Stainless Steel Fermenting Bin

[Kronos]

Are there any advantages of using a stainless steel fermenting bin as opposed to the general plastic ones.

 

[TartanSpecial]

I guess longevity, if you clean and sterilise with the right chemicals. Plastic picks up scratches over time which may eventually be a potential harbouring point for infections though I've never had a problem with that personally. Stainless conical ferementers are also meant to promote a more efficient fermentation due to the currents that set up inside, and the surface area of yeast exposed to the beer after fermentation is smaller than a flat bottom vessel. I moved to a stainless conical for the shallow reason that it looked the business, but have found that fermentations are a lot more reliable and quicker than when i used to use a plastic bucket. Only downside to stainless is the cost.

 

[donnyos]

+1 on what tartan says. I've only had one infection and that made me switch plastic to stainless. I was so concerned about cleanliness I used to scrub my plastic FV with sponge scrubbers and was told that scratches often hide nasties that a sanitiser and cleaner can't reach. That was my ignorance. I do know of a local micro brewery that used plastic FVs though.
Stainless is by its nature tough as anything and far easier to clean and keep clean I find especially if you clean it straight after use. And they are not of course transparent so safer for the beer inside.
And lastly just Google Shiny fever! Stainless is shiny and alluring..but the glitter tempts you in and persuades you to buy more Stainless and pumps and fittings and is much more expensive than plastic.
I managed for many years on plastic to learn the ropes and saved a load of money but wished I had gone bigger and stainless earlier. I'm all stainless now and can use all manner of really effective sanitisers and cleaners so don't scrub or scratch any more.

 

[Fil]

plastic FVs get retired this end if any receive a scratch or gouge i fear a danger. moving to small mouthed FV vessels helps by removing the temptation to bung loads of kit in a bucket between brews which is how i managed to gouge n scratch most of my old buckets now devoted to storage and soaks..

SS is superior in its resistance to scratches, however due to its longevity its susceptible to beerstone eventually which can be a sod to shift if PBW isnt readily available.

even using plastic buckets with the temptations to use em as storage bins I could never expend the price of a SS conical with all the triclamp bells n whistles in a lifetime of brewing and ive been at it since the 70's

But if you have an shiney itch you wanna scratch, if you think your brewery would benefit from a shiny SS addition go for it and enjoy..

 

[terrym]

I bought my first FV in 1970. It was an orange plastic dustbin, certainly not 'foodsafe'. I used to clean it when necessary with slightly abrasive pads and so it would have got scratched. I never had any infected brews as far as I can remember in the 25 years or so I used it before I stopped brewing. Since I have restarted I have two basic plastic FVs and find they are perfectly adequate for what I need.
So the only advantage I can see for conical FVs is the valved outlet to cleanly discharge the plug of spent yeast off the bottom when the fermentation has finished. Whether the shape promotes a better fermentation I have no idea. My cynical view at the homebrew 25 litre level, where they are other variables which are more dominant, would be that it doesn't or at best it would not be noticed .
However, like Fil has said, if you want to spend your money on shiny since that does it for you, go for it :thumb:.

 

[TartanSpecial]

My cynical view at the homebrew 25 litre level, where they are other variables which are more dominant, would be that it doesn't or at best it would not be noticed .
However, like Fil has said, if you want to spend your money on shiny since that does it for you, go for it :thumb:.

Despite being a conical convert there is something in what Terry says...when I moved to stainless conical I did change a few things which may have contributed to better speed of fermentation and consistency of final beer. First, was a much more vigourous oxygenation of the wort before pitching (vigorous shaking 3 lots of approx 7-8 ltrs at a time in a 25ltr wine fermenter using brewers antifoam to control the foam). Second was more attention for temperature control in the first few days of fermentation. Third was a shift to rehydration the yeast before pitching or using an active starter rather than sprinking on top. If I'd done all of those when using a plastic bucket I might have got similar results. Maybe I should split the next brew and ferment half in a bucket and half in the conical to find out.

 

[terrym]

Despite being a conical convert there is something in what Terry says...when I moved to stainless conical I did change a few things which may have contributed to better speed of fermentation and consistency of final beer. First, was a much more vigourous oxygenation of the wort before pitching (vigorous shaking 3 lots of approx 7-8 ltrs at a time in a 25ltr wine fermenter using brewers antifoam to control the foam). Second was more attention for temperature control in the first few days of fermentation. Third was a shift to rehydration the yeast before pitching or using an active starter rather than sprinking on top. If I'd done all of those when using a plastic bucket I might have got similar results. Maybe I should split the next brew and ferment half in a bucket and half in the conical to find out.

Interesting post this.
There is only so much dissolved oxygen that liquids are able to support at any temperature and pressure. After that they become 100% saturated and any oxygen that remains simply bubbles out. Which is why I rely on the sparkler thingy on the cold water tap to oxygenate the water which makes up my brew, and then a good thrash with my brewing spoon because I know any more will make little difference to the dissolved O2 content.
I have gone full circle on pitching using dried yeast. After a few stuttering starts with hydrated yeast and also yeast hydrated and then started using a dilute wort before pitching, I am back to sprinkling which for me seems to be more reliable, and is certainly simpler to carry out.
I do like your idea of a comparison however, provided it's completely objective in its conclusions :thumb:.

 

[TartanSpecial]

ref the oxygen, i should have mentioned that I'm doing all grain so need to get the oxygen back in after its been driven off during the hour long boil. First brewday of my brewing season...wort cooling, hope the home grown first gold hops work out ok.

 

[DoctorMick]

Interesting post this.
There is only so much dissolved oxygen that liquids are able to support at any temperature and pressure. After that they become 100% saturated and any oxygen that remains simply bubbles out. Which is why I rely on the sparkler thingy on the cold water tap to oxygenate the water which makes up my brew, and then a good thrash with my brewing spoon because I know any more will make little difference to the dissolved O2 content.
I have gone full circle on pitching using dried yeast. After a few stuttering starts with hydrated yeast and also yeast hydrated and then started using a dilute wort before pitching, I am back to sprinkling which for me seems to be more reliable, and is certainly simpler to carry out.
I do like your idea of a comparison however, provided it's completely objective in its conclusions :thumb:.

You won't be able to get near the limit of dissolved oxygen by just shaking/stirring, you need to be able to pump oxygen in to the wort at the right rate and for the right length of time. It is very difficult for a homebrewer to get the recommended amount of oxygen in to wort. That said, I don't know what negative impacts it has because I'm managed without O2 and after giving my wort a good thrashing fermentation always seems healthy and kicks off quickly.

 

[terrym]

ref the oxygen, i should have mentioned that I'm doing all grain so need to get the oxygen back in after its been driven off during the hour long boil. First brewday of my brewing season...wort cooling, hope the home grown first gold hops work out ok.

First Gold :thumb:
Target and First Gold Extract Brew currently in my FV and bubbling away happily since it started yesterday