New Fermzilla with Trai-clamp fittings

[MickDundee]

Stumbled across this video on social media earlier, looks pretty impressive:


Looks as if it will be easy to dismantle and clean.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Definitely looks an improvement on the current model. Having also bought an all-rounder, I don't really see the point of the collection container, unless you're planning a longer fermentation and want to get the beer off the yeast. I wonder why they have offset the container rather have it in the centre?

Dry-hopping through the bottom is a ballache and ineffectual (something that Kegland seems to have recognised, going by the imminent release of the hop bong).

Nice to see some innovation though.

 

[MickDundee]

Definitely looks an improvement on the current model. Having also bought an all-rounder, I don't really see the point of the collection container, unless you're planning a longer fermentation and want to get the beer off the yeast. I wonder why they have offset the container rather have it in the centre?

Dry-hopping through the bottom is a ballache and ineffectual (something that Kegland seems to have recognised, going by the imminent release of the hop bong).

Nice to see some innovation though.

I have a gen 1 Fermentasaurus and I generally like to close the collection bottle during lagering, although I’m not sure how effective it actually is compared to just leaving it open.

I’ll be looking to upgrade/replace my pressure fermenter this year and it’s pretty much going to be between this and the Apollo. I like the look of the hop bong as well as the tri-clamps so the Fermzilla probably edging it at the moment despite the higher temperature tolerance and thermowell on the Apollo.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Looks like a game changer to me, though I'd probably not use the jar at the bottom and just install a more conventional elbow fitting with a valve to dump trub. I think they missed a trick though with not putting a big 3" or greater tri-clamp fitting on the top as well so you could install a nice large hop drop tube. Dry hopping via the bottom jar on the current fermzilla is pretty ineffective without the off centre trips-clamp fitting meaning the hops have an even more convoluted route into the fermenter. With a large trip-clamp flange on the top you could have a plate with the two ball lock posts and a 1.5" triclamp flange for a hop drop.

 

[MickDundee]

I think they missed a trick though with not putting a big 3" or greater tri-clamp fitting on the top as well so you could install a nice large hop drop tube. Dry hopping via the bottom jar on the current fermzilla is pretty ineffective without the off centre trips-clamp fitting meaning the hops have an even more convoluted route into the fermenter. With a large trip-clamp flange on the top you could have a plate with the two ball lock posts and a 1.5" triclamp flange for a hop

They are going to be releasing the “Hop Bong” for CO2 purged dry hopping from the top, which comes with a modified lid. I’ve only seen pictures of the hop bong though and not of the lid.

 

[foxy]

Nothing new about the TC fittings, though I prefer the fermenters without the collection bottle, keeps everything simple.

 

[MickDundee]

Nothing new about the TC fittings, though I prefer the fermenters without the collection bottle, keeps everything simple.

There’s nothing new about TC fittings but, unless I’ve missed something in your video, KK are only using it to attach a dump valve to the existing screwed on bottom piece whereas the new Fermzilla is using TC fittings for everything to make breaking everything down for cleaning much easier (as long as it all works as it should).

 

[foxy]

There’s nothing new about TC fittings but, unless I’ve missed something in your video, KK are only using it to attach a dump valve to the existing screwed on bottom piece whereas the new Fermzilla is using TC fittings for everything to make breaking everything down for cleaning much easier (as long as it all works as it should).

The dump valve is the plunger, whatever is being dumped goes through the TC elbow. Really the only ones needing a dump valve are those having trouble getting clear wort into the fermenter, or those who want to dump everything into the fermenter then dump the trub afterwards. What works for me are the ones without anything attached to the bottom. Less things to clean and more sanitary. As for oxygen free dry hopping dry hopping can never be oxygen free no matter what fermenter is used.

 

[fgoulding]

They are going to be releasing the “Hop Bong” for CO2 purged dry hopping from the top, which comes with a modified lid. I’ve only seen pictures of the hop bong though and not of the lid.

There you go:

 

[hoppyscotty]

I like the way the gas post is at the hop level. I'm convinced that other designs purge the head space but probably struggle to purge all the little gaps between the hop pellets. By squirting the gas directly into the pellets should do a better job of getting into and purging all the nooks and crannies. Also good to see the opening is a sensible diameter too.

 

[foxy]

But the question is, how do they get the air out of the hops? Its only in home brewing we see such steps being taken. Commercial and craft brewers just open a port and tip them in. Some commercials just use hop essence after fermentation is finished. We have to be careful about oxygen ingress, but it isn't the bogey man some would have us believe. Even less for us home brewers we would drink beers relatively fresh, store them at a reasonable temperature and they don't get shaken about on long journeys.

 

[Big_Eight]

They are going to be releasing the “Hop Bong” for CO2 purged dry hopping from the top, which comes with a modified lid. I’ve only seen pictures of the hop bong though and not of the lid.

Once this is available I'm grabbing a Fermzilla. I've been eyeing it for quite a long time.

 

[Davegase]

There you go:

View attachment 64317

This is on their website.

 

[Davegase]

Looks like a game changer to me, though I'd probably not use the jar at the bottom and just install a more conventional elbow fitting with a valve to dump trub. I think they missed a trick though with not putting a big 3" or greater tri-clamp fitting on the top as well so you could install a nice large hop drop tube. Dry hopping via the bottom jar on the current fermzilla is pretty ineffective without the off centre trips-clamp fitting meaning the hops have an even more convoluted route into the fermenter. With a large trip-clamp flange on the top you could have a plate with the two ball lock posts and a 1.5" triclamp flange for a hop drop.

Tri clamps and hop bongs on the top will significantly increase the height of the fermenter, limiting where you can use it. My fermzilla fits perfectly in my fermentation fridge, and I've never had any issues dry hopping through the current lid. As foxy said many commercial brewers dry hop through the top without any fancy arrangements.

 

[foxy]

Sales is a peculiar business, I don'tcome from a sales background but I had to learn quickly when I started my own business. I am a keen fisherman and fell under the guise of 'Tackle Tart' or I did until I got into selling. It is surprisingly easy to convince a punter on what they will need, when in actual fact they don't need it. Is a tri clover fitting going to improve your beer? Will a dry hop port improve your beer? These are questions one has to ask oneself before forking out the hard earned.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Seen plenty of commercial breweries using all manner of fancy pants contraptions to introduce hops into fermenters in an oxygen free way. For example:-



Agreed we can only do what we reasonably can do as home brewers, but oxidation is a thing and some people have experienced it, me included. I think making sensible efforts to keep oxygen out is a good thing and needent be too complicated or expensive and something like a hop bong seems like a perfectly sensible thing. Personally I dry hop into a purged keg containing a hop tube with the hops in and notwithstanding the air/oxygen trapped inside the hop pellets, is a totally oxygen free method of dry hopping...though I would think that the amount of air trapped inside the hop matter is pretty small and some are advertised as nitrogen flushed, so assume air is purged from the hops with nitrogen before being compressed into pellets.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Tri clamps wont improve your beer, but make your kit far more configurable and customisable to suit the way you want to brew beer and ultimately are a simple and cheap feature to include in any bit of kit. you have to attach stuff to stuff in any brew set up and tri clamps are as good a method as any and opens up a whole world of kit you can use.

 

[foxy]

Seen plenty of commercial breweries using all manner of fancy pants contraptions to introduce hops into fermenters in an oxygen free way. For example:-



Agreed we can only do what we reasonably can do as home brewers, but oxidation is a thing and some people have experienced it, me included. I think making sensible efforts to keep oxygen out is a good thing and needent be too complicated or expensive and something like a hop bong seems like a perfectly sensible thing. Personally I dry hop into a purged keg containing a hop tube with the hops in and notwithstanding the air/oxygen trapped inside the hop pellets, is a totally oxygen free method of dry hopping...though I would think that the amount of air trapped inside the hop matter is pretty small and some are advertised as nitrogen flushed, so assume air is purged from the hops with nitrogen before being compressed into pellets.

How many have you seen using something like that? Everyone I have seen open a port an tip them in. Its only home brewers who are searching for ways to dry hop oxygen free. Thats the power of advertising.

 

[Davegase]

How many have you seen using something like that? Everyone I have seen open a port an tip them in. Its only home brewers who are searching for ways to dry hop oxygen free. Thats the power of advertising.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Zn2oQR5p_fc?feature=share

 

[hoppyscotty]

Well there are as many different ways of brewing beer amongst commercial breweries as there are amongst home brewers. I've not toured many commercial breweries, just a few micro breweries, basically home brew on steroids and experimenting with all the same things we seem to, and some super large commercial breweries with kit that is several stories high so hard to tell exactly how they're doing things, but the fact that kit like this exists and is on sale suggests there is a demand for it in the commercial world.

But hops are very expensive and, being a manufacturing engineer and pretty anal when it comes to process control and understanding how variables in any process affects the end result, I would think that any successful large scale commercial brewery will be working hard on every element of the process to eek as much as they possibly can out of their ingredients. On a large commercial scale just a few percent less hops used for each batch will be worth several thousands every year from their bottom line.