Stout Tanks and Kettles - $400 14.5 Gal Conical

[BrewBeemer]

Even with a 3/4" TC fitting welded onto the thick walled Brewhemoth racking port it has a stainless washer welded onto it first making the welded fitting much stronger.

 

[boo boo]

I can say that I have had my 7.3 gallon conical for a while now and am well pleased with the product and with the response I got from John. I recently ordered spare gaskets and valve parts, just in case, and my order was acted upon very fast. I'm impessed with the level of service provided to me by Stouts tanks and kettles.

 

[Peacedale]

I have to say that the service is great from Stouts Tanks and Kettles, and this thing has some pretty thick walls. I am definitely going to purchase their conical.

 

[BrewBeemer]

Did you get a shipping cost yet being your at the opposite coast?
John was quick to answer my questions also as Stout Tanks would off been my next choice.

 

[nickpgoodman]

Have you guys had any luck contacting Stout Tanks recently? I have posted on their FaceBook wall multiple times, plus I have sent 2 or 3 messages to them on the contact us page on the website.

Our club is/was going to buy a 3bbl boil kettle from them but with the lack of contact I am wondering if I should be looking elsewhere. Heck we were even talking about buying a full 3bbl system from them in time.

 

[meadowstream]

nickpgoodman - John at Stout Tanks will surely get back to you. It is possible they had website problems. Try the email option (which you probably already have!) He sounded like a very solid guy when I spoke with him on the phone last week and I bet he will be a good person to do business with ultimately.

 

[airwolf]

nickpgoodman - I emailed John over the weekend and received a reply from him yesterday, Monday morning- no problems

 

[airwolf]

On Wednesday evening I received my 1bbl system from John/Stout Tanks and Kettles, I had to wait until this weekend to really check it out. It looks great!!! and of very good quality!!! Hopefully I'll be able to brew with it the few weeks and post a report with pictures. Based on what I see I will be purchasing the 3bbls system this fall.

 

[kharma]

Just to chime back in here... John was great to deal with and I'm on my second batch in the new conical. Breaks down nice, everything is super easy to clean. Couldn't be happier.

 

[Julohan]

Looks nice, I want to get the short version with the clamp.

 

[vballdrummer]

+1 I have the 14.5 Gal and it is nicely constructed -- the larger dump valve will be a plus --- my brown ale trub got a bit stuck

 

[cbraun77s]

I have a 20.8 gallons mash, HLT, and boil kettle from here...awesome price, awesome quality!

 

[vballdrummer]

UPDATE: I've taken delivery of the 20.8 MT and BK. EVERYTHING was as expected - no disappointed one bit. John was OOS of the HLT, so I'm going to play around w/batch sparging as I rebuild my brewery. Now I need to shorten my table, Doh!

 

[Jazong]

Very nice. I would love to see more pics of both kettles. Possible? My biggest concern in dealing with Stout Kettles is the lack of images. I would love to use Stout Tanks and Kettles to build my own version of Kal’s Electric Brewery. I keep waffling between them and Blichmann. How do you feel about the crazy long drain values?

Cheers,

-J

 

[jawsbc]

This is John from Stout Tank and Kettles.

The purpose of the long outlet is to keep the flames away from the valve if your burner is overshooting the kettle. If it is an issue for you, we could shorten it (and have done so for some customers). I think it does not look as nice as a shorter outlet would, but we went for function over form on this.

I would be interested in feedback from other brewers about this. Maybe it is really not necessary.

Also, I'll make it a goal to put more pictures on our gallery on our home page at www.conical-fermenter.com.

Cheers,

John

 

[Jazong]

That would be great John. I don't have any doubt about the quality of your product. I have not heard any brewer say they were disappointed with a tank or kettle. Pictures just help me get ideas about what is possible. Pictures of Custom jobs would really help with that.

Cheers,

-J

 

[vballdrummer]

@jazong - my only concern was the longer the tube (moment arm) the more torque applied to the weld. When they arrived I (re)assured myself that the weld is solid enough to withstand weight and motion of the valve. I've really not given it another thought since. Obviously I'm electric - so flames are not a concern. The sight tube is solid too. Although it is not graduated, I calibrated & marked the glass with enamel. I also use a zip tie around the tube that I can slide it up-down to mark my volume for a particular recipe.

The brewery has been completed since the above photo was taken with my control box, temp sensors, etc ... located in the following thread

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/new-econtrolbox-based-ohio-eds-239558/

Cheers

 

[cbraun77s]

Very nice. I would love to see more pics of both kettles. Possible? My biggest concern in dealing with Stout Kettles is the lack of images. I would love to use Stout Tanks and Kettles to build my own version of Kal’s Electric Brewery. I keep waffling between them and Blichmann. How do you feel about the crazy long drain values?

Cheers,

-J

I used Stout Tanks to some what replicate Kal's set up. They work great in an electric set up. I did have to turn the heat exchanger in my HLT upside down to allow room for the heating element. But, not that big if a deal.
I went with a More Beer type tiered stand, though. The "tippy" dump makes cleaning 30 pounds of spent grain a lot easier.

 

[Jazong]

Tippy dump is an awesome idea. So you bought the HERMS coil and all. I am thinking about seeing if I can get John to make a coil that is as large in diameter as possible (no thermowell) while still being able to a 90deg bend for the tri clover clamps. It wouldn't need to be centered. With the increase in diameter I would most likely be able to install an element below the coil. Even if that doesn't pan out I could always do as you did and install the coil upside down and it would then sit lower in the kettle (relative to a stock coil) because of its larger diameter. What do you think about this idea cbraun77s? What size HLT did you buy? How high in the kettle are the tri clovers for the coil (in gallons if you know)?

Thanks for the info.

-J

 

[Jazong]

I did have to turn the heat exchanger in my HLT upside down to allow room for the heating element. But, not that big if a deal.

Also, have you noticed any stress on the coil fittings from installing it this way. Do you get any leaking of wort into your HLT caused by the coil being unsupported? In Kal's setup the ends of the coil are at both the top and bottom (as I'm sure you know). This configuration causes less torque on the compression fittings and their connection to the coil.

Thanks again,

-J

 

[tante]

thought I would resurrect this thread instead of starting a new one. I am close to jumping on the 7.5 gallon conical and had a few questions if anyone can answer:

1 - any problems dumping the trub, does it every get stuck. Any tricks to make it go better?
2 - can you pressure the lid and put a pound or two of pressure to help dump the yeast/trub and help with racking
3 - anyone worried about the quality/safety of the welds in terms of lead or any other hazardous material?

 

[cbraun77s]

Tippy dump is an awesome idea. So you bought the HERMS coil and all. I am thinking about seeing if I can get John to make a coil that is as large in diameter as possible (no thermowell) while still being able to a 90deg bend for the tri clover clamps. It wouldn't need to be centered. With the increase in diameter I would most likely be able to install an element below the coil. Even if that doesn't pan out I could always do as you did and install the coil upside down and it would then sit lower in the kettle (relative to a stock coil) because of its larger diameter. What do you think about this idea cbraun77s? What size HLT did you buy? How high in the kettle are the tri clovers for the coil (in gallons if you know)?

Thanks for the info.

-J

Also, have you noticed any stress on the coil fittings from installing it this way. Do you get any leaking of wort into your HLT caused by the coil being unsupported? In Kal's setup the ends of the coil are at both the top and bottom (as I'm sure you know). This configuration causes less torque on the compression fittings and their connection to the coil.

Thanks again,

-J

No stress from flipping upside down. No leaks either. I would HIGHLY recommend the larger diameter HERMS.

 

[Denning]

Has anyone had any problems getting the ring clamp to seal on the 14.5 gallon conical from Stout Tanks & Kettles? Mine seems to be losing a seal somewhere.

 

[Denning]

Forget it ... I got it to seal. The clamp was too tight, and my gasket was upside down. :\

 

[Artemisag]

Are these built in the states or overseas?

 

[DMC467]

I recently purchased a Stout conical and have had trouble with the gasket not staying in place and therefore not sealing. It's the ring clamp type 14.5 gallon and the problem seams to be related to wetting the lid and seal to sanitize and then the seal slips off.

Anybody else having problems? How are you handeling sanitizing the lid and gasket.

 

[jawsbc]

Hi - the trick is to put the gasket in when it is dry, and then spray it with sanitizer. If it's wet, it is harder to keep it in place while you install the lid.

 

[DMC467]

Thanks for the reply John. I recieved your email with the same suggestion and have tried but wound up with a gasket falling into the wort. So, I've fermented two batches without the use of a gasket, not the end of the world but I would appriciate feedback from some other users. I was wondering if anyone else has had the same difficulties with the gasket and if so what they do.

Thanks

 

[Wicked Daddy]

The seal issue is driving me nuts too. I think it's the groove in the center of the seal. If the seal is not absolutely perfectly aligned, that groove is going to allow the fermenter to breathe. Good luck getting the seal to align while it slips off the lid, the ring clamp won't line up and the lip on the fermenter is too fat for the clamp anyway. I've fermented 4 batches now without a proper seal and I'm about ready to turn this thing into garbage can! I'm going to try installing a port for pumping in wort and yeast so I can install the lid while the fermenter is empty, get a proper seal then not touch it or remove other than for cleaning. Or I might try making my own seal...

Anyone make a 12 gallon glass carboy? Ugh!

 

[Artemisag]

There are 15 gallon fermenters called Demi Johns. They are primarily used with wine and sit in a basket. Looks like they are hard to find though.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/wine...and-glass-jugs/15-gallon-glass-demi-john.html