Speidel Plastic Tanks

[skw]

Does anyone know if it is harmful to use a tank for beer brewing that has been used for cider before? Where I live, homemade cider was very common but is out of fashion now. I can get 60L and 120L Speidel tanks used for half of what a new 20L tank costs.

Also, can I safely use a 60L tank for primary when I do only 20L batches? Is there a such a thing as too much head space when I leave my beer in the primary for about two weeks with an active ale yeast (S-04, US-05)? Can oxygen become a problem when the krausen has subsided?

 

[Mb2658]

Does anyone know if it is harmful to use a tank for beer brewing that has been used for cider before? Where I live, homemade cider was very common but is out of fashion now. I can get 60L and 120L Speidel tanks used for half of what a new 20L tank costs. Also, can I safely use a 60L tank for primary when I do only 20L batches? Is there a such a thing as too much head space when I leave my beer in the primary for about two weeks with an active ale yeast (S-04, US-05)? Can oxygen become a problem when the krausen has subsided?

It's not any more harmful than using a glass to drink a beer that had previously been used to drink cider. As long as it has been cleaned and sanitized, you are good to go.

 

[FarmerTed]

Well, sometimes you can smell the previous beer in the fermentor after you clean it. I could see how a cider might leave behind an aroma that you wouldn't really want in your beer.

 

[Mordhaus]

I finally got around to ordering my 30L today.

What are you guys doing differently, if anything, when it comes to cold crashing and dry hopping?

 

[FarmerTed]

I just dump the hops right through the stopper hole, and when I start chilling, I seal off the top with the extra cap to prevent suck-back. I do swirl the crap out of my fermenter several times during fermentation, though, so I don't have a lot of excess CO2 in there when I start chilling/lagering.

 

[grathan]

I could almost swear that my two ipas made in a speidel tank were oxidized by cold crashing (3 gallon headspace). One beer I successfully cold crashed in the speidel, caved it all in. I am gonna cold crash in kegs from now on just to play it safe.

 

[Mordhaus]

I just dump the hops right through the stopper hole, and when I start chilling, I seal off the top with the extra cap to prevent suck-back. I do swirl the crap out of my fermenter several times during fermentation, though, so I don't have a lot of excess CO2 in there when I start chilling/lagering.

Was this due to originally crashing with the airlock in place and getting suck back? I'm curious to what your reasoning is behind the swirling.

I could almost swear that my two ipas made in a speidel tank were oxidized by cold crashing (3 gallon headspace). One beer I successfully cold crashed in the speidel, caved it all in. I am gonna cold crash in kegs from now on just to play it safe.

If the system was completely sealed and you only had CO2 in your head space, I don't see how they could have become oxidized during the crash. Do you think the cave in could have been due to dropping the temperature too rapidly?

 

[grathan]

If the system was completely sealed and you only had CO2 in your head space, I don't see how they could have become oxidized during the crash. Do you think the cave in could have been due to dropping the temperature too rapidly?

2 seperate instances. The cave-in was completely sealed. It was impressive and also indicative of the type of suction that will be pulling air into the headspace. That beer didn't end up oxidized.

2 IIPAs that I made in the speidel didn't cave in when cold crashed which means air leaked in, which is my main suspect cause for the oxidation.

I should point out that I have drilled a hole in the top for a rubber stopper that holds a thermowell. If I take the thermowell out and plug the hole it seals completely. after the cave-in incident I no longer seal complely for fear of ruining the tank. And since the oxidations I no longer cold crash in the tank at all.

 

[skw]

Well, sometimes you can smell the previous beer in the fermentor after you clean it. I could see how a cider might leave behind an aroma that you wouldn't really want in your beer.

I went ahead and bought one used 30L and one used 12L. They still had some cidery smell to them even after cleaning, but the beer that's fermenting in them right now is overpowering it. I'll see what they turn out like once the beer is bottled, if the smell is still lingering or if the beer has taken over. When tasting gravity samples, I didn't pick up any off-flavors.

 

[alestateyall]

Just got a 30L. Tested with water last night. The spigot attachment leaks from the collar that screws on to the fermenter. The leak is very small. In one hour it leaked enough to make a 2" diameter puddle in a tiled floor.

I screwed the collar on tight by hand. Do people use a tool to screw on tighter?

Maybe I will try keg lube on the rubber washer.

 

[ill4delph]

I've never had any issues with my spigot attachment leaking...have you tried it with the solid cap? Maybe its just the gasket on the spigot part that might be bad, I think they are pretty cheap if you need to get a new one. Also, try to soak it in some warm water before you screw it on, that might make it soft enough to get a good seal. Good luck!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Hetch]

Has anyone consistently fermented in the 30L with the lid inverted (the threads facing the ground)? The 30L Speidel fits PERFECTLY in the Vinotemp 34-bottle wine cooler that Costco sells with the lid inverted. But it does not fit with the lid on correctly (with the threads up and visible).

EDIT: It actually fits in the wine cooler with the lid on correctly (threads up and visible), and an extra Speidel spigot screwed onto the top to use as blow off (as shown in past posts). You just have to remove the shelves and angle it in correctly.

 

[alestateyall]

I've never had any issues with my spigot attachment leaking...have you tried it with the solid cap? Maybe its just the gasket on the spigot part that might be bad, I think they are pretty cheap if you need to get a new one. Also, try to soak it in some warm water before you screw it on, that might make it soft enough to get a good seal. Good luck!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Home Brew mobile app

Thanks.

I tried again. I tightened more. I put about 4 gallons of water in and left over night. No drips.

 

[SpottedDogBrewing]

blow off tube with the 60l

 

[helibrewer]

I use my 60L for wine and my new 30L for beer....love em both.

 

[bford]

I picked up one of these 12L's to ferment two gallon batches.. sadly I had not seen this thread and didn't know that this size does not have a hole in the lid for the stopper/air lock.

Has anyone modified one to fit a stopper and an air lock, be it the Spiedel brand or just a normal stopper and 3 piece air lock?

If I'm going to have to drill it out, I'll need to find the right size step drill bit.

I know I can put the lid on loosely and ferment that way, but I think I'd like the option of an air lock.... am I right, wrong, or crazy...?!?

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I picked up one of these 12L's to ferment two gallon batches.. sadly I had not seen this thread and didn't know that this size does not have a hole in the lid for the stopper/air lock.

Has anyone modified one to fit a stopper and an air lock, be it the Spiedel brand or just a normal stopper and 3 piece air lock?

If I'm going to have to drill it out, I'll need to find the right size step drill bit.

I know I can put the lid on loosely and ferment that way, but I think I'd like the option of an air lock.... am I right, wrong, or crazy...?!?

I dont think you really need a stepped bit, size doesnt really matter, just find a 3/4" or 1" bit and drill through it. They make rubber stoppers in all sizes, even if you had to drill a 2" hole there are stoppers that big. Any LHBS worth a grain of salt should have tons of sizes of stoppers..mine has from like #2 all the way up to like #14 or something...no idea who would use a 3 1/2" stopper...but they exist. Because stoppers are cut at an inward angle it means stoppers of various sizes fit multiple hole sizes with no issue.

 

[skw]

I picked up one of these 12L's to ferment two gallon batches.. sadly I had not seen this thread and didn't know that this size does not have a hole in the lid for the stopper/air lock.

Has anyone modified one to fit a stopper and an air lock, be it the Spiedel brand or just a normal stopper and 3 piece air lock?

If I'm going to have to drill it out, I'll need to find the right size step drill bit.

I know I can put the lid on loosely and ferment that way, but I think I'd like the option of an air lock.... am I right, wrong, or crazy...?!?

As far as I know, you should be able to just cut along the create in the lid with a box cutter, the resulting hole should be the exact size for a Speidel stopper and airlock.

 

[Scottanooga]

You may not find a step bit large enough. I drilled the lid of one of the 13 gallon fermenters I got off ebay (link below) so I could use a Speidel airlock and stopper on it. The largest step bit I could find is just a hair too small. It works, but it is super tight and I wish it was about 1/8" larger. If I had it to do over, I'd get a hole saw the appropriate size.

http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2012/11/13-gallon-food-safe-fermenter-or-grain.html

 

[ido50]

I picked up one of these 12L's to ferment two gallon batches.. sadly I had not seen this thread and didn't know that this size does not have a hole in the lid for the stopper/air lock.

Has anyone modified one to fit a stopper and an air lock, be it the Spiedel brand or just a normal stopper and 3 piece air lock?

If I'm going to have to drill it out, I'll need to find the right size step drill bit.

I know I can put the lid on loosely and ferment that way, but I think I'd like the option of an air lock.... am I right, wrong, or crazy...?!?

You can order customized attachments for the 12L model from Destillatio in Europe. For example http://www.destillatio.eu/en/cap-with-hole-for-speidel-container/a-1112/.

 

[bford]

Thanks for all the good info/options gentlemen... I went ahead and ordered the Spiedel stopper and air lock.. when it gets in I'm going to see which method works best! Shouldn't be difficult.

Cheers

 

[wobdee]

I picked up one of these 12L's to ferment two gallon batches.. sadly I had not seen this thread and didn't know that this size does not have a hole in the lid for the stopper/air lock. Has anyone modified one to fit a stopper and an air lock, be it the Spiedel brand or just a normal stopper and 3 piece air lock? If I'm going to have to drill it out, I'll need to find the right size step drill bit. I know I can put the lid on loosely and ferment that way, but I think I'd like the option of an air lock.... am I right, wrong, or crazy...?!?

I've done a couple dozen batches in the little 12L without an air lock and have had no problems at all.

 

[BreezyBrew]

Maybe it's just me but does anyone see less krausen than a regular Carboy? I've done a couple of two gallon batches that didn't seem to take off like my beers usually do. I'm wondering if geometry has something to do with it.

 

[Feurhund]

Yes! I have the 60L and have ferment 12 gallons of HefeweiZen and a Helles and both times I was worried the yeast was sluggish. Both turned out great though. I think it is geometry, an incomplete seal and a lack of narrowing at the top which puts less pressure on the ferment.

 

[grathan]

The airlock is heavier, probably more pressure in the vessel as well as more surface areas.

 

[Beerbeque]

I just received 2 of the 30L Speidels and I have a batch fermeting away as I type. I tossed the big dumb airlocks and just left the small top cap on loosely.

 

[Feurhund]

Not sure if this has been illustrated, but I use CO2 to rack off into kegs. You just have to use low pressure and make sure everything is buttoned up tight ( use the locking strap ). The top will dimple out slightly and dial back when it does.

 

[SpottedDogBrewing]

Not sure if this has been illustrated, but I use CO2 to rack off into kegs. You just have to use low pressure and make sure everything is buttoned up tight ( use the locking strap ). The top will dimple out slightly and dial back when it does.

View attachment 172241View attachment 172242View attachment 172243

Does that stir up any junk at bottom?

 

[alestateyall]

Not sure if this has been illustrated, but I use CO2 to rack off into kegs. You just have to use low pressure and make sure everything is buttoned up tight ( use the locking strap ). The top will dimple out slightly and dial back when it does.

View attachment 172241View attachment 172242View attachment 172243

How do you connect the QD to the Speidel? Do you have some adapter or just press it into the opening where the airlock bung goes? If no adapter what presses the trigger in the QD to get gas to flow?

Thanks! This is a nice idea.

 

[Feurhund]

First question, no it doesn't stir it up because it is pushing on the whole surface of the beer. I got a little cloudiness in the initial push, but I like to transfer a little yeast for conditioning. Especially my lagers.

Second question. I remove the QD and just push the tubing over the spout and use a screw clamp to secure. If it isn't clear in the photo I use a drain valve on the top as well as the bottom opening. It allows for a low profile blow off tube for my Ferm freezer.