fermenter.

Here's a video of that:



This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I'm talking about when I say there's no turning back. First it's a stainless fermenter. Then a conical. Then you want to go to electric brewing. Then you're looking at glycol chillers. Then hop droppers. Then...lots of connectors and hoses and clamps and gaskets and....

Oh, what's the point?

The story of my brewing life in one short paragraph. You been spying on me Mongoose?

If only you'd given me that advice a few years ago.....

Brooo Brother

 

[firerat]

My point to @Miraculix was that once you start buying shiny stuff, you're trapped in a never-ending cycle of bling, and cannot escape.

Probably.

I brewed some excellent beer using plastic Bigmouth Bubblers, so it's not as if Stainless Steel is anything like a requirement. It's surely not.

My Spike CF10 lets me do things that the BMB would not, including the ability to carbonate in place, avoid exposure to oxygen in certain contexts, and so on.

I'm fermenting a Moon Man clone right now, and this morning added 3 oz of dry hops using my hop dropper. I had CO2 moving through that to flush those hops of oxygen before dropping them into the fermenter. This is an approach I couldn't figure out using the plastic fermenter.

Here's a video of that:



This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I'm talking about when I say there's no turning back. First it's a stainless fermenter. Then a conical. Then you want to go to electric brewing. Then you're looking at glycol chillers. Then hop droppers. Then...lots of connectors and hoses and clamps and gaskets and....

Oh, what's the point?

I hate you so much right now......

 

[beersk]

Or you could ferment in a keg. Not done it myself but you can get 20l slimline ones.

THIS. If you bottle, you can bottle right off the fermenter with a measured amount of sugar in each bottle; or do a close-transfer to a smaller keg. I've done this for years, it's awesome. No other way to go I in my opinion.

But I guess if you don't have co2...use a yeast that produces a big krausen that sticks around for a while and ferment in a 5 gallon kettle with the lid on top. Wyeast 1007 is great in that it keeps a nice krausen around long after the FG is reached.

 

[Dland]

My point to @Miraculix was that once you start buying shiny stuff, you're trapped in a never-ending cycle of bling, and cannot escape.

Some of us brew in all stainless, w multiple conicals, brewing electric, and even glycol chilled. Mostly DYI built, used and scrounged,... hardly bling.

Just pointing out it can be done at low cost if semi skilled but fiscally constrained (or just kind of frugal in my case). Don't want to discourage folks now, do we? ;}

 

[Miraculix]

My point to @Miraculix was that once you start buying shiny stuff, you're trapped in a never-ending cycle of bling, and cannot escape.

Probably.

I brewed some excellent beer using plastic Bigmouth Bubblers, so it's not as if Stainless Steel is anything like a requirement. It's surely not.

My Spike CF10 lets me do things that the BMB would not, including the ability to carbonate in place, avoid exposure to oxygen in certain contexts, and so on.

I'm fermenting a Moon Man clone right now, and this morning added 3 oz of dry hops using my hop dropper. I had CO2 moving through that to flush those hops of oxygen before dropping them into the fermenter. This is an approach I couldn't figure out using the plastic fermenter.

Here's a video of that:



This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I'm talking about when I say there's no turning back. First it's a stainless fermenter. Then a conical. Then you want to go to electric brewing. Then you're looking at glycol chillers. Then hop droppers. Then...lots of connectors and hoses and clamps and gaskets and....

Oh, what's the point?

I have a very good defense mechanism, which is wanting to keep stuff as simple as possible. The stainless idea came up mainly because of infections due to oxygen ingress and untight lids and because of the no chill thing I am doing. I am actually pushed away by complicated things that I do not find necesary. All those tubings, valves etc. on those conicals, I see complicated cleaning routines....... plus the hustle with CO2 for kegging, buying it, refilling, cleaning lines..... pumps.......... this really does not look tempting to me at all. I can understand that some people like to get really fancy, but that's to me a bit like pimping a car on the outside, sure looks nice but the engine is still the same. I would only look at the engine and scratch my head while others enjoy the nice look.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Cleaning a keg or cask doesn't look too appealing to me tbh...

I dunno, a keg seems perfect for you. It's SS, it's cheap, and a 5 gallon keg is a great volume to ferment your size of batches.

Cleaning my kegs takes about 5 minutes longer than my better bottles.

Just sayin! I love fermenting in kegs.