Fermzilla 30L All rounder ?

[RoomWithABrew]

I won't be making any wheat beers just ales or IPA of about 6% so will try a 28l batch next. Hopefully the krausen will stay lower than the gas out. If it gets too high then I'll increase the pressure with the spunding valve. I always connect the gas out of the AR to the beer out of a corny keg and the spunding valve to the gas in post. That ensures there's enough pressure for closed transfer and purges the keg of air. In fact enough gas is produced by the yeast to pressurise two kegs
Thanks for the help guys

Beware verdant yeast that is very productive according to the verdant ipa thread on US site.

 

[Andrew Booth]

I’ve managed 33 litres on one brew in mine worked very well.

 

[Kush1960]

I have 2 All Rounders and I love them.

Here are some of my lessons learned:

1. If you buy the small filter, make sure you get the Kegland one, as some of the Chinese copies don't have the small eyelet on them which is needed to attach it to the ball/dip tube.

2. I recommend using food grade lube for the lid as it's a bugger to get off. You can pop it off with CO2 but that's such a pain.

3. The collar around the lid can also be a bugger to release but you can buy a cheap rubber lasso gadget to remove it.

4. Buy another carbonation cap, either a yellow or metal one, for the liquid post and then use a red one on the All Rounder to signify gas. It can be difficult tell liquid from gas during fermentation and having 2 red caps is the problem.

5. The tape that marks litres/gallons is inaccurate. If you care, then measure the liquid level yourself and use a marker on the All Rounder. But remember that when your wort is under pressure, the measurements will fluctuate.

6. Fermenting between 10psi and 15psi will naturally carbonate your beer. You can also harvest CO2 for free if you have multiple kegs. If you use a Float or Tilt check what pressure it can handle or it could do pop.

7. A spunding valve with a pressure gauge (I use the version 2 from Kegland) is a must and remember to tweak it during fermentation. And make sure that the spunding valve is the right way around (arrow pointing away from the carbonation cap) otherwise it will suck rather than blow!

8. You can add a tube from the spunding valve to a bottle of water if you want to see active fermentation. But the it's not necessary and the novelty soon wears off.

9. You can add a heat belt to control temps (a pad won't work due to the shape).

10. The metal stand keeps the AR stable but works better when the wider opening is facing up. That also reduces the head room needed in a fridge.

11. If head room in a fridge is an issue, you can ditch the metal stand and use a piece of plastic tubing as a stand to get an inch or two lower.

12. To test for pressure leaks, fill the AR with CO2 and place it upside down in a bucket to check for bubbles.

13. Only ever hand tighten the carbonation caps and never use a screwdriver to open the lid, as you'll break it or compromise the seal.

14. Kegland sell a harness for the AR which secures it to it's stand to make lifting the two much easier. I didn't buy one at first but then regretted it because having one makes it much easier to move them into a fermentation fridge.

15. I bought all the Fermzilla AR parts on Kegland's Aliexpress site (sorry local brew shops) because they are so much cheaper.

16. The T-Piece is great for adding finings under pressure if you want clear beer.

17. I use magnets and hop bags for dry-hopping rather (which some people frown upon) rather than open the difficult to remove lid. And you can slide the bag slowly down the side and under the wort without having to add weights inside.

I think that's it!

I’ve made a copy of your list. I’m on my second fermentation and this is great advice. Thank you.

 

[SteveB.]

Hi fgoulding great list of very useful lessons learnt
I have a couple of questions about dry hopping as I don't like lifting the lid to add hops to the fermzilla.
What magnets (size, shape,type) do you use on the outside of the Fermzilla?
Also what do you put in the hop bag to stick to the magnet. Is it another magnet or a lump of magnetic metal?
I want to try this method but am a bit concerned about the metal that goes in the hop bag and will be submerged in the beer.
Cheers,
Steve B.

 

[fgoulding]

Hi Steve,

I bought a pack of 8 white PTFE (food grade) stir bar magnets and I put 4 at each end of the hop bag. Then on the outside of the AR, I use 2 super strong neodymium fishing magnets to create a kind of hammock. All of these magnets are super cheap on AliExpress.

However, since I wrote the list, I did have some issues with some heavily hopped brews (with the hop bag touching the wort). So now I do 2 other things for dry hopping.

First method is to not tighten the lid too much and to not brew under pressure for 3 days. Then it’s easier to pop open the lid and dry hop. Once I put the lid back on, I tighten it, purge the AR with CO2 and you can then set the spunding valve to your desired pressure.

The second method (which I’ve done only once) is to use this valve with 2 tee pieces in order to make purging in situ much easier.

https://www.kegland.com.au/pco1881-x-pco1881-female-ball-balve-dry-hop-device-for-fermzilla.html
https://www.kegland.com.au/pco-1881-carbonation-cap-tee-piece.html
It worked great and they also sell them on AliExpress.

Best of luck!

 

[gingerneil]

Great list, thanks
I'm very close to going for an all rounder... Just reading up on pressure fermentation and looking for a local co2 supplier. I'll likely order a load of bits off Ali, and then the all rounder once they land in the UK from China.

 

[Mayor of Simpleton]

Super useful thread. Good to hear experience of all rounder users

I now have an all-rounder on its way from BKT. The main reason for purchase is to try to extend the life of my NEIPAs in keg by closed transfer. I am happy with how they taste fresh but find that fades faster than I can drink em. I also wanted a 2nd fermenter to try to make a lager (I also have SS Brewtech Brewbucket). I looked at the snub nose, the fermzilla and the fermenter king gen 3, but the ease of cleaning and simplicity of this decided it for me.

My thought process is to ferment my NEIPA under gravity until I dry hop (by quick addition though the top while there is still active fermentation); then allow to pressurise to 10-12 psi until fermentation is complete; cold crash and then close transfer to keg. Is this a reasonable first approach?

 

[fgoulding]

Super useful thread. Good to hear experience of all rounder users

I now have an all-rounder on its way from BKT. The main reason for purchase is to try to extend the life of my NEIPAs in keg by closed transfer. I am happy with how they taste fresh but find that fades faster than I can drink em. I also wanted a 2nd fermenter to try to make a lager (I also have SS Brewtech Brewbucket). I looked at the snub nose, the fermzilla and the fermenter king gen 3, but the ease of cleaning and simplicity of this decided it for me.

My thought process is to ferment my NEIPA under gravity until I dry hop (by quick addition though the top while there is still active fermentation); then allow to pressurise to 10-12 psi until fermentation is complete; cold crash and then close transfer to keg. Is this a reasonable first approach?

That’s exactly what I do and I’ve had no issues with oxidation. All the better if you can give the AR a quick purge with CO2 after dry hopping.

I also have a 2nd AR. One goes into my fermentation fridge for lagers and some ales. I use the second one with a Fermizilla AR jacket and a heat belt when I’m using Kveik yeast.

 

[Mayor of Simpleton]

Thanks for the suggestion on the quick purge with CO2 after dry hoppin fgoulding. I will be able to do that so will look to incorporate that in my process. I am also going to add a thermowell through the lid so I can keep an eye on and control fermentation temperature.

 

[Mash Monster]

Thanks for the suggestion on the quick purge with CO2 after dry hoppin fgoulding. I will be able to do that so will look to incorporate that in my process. I am also going to add a thermowell through the lid so I can keep an eye on and control fermentation temperature.

HI I too have fitted thermowells to both my AR’s it was a real PITA to do and caused me no end of problems
You might want to consider buying extra lids just in case of accidents. Just saying good luck

 

[fgoulding]

HI I too have fitted thermowells to both my AR’s it was a real PITA to do and caused me no end of problems
You might want to consider buying extra lids just in case of accidents. Just saying good luck

Same here. I fitted a thermowell and it worked great for a while. But after I removed it for cleaning, I couldn’t get the thing back on. The connection for the bolt is too small and for one brew it fell off into the wort.

So I bought another lid and I‘ve stopped using the Thermowell.

I just use plumbers putty to stick my Inkbird temperature probe to the outside of the AR.

 

[Mash Monster]

I found the trick is to fit the fitting upside down with the nut on the outside it seems to work for me

 

[gingerneil]

Anyone recommend the best place to buy an all rounder, including pressure kit ?

 

[fgoulding]

I found the trick is to fit the fitting upside down with the nut on the outside it seems to work for me

Nice, I never thought of that!

 

[fgoulding]

Anyone recommend the best place to buy an all rounder, including pressure kit ?

I got my AR’s from Geterbrewed and the pressure kit on AliExpress.

 

[Paul Roberts]

Anyone recommend the best place to buy an all rounder, including pressure kit ?

Brew keg tap do packages if you just want someone to order from in UK. Or AHB

 

[Mayor of Simpleton]

Anyone recommend the best place to buy an all rounder, including pressure kit ?
[/QUOTE]BrewKegTap sell the whole lot together. They had a deal on when I recently ordered mine. Quick delivery and great service on everything I have bought from them.

 

[thegrantickle]

Anyone recommend the best place to buy an all rounder, including pressure kit ?

BrewKegTap sell the whole lot together. They had a deal on when I recently ordered mine. Quick delivery and great service on everything I have bought from them.
[/QUOTE]
+1

 

[Davegase]

I usually ferment from start to finish in the one vessel, in my case the fermzilla. I usually dry hop through the top which is why my next purchase would probably be the AR or snub-nosed !
I've started using this calculator here is the link.
https://drhansbrewery.com/beercarbonationcalculator/The link includes a video.
It seems to work very well for me.
My last brew was an Irish stout kit beer.
Irish stout started 29th of May with mangrove jack's number 2(1.4 kg) beer enhancer.
Made up to 22.5 l with the 2L of hubbard's still water and 2 l of chase spring ASDA still water
The rest was 14.9 l r o water.
Boiled 4l and chilled the rest to 3 degrees C.
Og 1.049 pitch two packs of M42 to at 23 deg C @4pm
31st May @ 7pm 23 deg C, 1.015 ,14psi Dry hopped.
Repressurised to 17psi.
6th June fg 1.009 @21c-24psi,
Abv 5.4 started Cold crash.
I hope that is some help to you
But no doubt there will be many points of view.

 

[foxy]

Pity you guys haven't got the Apollo over there yet. Same volume as the all rounder with the added advantage of having a conical bottom, (less exposure to the yeast bed) I don't like the metal frame so had a play around with some keg chimes. cut out the ribbing in the chime and glued the Apollo into it. Fits like a finger in a bum. so easy for moving around now, also reduces the height.