Conical fermenters

[druid]

So Im starting to look around at conical fermenters. There are a few companies that make them, but the 2 that seem to stand out is Blichmann and SS Brewtech. Does anyone have any thoughts on one vs the other? A bit of a confession first...I currently brew kits at this point, but the larger ones will allow me to brew 10 gallons at a time and I like the idea of being able to dump the yeast and do both primary and secondary in the same vessel. If in the future I migrate towards all grain...I already will have some decent kit to work with.

 

[DethApostle]

I haven't experience on conical fermenters myself but it seems a bit extreme if you're just brewing kits at the moment!

DA

 

[peebee]

I wouldn't dismiss the idea as extreme if you want a new fermenter now and may move to all-grain later.

They are hugely convenient, may speed up fermentation (something about the geometry) and are horribly expensive. Mine you can't get any longer, but is huge (65L) and cost a small fortune (7-800 quid). It's currently being fitted with neoprene insulation, external cooling coils and a heater (brew belt). Cooling coils are fed by a shelf cooler, the fermenting beer can also be recirculated through the cooler's "product coils" to really get the temperature down*. Buying one is definitely the "thin end of the wedge".

(* Don't anyone say I should have a brew fridge, or they'll be invited around to show me how to move a 65L stainless steel fermenter, full of beer so weighing about 100Kgs, into one.).

 

[druid]

I admit that it is a bit of a jump, but at 1000.00 my dollars for something that I will not have to replace, can brew 12-14 imperial gallons at a time, wont need the number of glass carboys I currently have ( or 3 primary fermenters for that matter ) it looks the charm to be fair, ah maybe Im just trying really hard to talk myself into it........

 

[MyQul]

There are plastic (PTFE/PET?) conicals about if an SS one is too much of a stretch. I've been looking at the fermentasaurus over the past couple of days

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=4765

 

[MickDundee]

There are plastic (PTFE/PET?) conicals about if an SS one is too much of a stretch. I've been looking at the fermentasaurus over the past couple of days

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=4765

That's a thing of beauty. I'd had my eye on some shiny, but the brewmaster bucked doesn't have a yeast dump facility. This might be on my Christmas list!

 

[MyQul]

That's a thing of beauty. I'd had my eye on some shiny, but the brewmaster bucked doesn't have a yeast dump facility. This might be on my Christmas list!

I'd love some shiny but shiny is way out of my price range but at £100 I could afford

 

[Godsdog]

There are plastic (PTFE/PET?) conicals about if an SS one is too much of a stretch. I've been looking at the fermentasaurus over the past couple of days

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=4765

That looks a good bit of kit,most on here will know I have the fast fermenter which is a bugger to get an air tight seal in it.this one though looks to have the drawback of not being able to hang it on brackets with the stand being far too low.

 

[MyQul]

That looks a good bit of kit,most on here will know I have the fast fermenter which is a bugger to get an air tight seal in it.this one though looks to have the drawback of not being able to hang it on brackets with the stand being far too low.

This one you can pressurise and use as a keg (the fittings on the lid are the same as a corny - so it better have an air tight seal) Even though you can attach a hose for bottling, I think this is a bit of an afterthought as the stand only really seems big enough so you can get the trub collection/dry hopping container in the bottom easily enough. In the manufacturing vids they trumpet how you can fit a tap on the top and use C02 etc and not much if anything about using it for bottling

 

[Deadhead]

There are plastic (PTFE/PET?) conicals about if an SS one is too much of a stretch. I've been looking at the fermentasaurus over the past couple of days

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=4765

Thanks, this looks really cool!

 

[Godsdog]

This one you can pressurise and use as a keg (the fittings on the lid are the same as a corny - so it better have an air tight seal) Even though you can attach a hose for bottling, I think this is a bit of an afterthought as the stand only really seems big enough so you can get the trub collection/dry hopping container in the bottom easily enough. In the manufacturing vids they trumpet how you can fit a tap on the top and use C02 etc and not much if anything about using it for bottling

Yeah,the stand is too low but if you are gonna use it as an fc and pressure keg you need another cap with the QDs in it at another£45 and then you have the problem of tying
up your fv as a pressure keg and hindering your next brew,so at a total cost of around £145 as nice as it is I'll pass on this one,great if you have 3/4 of them though and no cornies

 

[sdt7618]

So what would happen if you fitted the bottling barb, primed the fermentor and poured straight to glass just like a traditional plastic pressure barrel?

I do like the idea of this but again how would you control temperature without a larder size brew fridge?

 

[pms67]

I wouldn't dismiss the idea as extreme if you want a new fermenter now and may move to all-grain later.

They are hugely convenient, may speed up fermentation (something about the geometry) and are horribly expensive. Mine you can't get any longer, but is huge (65L) and cost a small fortune (7-800 quid). It's currently being fitted with neoprene insulation, external cooling coils and a heater (brew belt). Cooling coils are fed by a shelf cooler, the fermenting beer can also be recirculated through the cooler's "product coils" to really get the temperature down*. Buying one is definitely the "thin end of the wedge".

(* Don't anyone say I should have a brew fridge, or they'll be invited around to show me how to move a 65L stainless steel fermenter, full of beer so weighing about 100Kgs, into one.).

Why don't you just go on Gumtree and g............ oh

 

[MyQul]

Yeah,the stand is too low but if you are gonna use it as an fc and pressure keg you need another cap with the QDs in it at another�£45 and then you have the problem of tying
up your fv as a pressure keg and hindering your next brew,so at a total cost of around �£145 as nice as it is I'll pass on this one,great if you have 3/4 of them though and no cornies

Never having kegged I didnt twig onto the above issues. I think the only way around the low stand is to have it sitting on something like a kitchen work surface (something I would possibly be able to do depending on the overall height)

 

[BeardedMag]

That's an awesome piece of kit. On my wishlist! :)

There are plastic (PTFE/PET?) conicals about if an SS one is too much of a stretch. I've been looking at the fermentasaurus over the past couple of days

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=4765

 

[MyQul]

Although Godsdog has pointed out some of the limiting factors of the Fermenasaurus, it seems quite a few forumites like the look of it. Unfortunately it's currently out of stock at the malt miller but I'm sure if people let Rob at MM know there's an interest he'll get them in (he seems to get a regular order of brewtech stuff as that seems to generate a big interest too)

 

[pms67]

Does anyone have the Brewtech stainless fermenter,can't post a link?
https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=585

 

[pms67]

Or one of these is even cheaper,not sure about the difference in quality though.
http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Mangrove-Jacks-Stainless-Steel-Fermenter.html

 

[Godsdog]

Or one of these is even cheaper,not sure about the difference in quality though.
http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Mangrove-Jacks-Stainless-Steel-Fermenter.html

Far too much dead space below the tap and it'd be either a tilt to empty it or back to the old syphon

 

[pms67]

I like the Brewtech one but no option to dump the yeast and its a bit pricey,I am very tempted though