SS Conical Fermenter users: Good, Bad and the ugly? Do tell...

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Oh Hi!

I may be coming in to a little bit of extra disposable income. With my rig being all I want it to be, I am thinking rather than coke and hookers, maybe a stainless conical would be some great bling but is that all it is? I am thinking it would be pretty heavy to lug around and clean etc....

So for the people who use them, I would love to know:

Are they too heavy to lug around for cleaning etc?

Do you have yours high enough to gravity feed kegs from? Or do you pump?

Has your beer improved in flavour or ferment behaviour ? If yes, could it be placebo only?

What one do you have and would you have bought a different one if you had the hindsight ?

Too much money for the results?


Thanks in advance.

Cheers

I have a 23L one and I use it to build and extract my yeast for bigger batches.
If they were cheaper and I could control temps I would use them in a flash.
Nev

 

[mudd]

Anyone got something to add to this post. Looking at hitting the button on a 50l or so unit this week. Is it worth having a domed top for pressurising, I thought I'd spend the extra on the triclover version instead.

Two I'm considering are from Keg king or Core brewing.
Cheers Mudd.

 

[zoigl]

Make me an offer, I have a 60 L SS fermenter for sale, there are photos somewhere here on AHB. It's in Adelaide, It's a great bit of kit, I have no further use for it.

 

[vortex]

I want to buy one simply so I can A) harvest yeast from it B ) add and drop dry hops without racking C) keg from it under CO2 pressure.

Some of them fit in a fridge so no issues with controlling temps. And if they don't there is the MoreBeer Ultimate which is temp controlled.

Personally I'd only buy at least 100L + headspace; you can always ferment smaller batches if you like, but you can easily go bigger if you want (I can do 50L in a single batch easily).

Conical is high on my list for the future.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

I want to buy one simply so I can A) harvest yeast from it B ) add and drop dry hops without racking C) keg from it under CO2 pressure.

Some of them fit in a fridge so no issues with controlling temps. And if they don't there is the MoreBeer Ultimate which is temp controlled.

Personally I'd only buy at least 100L + headspace; you can always ferment smaller batches if you like, but you can easily go bigger if you want (I can do 50L in a single batch easily).

Conical is high on my list for the future.

140 L would be what I would look at and I am ATM.
I am looking at jacketed.
Nev

 

[booargy]

I have a 140L gross jacketed cost about $1900 so far. Have another $130 for a new lid and bottom fittings this week. This is just the fermenter.
The control system with a pump and fittings for the CIP will be another $1000. I am also looking at glycol chillers $??
Bit more than budget allowed but....
Now I want another. Only this time I am going to China to buy it myself. The fermenter is $650 FOB through customs broker to Sydney $570.

 

[MastersBrewery]

140L seems just a little over the top, thats more than all my kegs full....... of the same beer!! Variety ppl ... just don't tell the missus

 

[vortex]

140L seems just a little over the top, thats more than all my kegs full....... of the same beer!! Variety ppl ... just don't tell the missus

You have a point, but considering what a conical costs and because you can ferment smaller batches in a large conical, but not large batches in a small conical - I'd go larger than smaller.

 

[booargy]

I am setting this up for lagers. It will eventually be next to my bar so if your drinking in the nude you will see yourself in the polish. only thing is it is hard and cold.
Plan is 100L batch. drink from sample point until dry. there will still 50l left. So I keg this and brew another batch.
As for variety big batch=big starter (or small batch) and I will still ferment ales in a fridge.

 

[fcmcg]

I have a core brewing 55 litre one , which I have only used twice now. I had to wait to get my glass fridge fixed so id have a fridge it would fit in. As a 40th birthday present , I only wanted one so I could ferment my usual 40-50 litre batches . I don't harvest yeast and I haven't done a secondary in years ..although now that I can dump the yeast , I may do so...
Thus far I'm very happy with it and it was bloody easy to clean. I liked that all the bits came apart for easy cleaning .i like that my stc probe fits inside the thermowell . I like that a soft cloth and some hot water makes it shiny again.
My usual practice used to be to ferment in a 30l plastic one , chilling half my batch and no chilling the other half...I'd then dump the second cube on the cake...
This way I can now ferment all my beer at once...and hopefully cleanly...
I am also surprised how cold 18 degrees feels on ss as opposed to plastic...
I'm hoping that this translates to even better control for fermentation ...
I'm also looking forward to being able to dump yeast ...I may even begin some harvesting !
Am I glad I have one ? Yup
Did I need it ? Probably not
Would I have two , if I could? Yup !

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

I have a 140L gross jacketed cost about $1900 so far. Have another $130 for a new lid and bottom fittings this week. This is just the fermenter.
The control system with a pump and fittings for the CIP will be another $1000. I am also looking at glycol chillers $??
Bit more than budget allowed but....
Now I want another. Only this time I am going to China to buy it myself. The fermenter is $650 FOB through customs broker to Sydney $570.

If you can get a 140L jacket fermenter from China for $650 by a ship load because that is dirt cheap.
About1/3 of what I have found.
Nev

 

[mudd]

140L seems a bit silly to me.
Thanks all for your input. Particularly Ferg for your PM. Going with the CoreBrewing one.

 

[komodo]

I'd love one. Actually I'd love about 4 around the 55-60L size. But its the temp control that has me sticking with fridges and plastic fermenters.

One day I'll have a cool room and an array of conicals.


Go with hookers and coke!

 

[komodo]

actually thinking about this - whats stopping use from using a fridge with say 60L of glycol and a manifold some tubing and solenoids combined with some STC-1000s to control the temp to several of these? Obviously you'd have to wrap the tubing with glycol around the fermenter then insulate it. Might need a heater belt (although probably not)
The STC-1000 could control both a pump and a solenoid to make sure the pump is running when the solenoid is opened. Would require a diode or two and/or a couple of relays.

 

[booargy]

for temp control I was thinking that a stainless herms coil mounted in the lid with glycol pumped through it. an STC-1000 controls the pump to control temp.

 

[booargy]

actually thinking about this - whats stopping use from using a fridge with say 60L of glycol

The main problem with this setup is getting the coolant back down to temp before returning to the fridge. I have an old water cooler Which I am going to try on the return line. Or the volume in the fridge needs to be greater than the volume in the fermenter.

 

[HoppingMad]

I wish. I so wish.

Here's some very nice jacketed numbers available in the US (they heat & cool - no fridge required). Pricing at the bottom.
If you're cashed up Cocko, something like this would be the envy of many... their power over there would be different to ours though.

If only...

http://morebeer.com/category/morebeer-heated-cooled-conicals.html

 

[IainMcLean]

I have a keg adapted into a fermenter - works really well and is a lot cheaper than a stainless conical...

My mods:
Cut the dip tube an inch short
Seal the STC1000 Thermocouple into the pressure relief valve
Take out the gas tube
Take out the spring & valve from the gas post
Take out the valve & spring form a gas quick disconnect & screw on a john guest push fitting on it and push in some gas line
Put the end of the gas line / blow-off tube through a grommet in the lid of a borosilicate jar with chilled boiled water.

When the krausen forms the nice yeast collects under the water and can be harvested easily.
When done I swap the gas post for a complete one and transfer to a serving keg using CO2.

 

[komodo]

The main problem with this setup is getting the coolant back down to temp before returning to the fridge. I have an old water cooler Which I am going to try on the return line. Or the volume in the fridge needs to be greater than the volume in the fermenter.

hmm need a glycol chiller