Another week, another new home brewing gadget

[welly2]

This one will *definitely* make your home brewing easier, cheaper, better, faster and sexier. :unsure:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/965729099/the-catalyst-beer-fermentation-made-easy

Actually, the fermenter looks pretty handy although a bit small.

 

[sp0rk]

Yay, perpetuating the myth of secondary fermentation!

 

[Crusty]

It looks pretty cool but ambient fermentation?

 

[yankinoz]

It looks pretty cool but ambient fermentation?

Not obligatory--they've designed the fermenter and stand to fit easily into a fridge and other typical fermentation chambers. Despite the tone of self-congratulation in the ad there's nothing original about a conical fementer or a trub trap, but the overall design looks excellent. About 25L, okay, but what the hell is Tritan polymer? It looks like a well-though out design and I'd be interested, but would like to see a unit and get technical specs on oxygen permeability first.

 

[crowmanz]

It looks pretty cool but ambient fermentation?

It is targeted at the yanks, it is surprising how many of them don't have fermentation chambers.

 

[sp0rk]

It is targeted at the yanks, it is surprising how many of them don't have fermentation chambers.

And they all seem to incredibly overthink fermentation chambers when they do them
So many out there that are roughly the same size of a fridge, they bang together an overcomplicated unit using chopped up aircons, commercial fridge units, etc instead of ... Just using a fridge...

 

[yankinoz]

It is targeted at the yanks, it is surprising how many of them don't have fermentation chambers.

Which is because most have basements with good, steady ale fermentation temps. If ambient's a bit high, they add swamp coolers. All the same, the "Catalyst" (what an idiotic name) should fit nearly all junked fridges.

What puzzles me more is that the ad is aimed mainly at noobs, suggesting anyone can brew beer even if they screw up a boiled egg. At that price and if the materials and components are as good as they claim, why not go after the one million existing US home brewers, AG, extract and all?

They have a contact address. I'll send some questions their way and see what happens.

 

[yankinoz]

And they all seem to incredibly overthink fermentation chambers when they do them
So many out there that are roughly the same size of a fridge, they bang together an overcomplicated unit using chopped up aircons, commercial fridge units, etc instead of ... Just using a fridge...

In many years in the States I never saw what you describe, except in online forums. I have seen fridges, basements and swamp coolers.

 

[sp0rk]

In many years in the States I never saw what you describe, except in online forums. I have seen fridges, basements and swamp coolers.

Having never been there, I'm just describing the dozens of builds I've seen on /r/homebrewing, HBT, etc
Very few I've seen there have just used a fridge, but I suppose most people don't post about their boring old fridge setups

 

[yankinoz]

Re Tritan, Eastman's tech sheet gives an oxygen transfer rate in 24 hours of 32 cc oxygen per cubic metre of a barrier 0.1 mm thick.. That's at a one-atmosphere partial pressure differential, which is about what you'd expect between the outside air and an oxygen-free, unpressurised fermenter. If the walls of the "Catalyst" are 5 mm, the rate would be 1.6 cc/sq meter in 24 hrs. That's not negligible.

It looks like Tritan is meant to cash in on worries about bisphenol leaching from container walls. That's a debate in its own right.

 

[TSMill]

Re Tritan, Eastman's tech sheet gives an oxygen transfer rate in 24 hours of 32 cc oxygen per cubic metre of a barrier 0.1 mm thick.. That's at a one-atmosphere partial pressure differential, which is about what you'd expect between the outside air and an oxygen-free, unpressurised fermenter. If the walls of the "Catalyst" are 5 mm, the rate would be 1.6 cc/sq meter in 24 hrs. That's not negligible.

It looks like Tritan is meant to cash in on worries about bisphenol leaching from container walls. That's a debate in its own right.

1 atmosphere partial pressure differential is approximately 100kPa, so more analogous to a keg than an unpressurised fermenter. Similar to HDPE, I cannot imagine this has an appreciable oxygen ingress rate over the course of a typical fermentation.

 

[fj42]

At US$175 it was an option, then shipping's US$100. Unfortunate.

 

[SBOB]

I think thats a pretty cool idea/implementation. Don't see any other cheap(ish) fermenters with butterfly dump valves on the bottom for easy yeast capture.

Too expensive to ship here though

 

[Reedy]

+1 would be interested if not for the cost of postage

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Nice feature with the mason jar fit to collect the yeast.
But I'm happy being able to do more than this can with my unsightly equipment. B)

 

[spog]

Ahh fellas c'mon read the first sentence it's elegant,now who doesn't want an elegant addition to the brewshed !

 

[pommiebloke]

Beats using glass carboys which seems to be what the Yanks prefer. Never understood why though. What's the deal with that?

 

[paulyman]

Beats using glass carboys which seems to be what the Yanks prefer. Never understood why though. What's the deal with that?

Yeah I've got a Canadian mate who moved out here recently who has only used glass carboys, paid heaps to source them. I must have finally got through to him though because he bought a brew bucket the other day. Now to convince him that no chill doesn't lead to botulism...

 

[yum beer]

If you like this look into the 'fast ferment' conical. Same idea, but here and cheaper.

 

[Jamesco]

Seems like using a butterfly valve to dump trub and collect yeast would be the main draw of this. It got me thinking, can butterfly valves take pressure? Do you think theres any way to attatch a butterfly valve to the bottom of a corny key and use it as a pseudo conical and serving vessel in one?