Inexpensive fermenter options

[GuingesRock]

I love going against the common ideas. I get a kick out of it ...'specially when I prove my point. I came up with fermenting in the brew kettle long before your Brew ha ha guys did Jimmy .....Brew Ha Ha

[RossBee]

I'm just a little nervous about having fittings inside the vessel.

Sanitary welded bulkheads for easy removal and cleaning? Perhaps triclamp?

Great idea. I'll look into that.

The lid has an air lock, standard, could be modified to take fittings for a coil. Also, the lid has a soft seal that is pumped up so that it can be placed at any height within the tank. The fittings/pump that come with the tank are notorious for leaks, there is a simple solution for this though. Tanks are available up to 2000 litres. We run 10 of these, chiefly for spirits/liqueurs, wish I had more. Handy little tanks that are light and easy to clean.

[Jimmy]

I love going against the common ideas. I get a kick out of it ...'specially when I prove my point. I came up with fermenting in the brew kettle long before your Brew ha ha guys did Jimmy .....Brew Ha Ha

They came up with boiling in a fermenter, not fermenting in the kettle

[Barr]

The lid has an air lock, standard, could be modified to take fittings for a coil. Also, the lid has a soft seal that is pumped up so that it can be placed at any height within the tank. The fittings/pump that come with the tank are notorious for leaks, there is a simple solution for this though. Tanks are available up to 2000 litres. We run 10 of these, chiefly for spirits/liqueurs, wish I had more. Handy little tanks that are light and easy to clean.

Thanks RossBee. I'm looking at four 400 litre tanks to start with. I've seen the videos explaining the pump and gasket but wasn't aware they commonly leak. So what is that simple solution?

[RossBee]

The leak is in the pump and hose connection, not the inflatable tube gasket. Had leaks in all of mine. Removed the original connecting hose and replaced with 1/4" ball valve and male air fitting. Fitted pump with female air fitting. Inflate tube, shut valve and you're good to go. To remove lid, simply open ball valve and the tube releases.

As an aside, if you go for these, save yourself some hassle and add a rope or strap to each handle looped around a bar or stick that spans the top of the tank. This will make lid installation a whole lot easier, especially if you're by yourself.

Further, I believe it was Criveller that used to sell these (or something similar) that were jacketed.

[Barr]

Thanks for the info RossBee.

[HPhunter]

I'm going to weigh in on this. I have used 2 of these tanks, and currently own/use one for every batch I make. The lids are pieces of shit for beer. I welded arms to hold it in place when uninflated ( Mandatory upgrade ) Used a compressor and regulator to hold pressure. Welded a tri-clamp ferrule in place of the air lock hole for plastic air lock. Fermentation temps need to be controlled. A coil could work, but how the fuck are you going to clean it? Flat bottom, so Transfer to another tank for dry-hopping? Pumped transfers as they hold zero pressure. I used a 300L one for a boil kettle. Worked great. I whirlpooled it with a stainless paint mixer and cordless drill. Please find a better idea for a beer fermenter. For the love of beer.com

P.S. I know where a deal on stainless 300L conical fermenters with temp control and racking arms can be found!

[RossBee]

I'm going to weigh in on this. I have used 2 of these tanks, and currently own/use one for every batch I make. The lids are pieces of shit for beer. I welded arms to hold it in place when uninflated ( Mandatory upgrade ) Used a compressor and regulator to hold pressure. Welded a tri-clamp ferrule in place of the air lock hole for plastic air lock. Fermentation temps need to be controlled. A coil could work, but how the fuck are you going to clean it? Flat bottom, so Transfer to another tank for dry-hopping? Pumped transfers as they hold zero pressure. I used a 300L one for a boil kettle. Worked great. I whirlpooled it with a stainless paint mixer and cordless drill. Please find a better idea for a beer fermenter. For the love of beer.com

P.S. I know where a deal on stainless 300L conical fermenters with temp control and racking arms can be found!

Where are the conicals and for how much?

[HPhunter]

Bwhahahahaha price to be determined. They are in my brewery. Call me me if you want to know more. I'm up until 12pm tonight and all day tomorrow! 902-679-8986

[Jimmy]

Les, get on those conicals!

[jason.loxton]

Barr: Are you going commercial? Are you set at fermenters in the 100 gallon range? I have looked into both of the options that you are considering (along with some others), including talking to breweries that have used both in commercial production. I would go plastic, rather than the variable wine tanks. (Neither are great options, really, though.) I did a nanobrewery tour over the summer in the States and visited a number of breweries making great beer on plastic conicals (with or without internal glycol coils). If you PM me, I can give you more insight. I also spoke to one brewery that started on the variable wine tanks, but switched over the plastic conicals. Their bottom line, which agrees with a number of threads on probrewer, is that while you CAN make beer on those things, it a serious pain in the ass. The concerns are mainly:

1. The flat bottom makes yeast harvesting pretty much a non-option. (The brewery that switched noted that they broke even on the purchase price after just a few batches from saving on pitches)
2. They aren't actually really much more hygienic than plastic: They have a plastic inflatable seal that can come in contact with the beer at high krausen and therefore negates most of the advantage of the stainless in the rest of it.
3. Apparently the lids will fall in if you have any negative pressure at all in the fermenter (either during cold crash or suction from transfer)

Here's a discussion on the variable volume tanks: http://discussions.probrewer.com/showth ... tina-Tanks" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Barr]

Les, get on those conicals!

I been on the trail of those conicals all day Jimmy.