Conical Recommendations

[StrontiumDog]

Hi everyone, not been on for a while but I'm after some experienced recommendations.

I recently got a pay rise at work (woohoo) and I'm now finally looking at getting a conical. I have the high level mash tun from brewbuilder which I'm well chuffed with so now looking at their 7 gallon SS conical;

https://www.brewbuilder.co.uk/7gal-std- ... enter.html

Since I've been looking in to this the fermentasaurus has become available at a considerably lower price;

https://www.brewuk.co.uk/fermentasaurus.html

Now I don't know what to get! What does everyone suggest, and why?

All the best,

JB

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[brewpete]

hi have been looking at the fementasaurus as well i think its the way forward
have you checked out the you tube vids on them

[MarkF_2703]

I keep looking at fermenters, currently using a 30 litre plastic bucket with tap in the fridge, broke out my fastfermenter for garage duties with an ITC and heat belt, for me cooling in the summer and heating in the winter are important considerations. I like to drop to 4 degrees after fermentation and add finings for a couple of days too. Fastfermenter type is good as you can dump trub if you want half way through instead of racking off. But there are so many opinions on fermenting you have to get a fermenter that works the way you do it.

I keep looking at the brewtech conicals with the heat/cooling kit, but very expensive.

[brewpete]

stainless holds its price esp branded kit like that prob could sell it in 10 years at 3/4 market value

[Rhodesy]

I have a Fermentasaurus, on my 3rd brew using it. I like it as I can ferment and transfer under pressure. I am not too fussed about yeast harvesting but have the option if I want to.

I also use a SS Brewbucket when I have 2 batches on the go at once. Ideally I would love the SS Unitank either in 7 or 14 gallon but this more than does for just now.

Below is a batch of Seymour Citra gold which is fermenting out, you can see the yeast dropping out. Also something quite therapeutic about watching a lively fermentation.




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[StrontiumDog]

I have a Fermentasaurus, on my 3rd brew using it. I like it as I can ferment and transfer under pressure. I am not too fussed about yeast harvesting but have the option if I want to.

I also use a SS Brewbucket when I have 2 batches on the go at once. Ideally I would love the SS Unitank either in 7 or 14 gallon but this more than does for just now.

Below is a batch of Seymour Citra gold which is fermenting out, you can see the yeast dropping out. Also something quite therapeutic about watching a lively fermentation.




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That does look cool. I think I've been out off by so many dodgy reviews of the fastfermenter. Kind of thinking along the lines of 'if I can afford SS, I should go for that' if I had the space for more than 1 fermenter then it would be announced brained to spend the same as I would on SS and get 2 fermentasaurus' but I don't have that luxury just now

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[Kev888]

I've got the 14 gallon version of the Brewbuilder conical, and have been quite pleased with it - from what i can tell very much like the SS-brand types. Its the first one I've had with welded triclamp bulkheads, and these are a joy compared to continuously disassembling and cleaning threaded (weldless) types. The lid is also full-sized, which is helpful should you like to stir or top-crop.

As these things go, it is of course fairly low-budget for stainless. But it is perfectly sufficient and so unusually good value IMO - it is a proper FV designed for the job, not a compromised, crude or re-purposed offering - as some budget stainless (and plastic) types can be. It is also something of a blank canvas, you can add racking arms, cooling, sensors etc if wished, or not if you don't. Personally I wanted to go my own way, and so the lack of inconvenient holes (that I wouldn't use, or want in pre-determined locations) through the lid and walls was also quite attractive.

If you don't already have tri-clamp fittings lying around, it may be worth factoring the price of these in, as depending on what you want to do they can add up significantly. A couple of hose-barbs, seals and clamps for connecting to the valve outlets may be all you need, but to add extra functionality, some would also want t-pieces for lid probes/sensors, elbows for the dump outlet, PRV/gas inlets for (gently) pressurised transfer and so on. I also find the standard 3-piece ball valves a little fiddly to disassemble/assemble for cleaning and the bore of the bottom one is a little restricted, which isn't really a problem but I will probably upgrade to the butterfly type one day. In retrospect I should have asked BB if it were an option on purchasing.

*************
Slightly OT, but FWIW conicals are convenient if you are actually going to make use of the dump valve, but if not then they aren't some kind of holy grail; they involve unnecessary extra cleaning, space and expense. In that case then Brewbuilder also does flat-bottomed versions; still with many of the same characteristics - stainless, with triclamp bulkheads and full-sized sealing lids etc. But much more compact and available at much lower prices.

EDIT: also on a note of practicality, a nice shiny FV is all very well, but if the expense means insufficient FVs for your turnover then I would go for more, cheaper types, so as not to restrict the more fundamental business of brewing.

[brewpete]

i find its all about space n money

[Kev888]

Yes; if either or neither were unlimited, things would be much simpler. I still wouldn't buy a conical unless I wanted to dump sediment or harvest slurry though - the extra complication & cleaning would be pointless.

[brewpete]

so if you bought say a a brewbuilder 100l flat bottom fv you would still be able to pressurise to say 2.5 bar and rack with a bottling gun ???

[Kev888]

so if you bought say a a brewbuilder 100l flat bottom fv you would still be able to pressurise to say 2.5 bar and rack with a bottling gun ???

I seriously doubt the flat-bottomed FV would do 2.5 bar, but then neither would my conical. Around 1psi (~0.07bar) or so is about all I need to rack up-hill to keg height; whether the BB flat bottomed tank does that i don't know. BB tends to be a bit sparse on specifications sometimes, but worth an ask if it is what you need.

But either way, the reduced height of the flat-bottomed FVs means that they can be positioned at a comfortable level for both access to the top and for bottling or kegging at the same time. It is the height of the conical and need for clearance under its dump valve that makes this combo more difficult, though probably there would still be a sweet spot for smaller conicals like the 7-gallon one.

[StrontiumDog]

I've got the 14 gallon version of the Brewbuilder conical, and have been quite pleased with it - from what i can tell very much like the SS-brand types. Its the first one I've had with welded triclamp bulkheads, and these are a joy compared to continuously disassembling and cleaning threaded (weldless) types. The lid is also full-sized, which is helpful should you like to stir or top-crop.

As these things go, it is of course fairly low-budget for stainless. But it is perfectly sufficient and so unusually good value IMO - it is a proper FV designed for the job, not a compromised, crude or re-purposed offering - as some budget stainless (and plastic) types can be. It is also something of a blank canvas, you can add racking arms, cooling, sensors etc if wished, or not if you don't. Personally I wanted to go my own way, and so the lack of inconvenient holes (that I wouldn't use, or want in pre-determined locations) through the lid and walls was also quite attractive.

If you don't already have tri-clamp fittings lying around, it may be worth factoring the price of these in, as depending on what you want to do they can add up significantly. A couple of hose-barbs, seals and clamps for connecting to the valve outlets may be all you need, but to add extra functionality, some would also want t-pieces for lid probes/sensors, elbows for the dump outlet, PRV/gas inlets for (gently) pressurised transfer and so on. I also find the standard 3-piece ball valves a little fiddly to disassemble/assemble for cleaning and the bore of the bottom one is a little restricted, which isn't really a problem but I will probably upgrade to the butterfly type one day. In retrospect I should have asked BB if it were an option on purchasing.

*************
Slightly OT, but FWIW conicals are convenient if you are actually going to make use of the dump valve, but if not then they aren't some kind of holy grail; they involve unnecessary extra cleaning, space and expense. In that case then Brewbuilder also does flat-bottomed versions; still with many of the same characteristics - stainless, with triclamp bulkheads and full-sized sealing lids etc. But much more compact and available at much lower prices.

EDIT: also on a note of practicality, a nice shiny FV is all very well, but if the expense means insufficient FVs for your turnover then I would go for more, cheaper types, so as not to restrict the more fundamental business of brewing.

Really appreciate all the responses

I like to harvest yeast to re-use and because I have to do no chill I have a lot of trub so being able to ditch it at the start of fermentation will be really handy.

The thing tipping me towards the fermentasaurus at the moment is the pressure lid and integrated float tube which will allow pressurised transfers from fermenter to corny from the top of the brew rather than a bottom racking port. That will be useful as I won't be able to have it high up and rely on gravity

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[Kev888]

Sounds like you would make good use of the conical then

FWIW I do pressurised transfers from the BB conical too, albeit from the racking port. Whether this is an officially approved method of use though I'm not sure, and it may be a bit more involved to set up than the fermentasaurus. I got a low-pressure PRV triclamp (combined with the gas-in hose-tail) for the lid port, and a very gentle hand on a primary/secondary regulator combo to supply the small pressure. The FV can then sit at floor level and fill sankey kegs to a height somewhat above the racking valve's level.

[StrontiumDog]

Sounds like you would make good use of the conical then

FWIW I do pressurised transfers from the BB conical too, albeit from the racking port. Whether this is an officially approved method of use though I'm not sure, and it may be a bit more involved to set up than the fermentasaurus. I got a low-pressure PRV triclamp (combined with the gas-in hose-tail) for the lid port, and a very gentle hand on a primary/secondary regulator combo to supply the small pressure. The FV can then sit at floor level and fill sankey kegs to a height somewhat above the racking valve's level.

Ah ok, I've been looking at low-pressure PRV, how do you combine it with the gas-in port? I figured a PRV is all very well but if you're transfering then the pressure will drop and you will keep having to disconnect the PRV, connect the gas, then put the PRV back on - how do you manage it??

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[Kev888]

The PRV and gas-in hosetail are already combined, nothing clever on my part. I got it from The Malt Miller (not sure if brewbuilder may do one too):


If you are thinking of going this route, it could be worth checking with brewbuilder that the FV is officially rated to do pressure transfers. I just did it, based on the assumption that the conical is very similar to the SS-branded ones, but that could be taking a risk for all I know.