Benefits of a conical fermenter for a PicoBrew

[Lax coach]

I've been using an OG PicoBrew (effectively upgraded to the Pro via their kit) since October, and have really enjoyed the process. Enough that I have a preorder in for the Z2 and four extra 5G kegs, and I'm really looking forward to getting a little more hands-on and truly making "my own" beer. While I'm waiting 4-8 months for the new toy to show up, I've started looking at other brewing gear.

Which leads me to my question. What would be the main advantage(s) of adding a conical fermenter to the mix, vs. continuing to ferment in kegs like I've been doing with the little Pico? Is this something I should seriously consider, or just GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) rearing its head?

 

[madscientist451]

Low oxygen transfer to the serving keg and capture of the yeast would be an advantage.
Worth the money and will you be able to tell the difference? Don't know, you'd have to try it and see for yourself. If the cost isn't an issue, why not?

 

[sbartelski]

Actually I ferment in 5g conry's, if stainless steel is good enough for professional breweries, why not? The advantage of a Conical, I think, would be to dump your yeast before any secondary fermentation. Most of my beers are single fermentation so one keg is enough. Big advantage is using the same keg to ferment as was used for the brewing, no transfers with a chance of infection.

Stefan

I've been using an OG PicoBrew (effectively upgraded to the Pro via their kit) since October, and have really enjoyed the process. Enough that I have a preorder in for the Z2 and four extra 5G kegs, and I'm really looking forward to getting a little more hands-on and truly making "my own" beer. While I'm waiting 4-8 months for the new toy to show up, I've started looking at other brewing gear.

Which leads me to my question. What would be the main advantage(s) of adding a conical fermenter to the mix, vs. continuing to ferment in kegs like I've been doing with the little Pico? Is this something I should seriously consider, or just GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) rearing its head?

 

[Craiginthecorn]

Using my Z1, I have brewed using regular corny kegs and also my Spike CF5 conical. The corny kegs are easier to setup, but can be a PITA to clean, even though I have a keg washer. The heat seems to create deposits that are stubborn, although it definitely varies from brew to brew. My arm is too large to reach the bottom of a standard 5-gallon keg, so I bought a particular toilet brush to scrub with.

I just bought a cornical for $200 at a shop that is closing. They had had it for years, collecting a serious layer of milling dust. Although I haven't used it yet, one of the great advantages it will have is the ease of scrubbing, since the keg bottom is removable. I see a couple options for his to use it with my Z1. One possibility is too just brew in the keg, chill the wort, flip it, then swap the base for the conical.

The other alternative is to brew in the assembled fermenter. To do this, I would attach a 1-1/2" TC fitting with a ball lock liquid post to the butterfly valve. The black line would be attached there and the gray on the gas post of the keg.

One concern with either option is that the cone holds about 2 gallons. This means that when brewing 2.5 gallon batches, there will be very little beer in the keg portion and a tremendous amount of head space. I am more concerned about how little beer is in the keg portion, as that is where my heater wrap would be applied. It effectively means no temperature control, except possibly for chilling in what probably would need to be a full-size refrigerator, given the height of the fermenter.

An option would be to not use the cone at all and simply brew and ferment in the Cornical keg. That's probably what I will do most of the time. At least it makes cleaning easier. Either that, or brew 3+ gallon batches of lower ABV beers.