# Stainless Steel Olive Oil Fusti As Fermenter?



## br33zy (20/7/10)

Hi All,

Doing a lot of browsing for affordable stainless steel fermenting options at the moment; and just discovered the 'fusti'.

http://www.oliveoilsource.com/content/stai...spigot-30-liter
http://cgi.ebay.com/25-Liter-5-gal-Wine-Oi...i-/130407518137

They seem to me to be a pretty good option for a fermenter - and perhaps even a no-chill vessel (if not storing for long periods).

Anyone tried one? What do you think?

Cheers

Mike


----------



## earle (20/7/10)

Apart from the bling factor, what advantage do you see for SS over plastic?


----------



## br33zy (20/7/10)

earle said:


> Apart from the bling factor, what advantage do you see for SS over plastic?



Well I don't want to wander off-topic here into a slanging match of plastic vs stainless steel vs aluminium etc. But IMHO it would certainly be nicer to be fermenting in stainless steel than plastic if the price is right. So, while I wouldn't be shelling out $700+ for a stainless conical fermenter; if I had the option I would definitely consider spending $150 on something like this.


----------



## roller997 (20/7/10)

Not sure how they stack up, however at that size and for price once you include shippment, a legitimate second hand keg from Keg King would be a better and cheaper option. It would require a hole in the side for a tap, however it would be less likely to have issues with infection, provide for greater fermentation volumes / headspace, would be more sturdy and it would be easy to make something that resembles an airlock if you don't want to use glad wrap.

With the Olive oil / wine / vinegar containers there might not enough consideration given to sanitization.
If the welds are not sanitary welds there is greater chance for the sanitization process to miss a spot and you will get infections.

I would stick to a legitimate keg if you want to go for a cheap stainless option to ferment in. 

Cheers

Roller


----------



## Bribie G (20/7/10)

UK home brew suppliers sell wagon loads of these, apparently. Being an EU product they've got onto them early. One advantage of SS is that you can use live steam to sterilize a fermenter, and I mean sterilize not "just" sanitize.


----------



## hazard (20/7/10)

Breezy too said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Doing a lot of browsing for affordable stainless steel fermenting options at the moment; and just discovered the 'fusti'.
> 
> ...


So can you buy these in OZ??


----------



## roller997 (20/7/10)

I suspect that one of the appeals of stainless conicals is there for the fact that it is a conical, moreso than the material being used.

For that reason you might not be gaining as much as you think if you move from a standard plastic fermenter to a keg shaped stainless fermenter.

What a stainless vessel offers as an advantage is:
They last longer.
They don't take on flavours of the beer.
Some folks think they are more easily sanitized if constructed properly.

Conicals have further advantages which is one of the reasons why folks go for those


Cheers


Roller


----------



## br33zy (20/7/10)

Roller997 said:


> ...
> 
> With the Olive oil / wine / vinegar containers there might not enough consideration given to sanitization.
> If the welds are not sanitary welds there is greater chance for the sanitization process to miss a spot and you will get infections.
> ...



Yes, the welds are what worries me. The one on eBay declares tig welds and a seamless interior - but who knows.

Interesting that the UK homebrewers are onto them BribieG.


----------



## br33zy (20/7/10)

hazard said:


> So can you buy these in OZ??



Yes, just discovered them this morning at http://www.costanteimports.com/product.php...p;category_id=4 - which seems like a great place for a visit before my next Tomato Sauce bottling day


----------



## Eggs (20/7/10)

I saw these in the olive oil shop in milawa at Easter. http://www.theoliveshop.com.au/olive_oils.htm
It did occur to me that they might be useful as brewing gear, but they are only thin steel. and as i recall quite pricey.
My well be alot cheaper from the importer.


----------



## drsmurto (20/7/10)

BribieG said:


> UK home brew suppliers sell wagon loads of these, apparently. Being an EU product they've got onto them early. One advantage of SS is that you can use *live steam* to sterilize a fermenter, and I mean sterilize not "just" sanitize.



:icon_offtopic: What's live steam as opposed to dead steam?


----------



## Phoney (20/7/10)

Just wondering... After 2 - 3 days of leaving tap water in cubes when I go camping, the water starts to take on a "plasticy" taste as though im drinking from a garden hose. Why doesnt beer do the same, either in the fermenter or when conditioning in a cube for weeks on end?


----------



## Bribie G (20/7/10)

Live steam is invisible as it eats out your eyeballs in the 1960s B grade submarine movies (I can't believe that submarines actually have pipes of live steam running through them, but according to the movies they do) 

Seriously a lot of what people think of as steam is actually a cloud of very hot water droplets that have already condensed and are not actual steam (pure water vapour at over 100 degrees) but only _look_ like steam. That's my understanding from high school anyway. :icon_cheers:


----------



## SpillsMostOfIt (20/7/10)

Roller997 said:


> With the Olive oil / wine / vinegar containers there might not enough consideration given to sanitization.
> If the welds are not sanitary welds there is greater chance for the sanitization process to miss a spot and you will get infections.



People who make olive oil are as concerned (or maybe more) about sanitation as the law requires them to be when they are making/selling foodstuffs. It's not reasonable to lump olive oil together with wine and vinegar because there is no point in the process where alcohol comes along and says hello to any yeast/bacteria - like things. Rancid olive oil is not worth much on the open market...



Roller997 said:


> I would stick to a legitimate keg if you want to go for a cheap stainless option to ferment in.



Lots cheaper and easier to deal with, I would have thought.



DrSmurto said:


> :icon_offtopic: What's live steam as opposed to dead steam?



I've got a few tanks full of dead steam at my house. We call it water and have found several uses for it.


----------



## roller997 (20/7/10)

SpillsMostOfIt said:


> People who make olive oil are as concerned (or maybe more) about sanitation as the law requires them to be when they are making/selling foodstuffs. It's not reasonable to lump olive oil together with wine and vinegar because there is no point in the process where alcohol comes along and says hello to any yeast/bacteria - like things. Rancid olive oil is not worth much on the open market...



I must admit I don't have much knowledge in relation to olive oil and it makes sense that a food product which isn't all that acidic or contains a reasonable alcohol content for protection has to be treated carefully to avoid spoiling.
I did think that it was heat, oxygen and light were the main causes for oxidation, all of which an airtight stainless container (even with folded edges) can provide shelter against. 
So I suppose the question is - Does it come down to protecting the oil from spoiling or is there a chance that repeated use of olive oil without sanitization between uses will invite an infection?

Cheers

Roller


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (20/7/10)

Ok.. I read the first few posts...

If I had the $$$$ I would buy one... period

All this crap about welds, Stainless v Plastic blah blah blah is basically bullshit..

As long as you can clean/sanitize it, go for it. Jezzus... you can even ferment in a wheelie bin FFS

at least the Fusti wont degrade over time like plastic will.. That is one definate advantage


----------



## SpillsMostOfIt (20/7/10)

Roller997 said:


> I must admit I don't have much knowledge in relation to olive oil and it makes sense that a food product which isn't all that acidic or contains a reasonable alcohol content for protection has to be treated carefully to avoid spoiling.
> I did think that it was heat, oxygen and light were the main causes for oxidation, all of which an airtight stainless container (even with folded edges) can provide shelter against.
> So I suppose the question is - Does it come down to protecting the oil from spoiling or is there a chance that repeated use of olive oil without sanitization between uses will invite an infection?
> 
> ...



It's not about re-use of the oil. It is about the small amounts of vegetable matter and the natural yeasts that form on the fruit and remain after the pressing/centrifuge and filtering. Some people ultra-filter it and others let it settle for months in cold, dark places. During the processing (particularly, in my view, the crushing and malaxing, but also the pressing if you're being old-school about it), the fruit will take up oxygen and that will have an effect.

It's just like anything else that comes from nature in that it is subject to things wanting to make a living from it. And, like so many things, freshly-pressed olive oil is a beautiful thing quite unlike what gets wheeled out of supermarket.

Buy a keg.


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (20/7/10)

Just buy the bloody fusti..

Why are you guys so fckn anal about welds etc

Soak it for a few days with caustic soda....

DONT USE BLEACH in it.... bleach and stainless dont mix

Sometimes the crap posted on AHB does my head in.....

You want bad welds and seams... check out my ugly kettle.... I have yet to kill anyone in the last 5 years with it

I so badly want to make a rant over this h34r:


----------



## Kai (20/7/10)

I don't think olive oil and beer are in the same class at all when it comes to the risk of microbiological contamination, but there are certainly some parallels to be drawn with regards to oxidation and I do like the fact these things say 'airtight'.

I'd buy one, but I'd want to inspect it first.


----------



## alowen474 (21/7/10)

The fusti is fine. I agree with ducatiboy, stop being ridiculous about food grade comparisons.
A commercial brewer in NSW has been using these for a couple of years and the work really well.


----------



## roller997 (21/7/10)

Legitimate 50 Liter Keg - Easier to sanatize, larger, cheaper and substantially more sturdy 
Fusti - Thinner, smaller volume and if the fabrication is not as good as the keg it will take 2 days to sanitize it appears 

Both suffer from pitting when bleach is used so thanks ducatiboy for your metallurgical insight.

Caustic is a good way to sanitize stainless and flush it out with some low concentration citric acid before rinsing it with water.

Cheers 

Roller


----------



## hirns (29/7/10)

Well, I use an ultra thin Big W $19 - 19L pot as my boiler at present. I'm thinking that compared to a decent 30L boiler that this could be a cheap (tapped) kettle option without resorting to finding a midnight keg! If my Big W sweet FA thick pot can handle a three ring burner, would this???


----------



## gordo_t (19/9/13)

So has anyone bought used one of these fusti's ? they seem fairly sturdy and forgiving.

I wonder if there would be a way to no chill in them as well (i.e. just change lid or something). I know you couldn't squeze out the air, like you do with a cube, but i generally pitch well within 24 hours so wouldn't be using for long term storage really anyway.

I'm chewing through the cubes a bit (seams splitting mostly around the tap thread) and @ 15 - 20 bucks a pop it wouldn't be too long before it adds up to as much as one of these fusti's.


----------



## HBHB (19/9/13)

There's a few floating around in Australia.

I do believe they're on our website.

Martin


----------



## winkle (19/9/13)

Ha! made me look.


----------

