SS Brewtech

[chuckthebutcher]

So I recently won a $100 gift card for SS Brewtech (http://www.ssbrewtech.com) for getting Best of Show at a homebrew competition. I am beyond excited as this was my first BOS.

Anyways, I hadn't heard of SS Brewtech so I got on there website and realized the cheapest thing they had was a $200 fermentor. And the temperatute control jacket that goes with it is another $250. So basically by winning this gift card I am going to be spending a lot of money.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with these products and are they worth the steep price? I make pretty good beer with my plastic Ale Pail sitting in a pool of water for temp control so it would be hard for me to drop all that money for something I don't need. Unless it really is worth the money then I might consider it.

Also, their mash tuns are $400, I use a Gatorade cooler that I got for free.

 

[ryanryates]

I have had their "chronical" 1/2 barrel fermenter for a little less than a year and have been very pleased with the construction and condition of the unit. No complaints at all.

 

[flatchulense]

I currently have two temp controlled fermentaters, and the 10 gallon Mash Tun. All are worth the cost, and customer support is very good. The difference in my beer once I got control of fermentation temps was noticeable with first batch. Cheers!

 

[tmendick]

I have a 10 gallon pot that I love, worth every penny.

 

[normonster]

I have two brewbucket fermenter from them and they are OK. The weldless fittings are not my favorite and coupled with the cheap valve I'm always waiting for my first infection. The plastic pads on the legs wore off quick too. The SS they use is at an absolute minimum thickness. Not sure if the other fermenters do, but mine used a proprietary gasket that keeps you on their hook for the life of your fermenter, which blows.

Two fit in a standard fridge, which is nice and having a valve at all is nice as well.

Overall they're ok but not worth the price IMO.

 

[241]

I'm sure if you wanted to get some $ for it, someone would buy it in the classifieds for $90.

 

[normonster]

I'm sure if you wanted to get some $ for it, someone would buy it in the classifieds for $90.

$90? Lol...I'll die and have them buried with my corpse before I bend over for that railing. [emoji117][emoji108]

 

[AndrewNSachs]

I've been very pleased with their gear so far. I've got a boil kettle and a chronical fermenter with the fermentation temp controller. Yeah it's a bit pricy, but I'm impressed with the overall quality.

 

[chuckthebutcher]

I currently have two temp controlled fermentaters, and the 10 gallon Mash Tun. All are worth the cost, and customer support is very good. The difference in my beer once I got control of fermentation temps was noticeable with first batch. Cheers!

Can the temp controller bring it down to lagering temps?

 

[dmcman73]

Can the temp controller bring it down to lagering temps?

Yes it can BUT, you need a source to bring the fluid in the controllers coils down to those temps like a Glycol chiller or a DIY Glycol system using an A/C (search the forums).

I have a 7 and 14 gallon conical from SS Brewtech, both with the FTSS installed and love them. For the price, you can beat it.

The valves that come with the conicals are OK but they do the job. I've since upgraded them to butterfly valves.

 

[normonster]

I've since upgraded them to butterfly valves.

Link? Anything has to be better than what's on them.

 

[Spartan1979]

I have two brewbucket fermenter from them and they are OK. The weldless fittings are not my favorite and coupled with the cheap valve I'm always waiting for my first infection. The plastic pads on the legs wore off quick too. The SS they use is at an absolute minimum thickness. Not sure if the other fermenters do, but mine used a proprietary gasket that keeps you on their hook for the life of your fermenter, which blows.

Two fit in a standard fridge, which is nice and having a valve at all is nice as well.

Overall they're ok but not worth the price IMO.

I have two of the Brew Buckets also and I've been happy with them. I take the valves apart after every batch and clean them, so I'm not too worried about getting an infection from that source.

I also replaced the pads on the legs with some feet I bought off Amazon for about $5 for 10. Anybody need two?

I do like being able to rack with the valve instead of using a cane. I like be able to clean it easily compared to a carboy and that it's less prone to scratching than a bucket.

Since you'd be picking one up for basically $95 it's probably worth it. If I needed more fermenters, I'd probably buy another, but it's not something I'd recommend to someone that has a limited budget as there are many cheaper alternatives.

 

[AndrewNSachs]

I also replaced the pads on the legs with some feet I bought off Amazon for about $5 for 10. Anybody need two?

Spartan, do you have a link to the feet you got off of Amazon? I've got the Chronical, and hate the pads they have on the legs.

 

[cyberbrew]

Link? Anything has to be better than what's on them.

The valves that come with the conicals are OK but they do the job. I've since upgraded them to butterfly valves.

Ditto, what valves did you go with as a replacement?

 

[NervousDad]

My only complaint is, they use wedless fittings on the cold side. While I never had any infections using their buckets it bothered me enough to switch.

 

[AndrewNSachs]

Ditto, what valves did you go with as a replacement?

Not to hijack, but SS recently started stocking their own butterfly valves. I ordered two last night to replace the stock valves on my Chronical. Can't speak as to the value/quality yet, but I've been impressed with everything I've gotten from them so far, so I don't expect these to be any different. I'll reply back when they come in and I've had a chance to try them out.

 

[pvpeacock]

I have two 7 gallon chronicals both with FTS temperature controllers and a 10 gallon insulated mash tun. I love their products and find that they are a great value. Customer service it also top notch.

I replaced the valves on my chronicals with sanitary ball valves to eliminate the threads. I bought those from Stout.

I also bought replacement pads for the chronical legs directly from SS Brewtech. The replacement pads are thicker and work great. They're only $5.75 for a set of 3. http://www.ssbrewtech.com/collectio...ilicone-feet-for-chronical-7-gallon-fermenter

I also bought the tri-clamp racking arms to go with my replacement sanitary ball valves http://www.ssbrewtech.com/collectio...p-racking-arm-for-chronical-series-fermenters and the chiller coil extensions for when I need to warm the wort during fermentation http://www.ssbrewtech.com/collectio...hiller-coil-extensions-for-bucket-chronical-7 (using an aquarium heater).

In short, I'm sold with these guys products.

 

[pvpeacock]

Spartan, do you have a link to the feet you got off of Amazon? I've got the Chronical, and hate the pads they have on the legs.

These replacement pads work great. Much thicker than the originals.

http://www.ssbrewtech.com/collectio...ilicone-feet-for-chronical-7-gallon-fermenter

 

[Spartan1979]

Spartan, do you have a link to the feet you got off of Amazon? I've got the Chronical, and hate the pads they have on the legs.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H8UN6XI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

They have other sizes if your legs are different than the Brew Bucket.

 

[dmcman73]

This is what I upgraded to. I went a little overboard by using a butterfly valve and a sample valve but I have a method to my madness. The butterfly valve will allow me to swap the sample valve out when it's time to drain the conical with the cam lock fitting that's sitting to the left of it, faster draining. It will also allow me to remove the sample valve to clean it if I want to as well.

Again, may be a little overboard but I wanted a sample valve to be able to take small samples since the butterfly valve is an all or nothing seal.

View attachment 1441147094316.jpg

 

[chuckthebutcher]

Well thanks to y'all's advice I ended up purchasing a brew bucket for $95. I was going to buy a big mouth bubbler for $40 before I won the competition but I figured this would be way better. Thanks for the help I can't wait to start using it

 

[normonster]

Degrease that thing dude!

 

[chuckthebutcher]

Degrease that thing dude!

Sorry for all the questions, but what is the best way to degrease it?

 

[chawn]

I have a few SS Brew Buckets and like them. But they definitely need a thorough cleaning before use. Just use a strong mixture of PBW and hot water. If I remember correctly, it comes with instructions to clean them.

 

[dmcman73]

Sorry for all the questions, but what is the best way to degrease it?

Use TSP to de-grease it. You can find it in the paint aisle of any hardware store.

 

[pvpeacock]

Ideally, use TSP to clean it. Follow the instructions on the package. Alternatively use dish soap and scrub it (but don't scratch it) really good with a scotchbrite type sponge. Then fill it with water and starsan mix to passivate it. You're then good to go.