Sanke Fermenter Conversion

[Brewers Hardware]

Several people PM'd me and asked that I post some pictures when I get the prototype done for the Sanke keg-> fermenter conversion. For whatever reason the picture makes the welds look terrible, they're not all stacked up like that. Price is still up in the air while I add up the materials and time, but here's a sneak peak:

 

[weremichael]

Very beautiful. I look forward to your "production models."

 

[thelorax121]

Damn, I have fermentr envy. Nice work

 

[springer]

I want one or two..

 

[Brewing Clamper]

Seriously, I'm in for at least one, two if I can fit another sanke in my fermentation chamber!

 

[BrothersBrewing]

ahh man i have a 1/6 barrel this would work great!!! ...i need one now!

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

+1 I'm there.

 

[elpresidente]

I definitely wouldn't mind having one or two of these in my arsenal.

 

[BrothersBrewing]

please let us know when they are available...

 

[kcinpdx]

That looks like a 1/2" tube and a 1/2" compression fitting, correct?

 

[leboeuf]

Derrin, that's a real beauty! Perfectly setup for vacuum transfers....

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Epic, I think this will have to be mine.

 

[thorongil]

Some type of measurement on the racking arm to tell you how far off the bottom it is would be helpful...

 

[hayabusa]

The one I bought from St Pats ($120) was the best investment I have made homebrewing so far... it makes kegging from my sanke fermenters effortless....

 

[Brewing Clamper]

The one I bought from St Pats ($120) was the best investment I have made homebrewing so far... it makes kegging from my sanke fermenters effortless....

Do you push with CO2? Does the racking cane adjust?

 

[cheezdog]

Looks like a hot item. I'd be interested in one also. This would work a lot better than a carboy cap with a racking cane stuck thru it. It might be a good idea to offer a model without a thermowell. Shave some production time and cost for those people that don't use thermowells on their fermenters.

 

[Brewers Hardware]

Wow guys! Thanks for the great response!

Let me try and tackle the questions without going back and quoting everyone.

First, all the tubing is 3/8" and sturdy at .035 wall.

The blow-off port is flush with the bottom of the cap.

The racking arm extends to the very bottom of the keg and can be removed while the clamp is in position.

Someone sent me a link to the St Pat's model while I had this in development to ask if mine would be similar. I thought the expense of the Tri-Clover fitting for the single purpose of attaching a hose was pretty silly and not worth the extra money. I do not, however, have a pressure release valve and do not recommend using this to pressurize the vessel. 1-2psi to initiate a transfer shouldn't be any trouble.

I'm putting these on the new site (I'm changing stirplates.com to BrewersHardware.com since it's more fitting) and they'll run $79 with clamp and gasket. Since I've had such great support from HBT users overall, I'm going to do a pre-sale deal of $65 through this link only: Welcome to Brewer's Hardware

The link is live, the new site is live but wasn't quite ready to go up. If you see a any typos, broken links or something that makes me look like an idiot I'd appreciate a note! If you cruise the site, don't order through the fermenter page as it'll come up $79. please use the HBT link.

I'll give the thermowell-less version some thought. I think in the long-run you'll be happy it's there but admittedly it's a difficult piece to weld (for me). I will be introducing a BrewTroller version that will replace the thermowell with a 14" DS18B20 sensor in another compression fitting. If you really want one without a thermowell, PM me. I think it'll knock about $20 off the price.

Last I'd just like to say thanks to everyone here. I get more referral traffic to stirplates.com from HBT than the rest of the sources combined. If it weren't for you guys (and the pursuit of great beer!) I wouldn't have been inspired to evolve stirplates into Brewer's Hardware.

Thanks!

Edit: That link to the special page will be live until 8/1. Also, if the link resolves to the 404 page on stirplates.com. try it again in 24 hours. i just finished all the DNS changes and such a few minutes ago.

 

[McKBrew]

Nice product.

 

[hayabusa]

Do you push with CO2? Does the racking cane adjust?

I push with CO2 and the cane is not adjustable, I use a 2 90' elbows and straight pipe to pick my depth based on what i've done... i.e. if I have added fruit I will go 2" to 3" above bottom, etc...

Having the 2nd tri-clamp has both its pro's and cons.... if I get one of these I will do a side by side.

 

[mmb]

How easy would it be to harvest yeast with this setup? Transfer under pressure?

I already have 1/2bbl for fermenting but this opens up a whole other realm of possibilities.

 

[springer]

way to go Derrin 'll be buying a couple when the link is live

 

[hayabusa]

How easy would it be to harvest yeast with this setup? Transfer under pressure?

I already have 1/2bbl for fermenting but this opens up a whole other realm of possibilities.

This concept is perfect for yeast harvesting. Once you have racked your beer you drop the arm to minimal clearance and blow them yeasties right out the tube into your vessel for storage and into the mixing bowl for pretzels....

 

[Brewers Hardware]

How easy would it be to harvest yeast with this setup? Transfer under pressure?

I already have 1/2bbl for fermenting but this opens up a whole other realm of possibilities.

The link is live now, or should be.

The idea behind the adjustable arm is for just that, sediment free transfers and yeast harvesting.

I toiled long and hard over adding a gas port. But then I'd have to add a pressure relief valve and I'm afraid of the liability. You could, however, remove the blow-off tube after fermentation, attach a CO2 hose and use a couple psi to transfer your beer, but again, this unit does not have any sort of pressure relief and therefore I can't recommend you pressurize the vessel.

For racking, you'd start your transfer and then drop the arm down until it just picks up sediment and back off. After a nice sediment free transfer is made, you can swirl up the fermenter, drop the arm to the bottom and transfer out your yeast.

 

[KillerKellers]

I just saw your site from your link in another thread.. and I love the idea! I bookmarked it, but won't be going this route until I go AG (still getting kegs for that portion). This would be awesome for doing large batches =)

 

[uabericm]

I am still a noobie, so I have a few dumb questions:
1-Does this just fit on the top of a sanke keg w/o any modifications?
2-How do you clean the commercial beer out and how do you clean it after fermentation?
3-What would be the capabilities of this fermenter (volume)?
4-If I don't have a temperature probe and don't plan on monitoring my fermentation temp that closely, would I really need the thermometer port?

Thanks.

 

[springer]

I am still a noobie, so I have a few dumb questions:
1-Does this just fit on the top of a sanke keg w/o any modifications?
2-How do you clean the commercial beer out and how do you clean it after fermentation?
3-What would be the capabilities of this fermenter (volume)?
4-If I don't have a temperature probe and don't plan on monitoring my fermentation temp that closely, would I really need the thermometer port?

Thanks.

1. No mods made to keg. Just remove the Spear and this drops in its place

2. Plenty of threads on this just search "convert keg"

3. The keg is 15.5 gallons so 10 to 13 is a good #

4. no. But its nice

 

[springer]

just put my order in

 

[Brewers Hardware]

Question for you all:

It's been suggested that the blow-off port should be straight to make it easier to add an airlock for extended secondaries. I was thinking about making a modification of just cutting the bloe off tub and including a short piece of 3/8" tubing to connect it together. So you would be able to drop a bubbler on it or attach the included SS sweep to hook up a blow off tube....

 

[springer]

sounds like a good idea.

 

[Sawdustguy]

This is such a great solution for those looking for stainless steel fermenters. It would be easy to install a valve on the bottom of the keg to drain off some yeast. If you Tig Weld some legs onto the Keggle you have a beautiful non-conical fermenter for half the price of a Conical Fermenter similar to this: