Why no mid-range fermenter options?

[ersheff]

Hi.
I'm sure this has been asked before as it's a question that's been rattling around in my head for a while.
Why doesn't anyone make some sort of option between the low-end ($10-45 for plastic buckets and carboys) and high-end ($600+ for a stainless steel conical) fermenters?
Am I just missing something? None of the big online homebrew retailers seem to offer anything.
Buckets have a clear advantage over carboys because they're easy to clean and won't shatter. Stainless is better (arguably) than both because it has those two benefits plus will last forever and not pick up odors or store infections.
So where are the $100-200 6.5 gallon stainless "buckets"?
The form of a plastic bucket is perfect for me. I don't need the plumbing or other attachments that come with a conical.
If a 7.5 gallon SS stock pot is $100, is there any particular reason why no one is adding a sealable lid with an airlock grommet for an extra $50 and calling it a day?
****, you could even make your brew pot and fermentation vessel the same thing! I mean, how cool would that be to brew a batch, cool it, pitch the yeast in the same pot and be done with it?

 

[reverendj1]

This is exactly what you want, but they do make stainless steel carboys. http://www.dwbrewproducts.com/shop/index.php/carboys-c-16?osCsid=b2ea3345156822ee65354b4f0eac35ed

 

[ersheff]

I take it back.
I searched a bit more and found a few people that do exactly that:
brew and then ferment in the same kettle.
Sweet...
This obviously ties up a kettle, but even 3 decent SS kettles is much cheaper than a conical.
Any other input?

 

[tv187u]

Or you could go with kegs and pressurized fermentation. That has been the middle ground for me.

 

[ersheff]

This is exactly what you want, but they do make stainless steel carboys. http://www.dwbrewproducts.com/shop/index.php/carboys-c-16?osCsid=b2ea3345156822ee65354b4f0eac35ed

Wow, nice. Yeah, I have never seen those before. That's pretty much perfect!
Looks like you can still fit an arm through that neck for cleaning.

 

[reverendj1]

Oops. I meant "this is NOT exactly what you want" i.e. kettle designed for fermenting too. But yeah, there are those. And like tv187u said, a lot of people do ferment in kegs.

 

[Rivenin]

you could, and plus you dont really need a "sealed" lid so to speak. people toss the lid after the boil and pitch yeast without issues all the time. (with chilling of course haha)

doing it myself, i've never had issues... you get the best of both worlds!

but you can do that, you can get plastic conicals, you can get stainless conicals, you can get stainless "buckets" (stainless pots), you can get plastic buckets, you can get glass carboys or plastic carboys etc.. it's mostly up to personal preference.

 

[Redcat]

I use a 30 liter Sanke keg as my fermenter. Other option in this size are the 7.5 gallon sanke kegs, but those are pretty rare.

I use a keg washer I built, and a carboy brush to clean them.

 

[mpcluever]

There's an infinite number of fermenter options covering all price ranges. Just have to use your imagination!

 

[ersheff]

Yeah, this opened my eyes a bit. After a bit more searching, now I'm really intrigued by this ferment-in-the-kettle thing.
Someone should come out with a commercial version of that, with clamps and silicone lining for an airtight seal on the lid...
Of course, there's always DIY, but I'm surprised no one has released an elegant, manufactured version.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

You can use plastic inductor tanks if you want a mid range conical. Check out Rural King's web site or a do a google search.