Brewdemon Conical?

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sammy33

sammy33

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Anyone ever use one of these?
Brewdemon 3g Conical

I usually do small batches with my 3g Better Bottle so this little conical looks interesting. Wondering how hard it would be to add a valve to the bottom to harvest yeasties?
 
I think I am going to order one. Looks like it would be perfect for the 2.5g batches that I do.

conical.jpg
 
Did you ever order one? I just ordered the clear fermenter. I'm thinking it will work great for my 2.5 gal lager batches.
 
I use them and love them for small batch brewing.

Be aware that you don't want to use acid based sanitizers with these. I've had two fermenters crack at the through hole for the spigot and 2 spigots split/shear over the past year. Brewdemon replaced both ferms for me. My latest mishap just this week, split spigot, resulted in some beer loss. In an email exchange with Sam at Brewdemon I've been advised not to use acid based sanitizers (Star San), which I do, as it weakens the type of plastic they use (it's not HDPE like the bottle Star San comes in). I guess I need to invest in an oxy based no-rinse sanitizer and skip the Star San going forward :-(.

Brewdemon's customer service has been top notch.
 
youngdh said:
I use them and love them for small batch brewing.

Be aware that you don't want to use acid based sanitizers with these. I've had two fermenters crack at the through hole for the spigot and 2 spigots split/shear over the past year. Brewdemon replaced both ferms for me. My latest mishap just this week, split spigot, resulted in some beer loss. In an email exchange with Sam at Brewdemon I've been advised not to use acid based sanitizers (Star San), which I do, as it weakens the type of plastic they use (it's not HDPE like the bottle Star San comes in). I guess I need to invest in an oxy based no-rinse sanitizer and skip the Star San going forward :-(.

Brewdemon's customer service has been top notch.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's good to know. I use Star San for everything. Any recommendations on a good sanitizer? Iodophor maybe?
 
Brewdemon recommended One Step but any oxygen based one will work even Oxyclean. These cleaners I understand require a min of 2 min contact time to do their job.

I too am bummed not being able to use Star San any more. I've got a 5 gallon bucket I keep with Star San mixed up for quick and easy 30 sec dunk before each use or for dunking any implement of the process before sticking in the wort/beer.
 
I have two of them. They gave them out really cheap (free?) a year ago if you sent them a chunk of your mr beer LBK. For some reason they sent me two brew demons a few days apart..?

Anyway, I used them for a couple of small batches of beer but more recently, I've used them for cider. They also work nice to split a 5 gallon batch and use two different yeast. I've not notice an issue using star san but mine have only been used and cleans a few times each.
 
I was thinking the same thing a while back, getting one of these and adding a valve to the bottom. I asked them about the materials and they said "Food grade PVC". Which seemed like it would be easier to drill than PET. I asked them about oxygen permeability and they didn't respond.

I would love to hear what happens if someone tries this. I am pretty happy with the plastic Big Mouth, though. I am not really sure you would see the benefits of a conical in such a small vessel and I didn't want to spend the 50 bucks to find out.
 
Any problems with where the spigot is located in relation to the yeast cake and trub? With my 3 gal Speidel I lose about a half gallon to the yeast cake, this Brewdemon looks like a half gallon would be over the spigot and may be located a little low. Maybe since its a conical it compacts better?
 
wobdee said:
Any problems with where the spigot is located in relation to the yeast cake and trub? With my 3 gal Speidel I lose about a half gallon to the yeast cake, this Brewdemon looks like a half gallon would be over the spigot and may be located a little low. Maybe since its a conical it compacts better?
Click to expand...


I have to use an autosiphon following primary fermentation due to the yeast/trub layer ending very close to the spigot to rack into a second brewdemon to mix the priming sugar. I then connect my bottle filler and tube to the spigot on the second brewdemon to fill my bottles..
 
youngdh said:
I have to use an autosiphon following primary fermentation due to the yeast/trub layer ending very close to the spigot to rack into a second brewdemon to mix the priming sugar. I then connect my bottle filler and tube to the spigot on the second brewdemon to fill my bottles..
Click to expand...

I wonder if you could tilt it back by placing something under the two front legs so the yeast cake slides back and exposes the spigot to beer only.

I just received my clear Brewdemon so I'll be playing with it this weekend and I'll post some pics.
 
Another though I had is if the yeast cake is over the spigot maybe you could just open the spigot and harvest the yeast into mason jars til it runs clear?
 
I took that little red plug out and put in a stopper so I can use a traditional airlock.
 
GenIke said:
Mines 1 5/8"
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I wonder if you could drill a 1 1/4" hole in the tip, and then solvent-weld a PVC ball valve on the end for dumping trub. Then you could dump under CO2 until the trub level is under the spigot before you start bottling or kegging.
 
GenIke said:
I took that little red plug out and put in a stopper so I can use a traditional airlock.
Click to expand...

I've been going about 2 years now without an air lock on my 3 gal Speidel with no problems. I just leave the lid on loosely. I'll prolly do the same with the Brewdemon.
 
youngdh said:
s. In an email exchange with Sam at Brewdemon I've been advised not to use acid based sanitizers (Star San), which I do, as it weakens the type of plastic they use (it's not HDPE like the bottle Star San comes in).
Click to expand...

I use a Mr. Beer SBK for small/test batches of brew and ciders. Any chance it would have the same aversion to Star San? Hope I didn't just ruin that thing :off:
 
wobdee said:
Any problems with where the spigot is located in relation to the yeast cake and trub? With my 3 gal Speidel I lose about a half gallon to the yeast cake, this Brewdemon looks like a half gallon would be over the spigot and may be located a little low. Maybe since its a conical it compacts better?
Click to expand...

Overall I like my 2 brewdemons, but I do wish that the spigot was a little higher. For most of my batches the yeast/trub come up to the spigot, but I always dump the entire kettle in (which I might stop doing in the future for this reason).
 
I've had my BrewDemon clear fermenter for about 9 months and have brewed about 20 times in it......... I fill it with StarSan right up to the rim for a day or two before, then slosh and dump just before transferring the cooled wort into it. I don't see any sign of it degrading from the StarSan, and strongly question that assertion..........

The BrewDemon is an extremely cheap thin throw away vessel.....but seems to work fine. My spigot broke as it tightened the nut when I installed it (by hand and not very tight), so I replaced it with a quality spigot for a brew bucket........ after enlarging the hole. They offered to send as new one, but I said "no thanks". I left the hole for the fermentation lock plugged ( I remove it to clean the fermenter ), and drilled a hole in the lid to get the fermentation lock higher so it wouldn't pick up krausen....... I brew 2.5 gallons and there is not enough head space for the krausen I usually see.

The conical bottom is just for looks as far as I'm concerned......

A much better fermenter is my other fermenter which is a 3 gallon acrylic ice tea dispenser from Walmart for $20. It is far sturdier, and far easier to clean. This is the one without the "ice core" in the lid. I plugged the vent hole and hot glued a bubbler right into a hole I made in the center of the lid. It has a quality spigot...... located at about the same relation to the trub line as in the BrewDemon. The beauty of the ice tea jug is the fact that it tapers from the base to the top.........giving quite a bit of surface, and the seal is the taper.... The lid drops in and makes a taper seal that is very good. The relatively large surface area is great for top cropping yeast which I do in the most primitive fashion. I boil a ladle, and plunge it into the wort still hot... allowing the wort to cool it. I then simply ladle off the krausen, capturing the best and most active yeast.

The lid on the Brew Demon is about half the diameter of the fermenter, and the internal "features" such as the threads just make it more difficult to clean.......... I like the large opening on the Walmart "fermenter"..... I also like the sturdy material. I'll be buying another of these.


H.W.
 
Owly055 said:
I've had my BrewDemon clear fermenter for about 9 months and have brewed about 20 times in it......... I fill it with StarSan right up to the rim for a day or two before, then slosh and dump just before transferring the cooled wort into it. I don't see any sign of it degrading from the StarSan, and strongly question that assertion..........

The BrewDemon is an extremely cheap thin throw away vessel.....but seems to work fine. My spigot broke as it tightened the nut when I installed it (by hand and not very tight), so I replaced it with a quality spigot for a brew bucket........ after enlarging the hole. They offered to send as new one, but I said "no thanks". I left the hole for the fermentation lock plugged ( I remove it to clean the fermenter ), and drilled a hole in the lid to get the fermentation lock higher so it wouldn't pick up krausen....... I brew 2.5 gallons and there is not enough head space for the krausen I usually see.

The conical bottom is just for looks as far as I'm concerned......

A much better fermenter is my other fermenter which is a 3 gallon acrylic ice tea dispenser from Walmart for $20. It is far sturdier, and far easier to clean. This is the one without the "ice core" in the lid. I plugged the vent hole and hot glued a bubbler right into a hole I made in the center of the lid. It has a quality spigot...... located at about the same relation to the trub line as in the BrewDemon. The beauty of the ice tea jug is the fact that it tapers from the base to the top.........giving quite a bit of surface, and the seal is the taper.... The lid drops in and makes a taper seal that is very good. The relatively large surface area is great for top cropping yeast which I do in the most primitive fashion. I boil a ladle, and plunge it into the wort still hot... allowing the wort to cool it. I then simply ladle off the krausen, capturing the best and most active yeast.

The lid on the Brew Demon is about half the diameter of the fermenter, and the internal "features" such as the threads just make it more difficult to clean.......... I like the large opening on the Walmart "fermenter"..... I also like the sturdy material. I'll be buying another of these.


H.W.
Click to expand...

I'll have to look into that tea dispenser next time I'm in Walmart, thanks.

Do you find the spigot on the Brewdemon too low as far as the trub line goes?
 
Bryan_85 said:
Overall I like my 2 brewdemons, but I do wish that the spigot was a little higher. For most of my batches the yeast/trub come up to the spigot, but I always dump the entire kettle in (which I might stop doing in the future for this reason).
Click to expand...

I have 2 as well and never had a problem with them. I always put a couple 1/2" spacers under the front legs to keep the trub away from the spigot a bit and run just a little out before I bottle to clear the valve. I really like mine and hear they're coming out with a 6 gallon version sometime soon.
 
wobdee said:
I wonder if you could tilt it back by placing something under the two front legs so the yeast cake slides back and exposes the spigot to beer only.

I just received my clear Brewdemon so I'll be playing with it this weekend and I'll post some pics.
Click to expand...


I've tried that. It's not that the trub is over the spigot but that it's near the spigot so as beer flows through it it also draws some trub with it. Honestly, you'll need to rack into something to mix your priming sugar unless you plan to stir the trub up to mix the priming sugar. I choose to rack to another brewdemon ensuring I leave all trub behind. Now I can easily connect my bottle filler to the 2nd fermenters spigot :)
 
youngdh said:
I've tried that. It's not that the trub is over the spigot but that it's near the spigot so as beer flows through it it also draws some trub with it. Honestly, you'll need to rack into something to mix your priming sugar unless you plan to stir the trub up to mix the priming sugar. I choose to rack to another brewdemon ensuring I leave all trub behind. Now I can easily connect my bottle filler to the 2nd fermenters spigot :)
Click to expand...

OK, I see. I'd probably do the same if I was bottling but I just transfer to kegs, lager and carbonate so it probably won't be a big deal for me if a little trub gets through.
 
I stirred in priming sugar into primary demon and didnt notice any carbonation issues.
 
wobdee said:
I'll have to look into that tea dispenser next time I'm in Walmart, thanks.

Do you find the spigot on the Brewdemon too low as far as the trub line goes?
Click to expand...

I agree........... That's true of both of my fermenters. It doesn't pose much of a problem for me as I transfer into a different container and cold crash for a week or so before bottlling....I add the bottling sugar when it goes into the cold crash container, and any trub and other sediment drops out there.

It works to tip the fermenter before the krausen falls........ BIAB results in more trub than "conventional" methods. It helps to take the time to "sparge" your wort through the grain bag by setting it in a colander........ I've done it before.... pouring all the wort back through........ It's a time consuming pain in the butt. Rather than squeezing the bag, you sparge it with hot water. There is nothing you can really do about cold break material of course....or yeast trub.


H.W.
 
beveragedispenser.jpg



I should warn anybody who wants to buy one of these, that drilling acrylic is a challenge. It needs to be drilled very carefully, starting small and gradually increasing in size. The drill bits made for the purpose have a 90 deg angle and no rake. You can drill with normal bits, but care must be taken to avoid cracking.... very little pressure mainly.

Acrylic is considered to be the most food safe of all plastics....

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ice-Block-Beverage-Dispenser-Vintage-Green/32261967
 
Trub city but it should hopefully compact and get under that spigot by morning. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.
 
I kegged this batch yesterday. The yeast cake was just about level with spigot but after I took a hydro sample it ran clear into the keg. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.

It was also easy harvesting the yeast after I racked into the keg. I just gently swirled the fermenter and tipped it til it came out the spigot into a sanitized mason jar.
 

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