# Ditch my fermenter



## squirrell (8/10/16)

Hi, ive been hit by 5 brews in a row that arent obviously infected to look at but seem to have a bittery after taste which gets worse with age. Drinkeable, but not nice. They also seem a bit fizzy, there is head, but more gassy than lacey. No bottle bombs yet. I have temp control. My coopers fermenter has seen 25 brews, fine scratches at bottom from stirring. I did leavev it outside with trub in it for a few months a while back, but thoroughly cleaned it and sanitised after - the taps did stink, strong rubbery smell which i got rid of, but seems to come back mildly again after a brew.
Im thinking of just buying another fermenter, there is no difference between my old and post infection practises, but being a bit sloppy probably got the fermenter in the state it is now.


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## manticle (8/10/16)

Yes.
New fermenter time


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## scooterism (8/10/16)

Go stainless.


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## peteru (9/10/16)

Ditch it!

You could faf around with swapping the tap, but that may just get you another dodgy batch of beer.

You might as well go to Bunnings and get one of these plastic jobbies and a tap to go with it.

+1 for stainless, if you are willing to drop the coin.


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## indica86 (9/10/16)

I threw a full one in the bin when I had a bad run.
Sorted the problem it did.

Ditch away!!!!!


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## squirrell (9/10/16)

Thanks, i'm convinced.


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## warra48 (9/10/16)

No harm in changing to a new fermenter, but your problems might just as well, if not more likely, have been caused by the tap.

Do you dismantle and clean the tap after each use? If not, I suggest you do.


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## damoninja (9/10/16)

squirrell said:


> I did leave it outside with trub in it for a few months a while back, but thoroughly cleaned it and sanitised after


Uh.

Sanitise it with a flamethrower.

Taps do go a bit funny after a while when you pull them apart and sanitise, but it is necessary... they get scummy between the 2 parts. When they start going leaky I just turf and get some new ones.


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## Batz (9/10/16)

Plastic fermenters do have a use by date.
I have chucked several over the years, sometimes it's the easiest solution to an infection problem.

Batz


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## indica86 (9/10/16)

Dotch was better.


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## LAGERFRENZY (9/10/16)

detch the fermenter and get a choice new one cuz


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## Danscraftbeer (10/10/16)

Or, re, the Stainless option. My 50lt kegmenter for example I half filled with water and a tad of citric acid and boil the fark out of it to sanitize, but I only did that when I first bought it. 
I'll never ditch it over my lifetime I'd imagine.

I also ferment in a 23lt Corni keg. I cant boil that but all stainless steal insides and parts it is sanitizable for long time. I did fill this 23lt keg with boiling water though.

Is it Sanitizable?
Plastic is short lived IMO.


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## zeggie (10/10/16)

New fermenter is cheaper than brew ingredients wasted. Ditch it


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## Grott (10/10/16)

25 brews out of a fermenter is not good value. If your sanitising properly you should not have a problem. Pulling the tap apart, taking out the rubber ring and airlock grommet in the lid and sanitising is a must and don't forget the thread in the barrel.

Ditch the one you have and start again, being more particular to your cleaning and sanitising processes.

Cheers


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## mstrelan (10/10/16)

How much is a plastic fermenter, about $30? At 25 brews that's $1.20 per batch. Assuming you get 20L out of it that's 6 cents a litre, or about 2 cents a stubby. Sounds like good value to me.


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## Dave70 (10/10/16)

Sell it.


On E-Bay.


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## damoninja (10/10/16)

Dave70 said:


> Sell it.
> 
> On E-Bay.


And that's why I don't buy second hand FVs  




mstrelan said:


> How much is a plastic fermenter, about $30? At 25 brews that's $1.20 per batch. Assuming you get 20L out of it that's 6 cents a litre, or about 2 cents a stubby. Sounds like good value to me.


Can get a 30L for $22 or 60L for $40 inc tap and all the associated stuffs. I got an infection in one that I'd racked a beer on to a heap of figs (pasteurised), left it for 2-3 months with pelicle to see if it was any good baddies but it was bad baddies so in the bin it went.


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## Grott (10/10/16)

mstrelan said:


> How much is a plastic fermenter, about $30? At 25 brews that's $1.20 per batch. Assuming you get 20L out of it that's 6 cents a litre, or about 2 cents a stubby. Sounds like good value to me.


Sure 2 cents a stubby big deal? But saving 2 cents here, 3 cents there etc without detriment to the outcome is a bonus. Thats how a lot of manufactures make their profits, for me drinking a beer at say 40 cents rather than 50 cents with little savings here and there tastes a lot nicer imop.


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## manticle (10/10/16)

How much does it cost when you tip it out?


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## Coldspace (10/10/16)

I'll second the kegmenter idea, after long thoughts I think this will fit in my chesty perfectly and as I double batch my gf and get about 43 ltrs it will be perfect size for my pales and lagers. And like danscraftbeer does, pressure ferment, cleaner, faster and easy transfer under pressure into 2 cornies, just perfect for our situ and the fact it's stainless


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## bradsbrew (10/10/16)

manticle said:


> How much does it cost when you tip it out?


Doesn't cost anything to tip it out. Unless you're paying someone......and if they couldn't tip it out in under 2 minutes, I'd be looking for another beer tipperouterer . Not quite sure of the award rate for a tipperouterer but unless they're a full time tipperouterer, they're going to cost another 25% per hour.


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## Mr B (10/10/16)

I like the fact that leaving the fermentor with trub in it for a 'couple of months' is being 'a little bit sloppy'

Hehe

Ahaha

Nice


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## bradsbrew (10/10/16)

Mr B said:


> I like the fact that leaving the fermentor with trub in it for a 'couple of months' is being 'a little bit sloppy'
> 
> Hehe
> 
> ...


I reckon the fermentor achieved the mould rainbow. Black, green, yellow, orange, red and furry.


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## manticle (10/10/16)

bradsbrew said:


> Doesn't cost anything to tip it out. Unless you're paying someone......and if they couldn't tip it out in under 2 minutes, I'd be looking for another beer tipperouterer . Not quite sure of the award rate for a tipperouterer but unless they're a full time tipperouterer, they're going to cost another 25% per hour.


You ever been to Tipperary?

Full of tipperouterers and I guarantee all charge by the hour plus penalties where applicable.


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## Stouter (10/10/16)

Kick that bitch to the curb and get a new model!


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## rude (10/10/16)

manticle said:


> You ever been to Tipperary?
> 
> Full of tipperouterers and I guarantee all charge by the hour plus penalties where applicable.


But its a long way to Tipperary plus the penalties

Be a tight ass brewer & do it youreself I say

Stainless Steel :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:


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## manticle (10/10/16)

Plus the numerous tips.


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## LAGERFRENZY (10/10/16)

thread is getting near its tipping point


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## manticle (10/10/16)

Speaking double dotch mostly now.


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## LAGERFRENZY (10/10/16)

I could give you a couple of tips about Linguistics but I'd rather sell them for a dollar each on Bumtree.


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## nic0 (11/10/16)

Gezzz i have been using the same plastic fermenter that i bought back in 2003 from the homebrew barn.


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## Danscraftbeer (11/10/16)

nic0 said:


> *Gezzz i have been using the same plastic fermenter that i bought back in 2003 from the homebrew barn.*


So am I. As a self watering/wicking plant pot. but that's another subject..

I imagine yours must have a special signature character to it.


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## nic0 (14/10/16)

Danscraftbeer said:


> So am I. As a self watering/wicking plant pot. but that's another subject..
> 
> I imagine yours must have a special signature character to it.


Put another brew down at the start of the week and it's fermenting away nicely. Maybe they don't make fermenters like they used to.... you watch the arse will probably drop out of it the next time i fill it and carry it out to the shed.....


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## squirrell (15/10/16)

New Fermenter arrived, i put down brew manana. In 2 weeks i will let u know how it goes. No more infected brew. And i might start cleaning the fermenter with more than a rinse after bottling.


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## Feldon (15/10/16)

Stouter said:


> Kick that bitch to the curb and get a new model!


Yeah, but what's he going to do about the fermenter?


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## DU99 (16/10/16)

> i might start cleaning the fermenter with more than a rinse after bottling.


quick rinse to get the old trub out fill with water and some sodium prec leave for a shortime drain out.the sanitise when you going to use....saves alot grief when brew goes off


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## Grott (16/10/16)

squirrell said:


> And i might start cleaning the fermenter with more than a rinse after bottling.


" And I might....." unbelievable. :blink:


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## Vini2ton (16/10/16)

That thing when the screw in tap does that "click" bullshit when your putting it in and you say, "It'll get me through the next brew ok." and it goes on and on. So you get a new tap and the same bullshit happens and you start looking at stainless stuff and start thinking if I cut back on the kid's christmas presents, don't pay the vet bills, cancel my gender reassignment operation and dump some of mums cancer treatment trips, I could get one of those brand spanking new mother-fuckers! And then you wake up. Get a new fermenter buddy.


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## good4whatAlesU (22/10/16)

After reading this thread (and the off flavours from plastic thread) I've just gone and blown a whole 23 dollars on a new SS system;

Stainless pot from k-mart $20
Air lock $1.50
Sundries (Duct tape and silicon) $2
Foam insulation packing from bunnings waste bin. - free

Sorry $23.50. not the prettiest but hopefully it does the job.


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## good4whatAlesU (23/10/16)

duct tape to the rescue; 

seems to be doing the trick.


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## abyss (23/10/16)

I just replaced an old one with this,made of Polypropylene it has smooth surfaces and is easy to clean.
This is its first encounter with my pal alcohol.


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## wavemaker (28/10/16)

I have 9 fermenters and cycle through them. I put a new tap in each time( I know, blows my environmental position, but I'm pretty good otherwise) they are $1.98 at bunnings. I tried all sorts of ways, some very inventive, involving screw clamps and hose fittings, of cleaning them but in the end I figure that it's worth it to ditch them.


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## hopnotic (31/10/16)

Isn't it better to siphon the brew rather than suck all the yeast out through a tap near the bottom?


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## squirrell (1/11/16)

Well, just finished a beer with my new fermenter, and it tastes shit again. A real pain and i am thinking of giving up. Maybe a slightly grassy flavour, and the head aint lacey, more fizzy and feels a bit harsh on the stomach. Bottles been in for 10 days. God knows what the issue is. I do a small hop boil, and then throw in dry hops in after 4 days. Have temp control at 20 degrees, use saf 05. Was very careful clean new fermenter and bottles and hop strainer.va real pisset. Think i might try one basic kit without any additions to eliminate the pissible causes. Could it be the pot i boil the hops in? But the boil and hops are pretty safe regardleas i thought?


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## good4whatAlesU (1/11/16)

Very early, two weeks you say? Give it some more time. 

Put a simple kit batch down while you wait.


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## squirrell (1/11/16)

Only 10 days. I know, i should give it time, but its similar to previous debacles ... And my good brews never tasted crap at thr start.


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## good4whatAlesU (1/11/16)

How'd you get it to ferment and in the bottles so quickly? Most stuff I'm reading on the forum suggests 3 weeks in fermenter (s) primary and/or secondary prior to bottling?


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## mstrelan (1/11/16)

For a standard gravity brew there should be no need to leave it in the fermenter for 3 weeks. 4 days could be too early to dry hop, did you check SG first?


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## peteru (1/11/16)

Is your water good? You are not using a garden hose, are you? If your water has chlorine, you need to remove it somehow, because if you don't you will produce shit beer no matter what you do.

It could be an airborne infection too. Is your fermentation chamber free of contamination? Does your wort end up being exposed to anything. Could be as simple as doing a task, such as aerating or pitching yeast under a tree.

It may help a lot if you can get the fault identified. That way you know which areas to look at in more detail. If you don't know what the off flavour is, try to find someone who can help. A homebrew club, homebrew shop or even a beer enthusiast staff member in a good bottle shop might be willing to taste your brew and give opinion.


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## Brewnicorn (1/11/16)

hopnotic said:


> Isn't it better to siphon the brew rather than suck all the yeast out through a tap near the bottom?


I'd personally like to see some experienced brewers comment on this too. I've been using the base tap to move the brew to the secondary vessel - mainly because I've already got so many brewing toys I didn't think I 'needed' another. Happy to buy it if the flavour results say it's a good thing!


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## squirrell (2/11/16)

Sg was 1008 over 3 days. Im using the same water i have always used. I use the normal coopers fv but without the collar so it fits in the fridge.


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## good4whatAlesU (2/11/16)

A bit of plastic hose from Bunnings is very cheap as a make shift siphon. It's okay to use the tap though if the inlet is above the dead yeast and not drawing off sediment.


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## wavemaker (18/11/16)

If you're going to siphon, make sure you buy food grade plastic tubing. Hb shop is my best bet.


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## peteru (18/11/16)

Bunnings sell food grade PVC hose, but it's only good to 60C.

If you want a hose that could also be used for hot wort, don't bother looking in Bunnings.


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## decr (18/11/16)

I bought an autosiphon thing from lhbs without realising it set me back a good $25. Mentally kicked myself for a while but sure beats leaking taps on those shitty plastic fermenters where thread gives and you end up with an endlessly spinning tap trying to tighten it.

I'm happy with the siphon now and use it with every brew, however I wish it came with a stopper like my old one did.


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## pist (18/11/16)

squirrell said:


> Well, just finished a beer with my new fermenter, and it tastes shit again. A real pain and i am thinking of giving up. Maybe a slightly grassy flavour, and the head aint lacey, more fizzy and feels a bit harsh on the stomach. Bottles been in for 10 days. God knows what the issue is. I do a small hop boil, and then throw in dry hops in after 4 days. Have temp control at 20 degrees, use saf 05. Was very careful clean new fermenter and bottles and hop strainer.va real pisset. Think i might try one basic kit without any additions to eliminate the pissible causes. Could it be the pot i boil the hops in? But the boil and hops are pretty safe regardleas i thought?


Step up to all grain. You won't look back its not that hard. And not that expensive if you go biab


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## pist (18/11/16)

Brewnicorn said:


> I'd personally like to see some experienced brewers comment on this too. I've been using the base tap to move the brew to the secondary vessel - mainly because I've already got so many brewing toys I didn't think I 'needed' another. Happy to buy it if the flavour results say it's a good thing!


No need to move to "secondary". Sure move to one if your bulk priming and bottle straight from there. If your worried about clarity cold crash and use some gelatin. If gluten free is your go use polyclar


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## PhilipB (21/11/16)

squirrell said:


> Sg was 1008 over 3 days. Im using the same water i have always used. I use the normal coopers fv but without the collar so it fits in the fridge.


What do you mean by 'without the collar'?


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## TheWiggman (21/11/16)

Krausen collar, a la the new style fermenters. The biggest consequence from not doing this is risking a mess with a big krausen.


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## pablo_h (22/11/16)

My 3 fermenters are over 10yrs old. For the first year trying on and off with the older style coopers fermenter I never had a good beer. 
Got a new coopers fermenter a year or two later, still bad beer. Bought a 25L pail for a third fermenter a year after that, still bad beer. Half my brews were infected and foul so I gave up on brewing.

This year I started brewing again and the first few were also not very good brews on all three fermenters that are now 10+ yrs old. I bought new taps, grommets and lid O rings.
Still had a 50% chance of a bad brew.
Then using the same fermenters, beers started to become better, but I stopped brewing again due to high temps. While waiting for cooler temps one even got that pink mould on it. But that one and the two other 10+ year fermenters that have made some very bad and infected beer are now making good beer.
Change taps, o rings, grommets, air locks and sanatize well is all I needed to do. Scratches and stains haven't had any effect.

More chance of a beer going bad due to the bottles/bottling IMHO. The bad beers I made early this year were all in equally old plastic bottles. Once I switched back to glass bottles, most of my problems have gone away. In fact 10 years ago, most of my bad beers were in those PET bottles that gave me trouble this year. Those things are almost impossible to clean.
E: I have a habit of saving the trub for yeast, and even in the brews that ended up bad the sample saved for yeast was still good, so it didn't go bad for me in the fermenter most of the time, but rather the bottles/bottling. That is, these days that is the case. Back in the old dark days, things went bad in the fermenters, but the point is I'm still using those old fermenters now just fine and getting decent beer out of them.


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## malt junkie (22/11/16)

pablo_h said:


> My 3 fermenters are over 10yrs old. For the first year trying on and off with the older style coopers fermenter I never had a good beer.
> Got a new coopers fermenter a year or two later, still bad beer. Bought a 25L pail for a third fermenter a year after that, still bad beer. Half my brews were infected and foul so I gave up on brewing.
> 
> This year I started brewing again and the first few were also not very good brews on all three fermenters that are now 10+ yrs old. I bought new taps, grommets and lid O rings.
> ...


Find a cheap fridge, even a throw out on hard rubbish day, Then get a temp controller (STC1000 or similar). The biggest improvement you will make to your beer is temp controlled fermentation.


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## pablo_h (22/11/16)

Getting another fridge not possible, but I know it's important. But I have no where to put one or to transport one.
I just brew over winter and spring as they are mild seasons in Perth, temps in the house 16-22C.
I've retired from brewing for this year, shaved my beard off and everything 
I was up late last night doing my last brew (saison), so now my three fermenters are full (toucan experiment IPA and another APA), with three previous brews in bottles to see me through summer when I run out of G&Ts.
Been drinking stouts, porters, pale ales and some MJ54 yeast experimental beers all winter and spring.
See you all next May


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## Rod (22/11/16)

I am still using the fermenter I got , free , from Grumpies back in 2005 with a purchase of $100 worth of ingredients 

remove the tap , dismantle and clean every batch

sanitise the fermenter and bits with PSR

never lost a batch


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