Stainless Steel Fermenters

[Agentgonzo]

If bottling straight from the fv how do you prime?

Prime each bottle. I have a stainless steel funnel and measuring spoons. Flame them for a second or so before setting up. Then half a teaspoon of sugar to each bottle. A bit more if I want it more carbonated.

 

[Pennine]

Only stainless for me, unless I am doing a sour or now an open ferment. I think it makes a difference, acetaldehyde issues with plastic if in leave them too long. I mainly use cornies though to ferment in and sold all my fancy stainless ferments a while back. I do have a SS brewbucket still.

 

[Mash Monster]

I think a quick peek will make hardly any difference (set up dependant). I used to put a blanket of tissue & tinfoil over the probe (tapped to the side of the fermenter) for insulation. Just got a thermowell for the FZ lid so the probe will be right in the beer and a quick peek will affect it even less now. Just praying I don't ruin the lid!

Just a word of caution there are two types of bulk head fittings by kegland for the thermowell, one is white and the other is grey . The grey one is slightly longer and easier to fit. Just saying

 

[JockyBrewer]

Ah yes...at the moment I batch prime in a separate bucket.
Ideally I suppose would be to transfer straight to keg.

When bottling I would dissolve sugar in freshly boiled water, then use a syringe to dose each bottle. It saves oxygen exposure of going to another bucket.

Although these days I usually fill straight into a purged keg.

 

[MashBag]

Prime each bottle. I have a stainless steel funnel and measuring spoons. Flame them for a second or so before setting up. Then half a teaspoon of sugar to each bottle. A bit more if I want it more carbonated.

Google "zevro sugar dispenser"
Metered, clean, timely & accurate.

Magic bit of kit for bottle priming.

 

[Bzee]

Prime each bottle. I have a stainless steel funnel and measuring spoons. Flame them for a second or so before setting up. Then half a teaspoon of sugar to each bottle. A bit more if I want it more carbonated.

I have a stainless steel funnel as well

 

[Sozzled Sab]

That’s an excellent point Clint, I used to very happily store beer in PBs for many months but I don’t do this now I have corny kegs. Maybe the beer is better in stainless but there’s just as good a chance I might be following the herd. Dammit!

Yes,I agree.I use PBs and no matter how much you clean,bleach and sanitise them they still are a bit smelly by the time you use them again.As for fermenters I don't think the beer is in contact with them for long enough to make a difference plus they are light and I can just hang them on a nail in the garage.

 

[Deadhead]

What is your take on this please @Deadhead?

Well the decent quality - food grade fermentation buckets we all start in are absolutely fine. They (food grade) don't leech chemicals into your beer, are lightweight , easy to clean in the tub/shower, store and stack easily and are easy to find and are cheap!. You can easily see the level of beer and if fermentation has started/krausen levels. They can scratch (and thus need to take extra care cleaning, the seals become loose over time, they can let light in (depending on the plastic type) and they're not pretty things to look at.

Many higher end stainless steel buckets have the advantage of being a conical so you can dump trub (though many plastic ones have this now), have built in temperature control, are easily to hook up glycol chillers (if they have the inlets, etc). They don't scratch as easily, but you do need to take care still. They're very easy to clean, clamp down the lid, etc. Mine isn't pressure rated, except for a few psi, so I can't pressure ferment, but I can do an oxygen free transfer still (if I had kegs to go to). There are of course ones that are pressure rated (£££). You usually need to order/ go to a specific homebrew shop to find, not your standard Wilko/Range/Farm supply store.

I make beer in both. I don't really notice any difference in the finished product from the material itself.
To me, the bigger thing that influences the beer is controlling the fermentation temperatures, so as long as you have a way to do that, you make yummy beer!

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Thanks hun.

 

[Martin Kernick]

I have used both. I did encounter a temporary problem with plastic in that the plastic did slightly taint the beer for the first brew or two, even though I had thoroughly washed it out. This went away in subsequent brews. Stainless is easier to sterlise, I boil up a few kettles and pour boiling water in mine (I use sterilising solution as well - belt and braces). The internal temperature wil be at around 80C for a few minuites - not perfect, but will kill off most yeasts and bacteria. There's a tiny downside in that stainless isn't at all see-through so you can't see the level of the liquid through the wall which means that it's not as easy to judge fermenter volume, but since I'm pretty sure of the volume I've put in there, that's OK.

 

[gavp1979]

I think a quick peek will make hardly any difference (set up dependant). I used to put a blanket of tissue & tinfoil over the probe (tapped to the side of the fermenter) for insulation. Just got a thermowell for the FZ lid so the probe will be right in the beer and a quick peek will affect it even less now. Just praying I don't ruin the lid!

Would be interested to see how this goes, I place mine under a sponge kept on with bungee cords but it can be a bit of a pain getting them to stay in the right place due to the shape of the all rounder

 

[Bernie]

I batch prime in a plastic fermenter with about 200 ccs of dissolved sugar. Stirring doesn't seem to disturb the yeast cake too much.
Plastic for me as I can carry the 25l fermenter from the kitchen.

 

[MrJay83]

Just a word of caution there are two types of bulk head fittings by kegland for the thermowell, one is white and the other is grey . The grey one is slightly longer and easier to fit. Just saying

Mine is white & grey

 

[MrJay83]

Would be interested to see how this goes, I place mine under a sponge kept on with bungee cords but it can be a bit of a pain getting them to stay in the right place due to the shape of the all rounder

Attempting it tonight. Will put 10 psi on it and see what it's like in the morning. Probably should have ordered a spare lid just in case

 

[Druncan]

My purpose of brewing is to sell in our restaurant - It's a production line. I started with 4 Speidel 30L cider FV's in 2016. I treat them like kid gloves as I was paranoid about scratching the inner surfaces. Worked well, but I struggled as my volume increased + they were a *ugger to clean. Smaller FV's are more susceptible to temp variations and brew consistency can vary. Then I got BB 75 conicals that I use with Acask piped keg jackets and modded bar chillers Awesome kit, Can CIP and take a bit pressure. Trub dumping is great (as its in demand for bread/pizza making) Now got a 150 BB conical -it's even better as it has a cooling coil. More consistent product again. Picked up two SS 153 jacketed unitanks. After rebuilding and welding, They are the dogs danglies. I tend to run the 150+ tanks constantly as FV's and brite tanks. The 75's are for slower moving lines. I'm sure my brews are more consistent. IMHO my brews are still not great though, just getting better, as i'm still learning :tinhat: They do sell out though @ £5-6 /pint. My missus has now accepted brewing as a key part of our business (thankfully)

 

[Mash Monster]

Mine is white & grey View attachment 84061

Sorry should have clarified your one is the ‘ white’ one KL14585WHITE (35.72mm long )
The all grey one KL4595GREY (38.24mm long)

 

[obscure]

There's a tiny downside in that stainless isn't at all see-through so you can't see the level of the liquid through the wall which means that it's not as easy to judge fermenter volume, but since I'm pretty sure of the volume I've put in there, that's OK.

I use a set of scales (just a cheap set of bathroom scales) since a litre of liquid is roughly a kilo I can simply weigh the fermentor subtract the weight of the fermentor from the total and I have my volume, It’s also handy when I want to check how much beer is left in a keg,

 

[MrJay83]

Sorry should have clarified your one is the ‘ white’ one KL14585WHITE (35.72mm long )
The all grey one KL4595GREY (38.24mm long)

I'm presuming that the grey end will be on the outside with the nut on the inside?

 

[Mash Monster]

I'm presuming that the grey end will be on the outside with the nut on the inside?

The way it is designed is for the nut to be on the inside - correct.
However I have fitted one of my ‘white’ ones upside down in an All Rounder as it wouldn’t tighten down properly the right way up !!!!
What are you fitting it too?

 

[MrJay83]

What are you fitting it too?

An all-rounder.