Best Small Pressurizable Fermenter?

[whovous]

I am considering replacement of my Catalyst conical fermenter. Things I'd like to have include the following:
1) Roughly six gallon capacity to allow krausen room in a five gallon batch;
2) About 27" high including S-shaped airlock so it will fit into my chest freezer fermentation chamber. The Catalyst barely leaves room for a blow-off tube and the new Fermzilla looks to be a few inches taller than that; and,
3) Able to handle spunding and pressurized O2 free transfers.

Price is not real important.

Suggestions?

 

[Jag75]

Dont know if they're pressurable but Anvil and the Ss Brewbucket are about 20" tall. The Spike flex is 21 " tall and has a 15 psi ability . I can say that Spike equipment are made very well.

 

[Robert65]

I ferment in a 10 gallon ball lock keg. 6 gallon batches, so plenty of headspace. Don't worry about extra headspace, yeast will quickly consume the oxygen and fermentation will purge the headspace continually. (I use it for low oxygen brewing.) Pressure fermentation, transfers, and spunding are easy, since these are rated to a far higher pressure than most of the usual homebrew fermenters. The height is the same as a 5 gallon keg. I don't know about attaching an s-lock, I just have a tube on gas QD running into a jar of Star San. That should fit your height requirements. Price, new, is $325 from Chi Company. If you want, you can of course use any floating dip tube made for a 5 gallon keg. I really believe this is the best option available for stainless, pressurizable fermenters for the homebrewer.

 

[Vale71]

2) About 27" high including S-shaped airlock so it will fit into my chest freezer fermentation chamber. The Catalyst barely leaves room for a blow-off tube and the new Fermzilla looks to be a few inches taller than that

With that requirement you won't be able to get a true conical as they are all quite taller because of the steepness of the cone.

Your freezer should be able to fit the new FLEX from Spike. It has spunding and pressure transfer capabilities but it's not a true conical as it doesn't have a dump valve. The cone-shaped bottom is just for looks and serves no real purpose IMHO.

https://spikebrewing.com/products/flex

 

[bjhbrew]

Take a look at the snub nose fermentasaurus. It’s the 1st gen fermentasaurus without the butterfly valve and yeast catching ball making it much shorter. 9 gallon capacity and pressure rated with a floating dip tube. I’ve only done 1 batch in mine but it went super slick.

 

[whovous]

I want the Spike+ with all the extra bells and whistles, but maybe I shouldn't have said price is not important. Gonna have to work with SWMBO on this one.

 

[brew703]

The regular spike will not work as you cannot ferment under pressure. You would have to go with the Spike Flex+. With accessories its $500 but you can only go as high as 15 psi.
You could opt for a corny keg. Only problem is volume. Your batches would have to be scaled to 4.5 gallons to fermenter.

 

[twd000]

It's hard to beat corny kegs as fermenters, since you already own them for kegging. I make 8 gallon batches now, with 4 gallons in two kegs to allow headspace. Ferment, spund, cold crash, drink. Easy.

 

[Robert65]

15 psi is entirely inadequate. If you're going to spund at ale temperatures, or pressure ferment lagers or spund at diacetyl rest, you'll be running at around 30 psi, so you need a fermenter rated well above that. There are small conicals a available with that capability, but they start around $1600. A 10 gallon corny offers all the functionality of conical except for a dump valve. But with a floating dip tube, you can still aseptically transfer slurry after racking the beer instead of before. And in fact, doing any transfers, or even pulling samples, aseptically, is virtually impossible with a homebrew fermenter equipped with ball valves, so if you get such a unit, you'll then want to spend a lot more money upgrading it to sanitary butterfly valves. And then consider the effort required to disassemble, clean and sanitize everything between uses.

A corny really is the best solution for homebrewers. A 5 gallon is adequate for small batch brewers, and a 10 gallon for fermenting up to 7 gallons of wort (rule of thumb is that fermenter headspace should be at least 1/3 batch volume.) There are a lot of very expensive options sold to homebrewers, which are eye catching because they superficially resemble something you'd see in a real brewery, but which are simply not functional.

 

[Tom R]

"There are a lot of very expensive options sold to homebrewers, which are eye catching because they superficially resemble something you'd see in a real brewery, but which are simply not functional."[/QUOTE]

My conical seems to be functioning pretty well. Maybe mine is the exception to the rule...

 

[whovous]

Hmm, Spike says this about the Flex+:

Out of the box it features an upgraded tri-clamp racking arm, tri-clamp butterfly valve and upgraded high pressure lid and clamp that can handle up to 15psi. The higher pressure rating allows for carbonating your beer in the same tank you fermenter in. Carbonate your beer in 24hrs opposed to 7 days!

Note that they don't claim the ability to spund (as I'd wrongly assumed), just the ability to carbonate in the fermenter in 24 hours. How is that possible at no more than 15PSI?

 

[Jag75]

They didnt say how many volumes lol.

 

[Robert65]

They could be referring to force carbonation of beer after crashing in the fermenter, but 15 psi is borderline even for that, if you make highly carbed beers like Belgians and Hefeweizen. But that can't be right either. They say 24 hours. That suggests burst carbonation which is going to take much higher pressure. Hmm.

 

[whovous]

Yeah, 15psi is plenty to carb after crashing, but not in 24 hours.

 

[Robert65]

Here's one more thought for the OP. If this is going in a chest freezer, do you really want a conical with all the valves at the bottom? One of the options with ball lock posts on top will allow you to leave it in place while doing transfers or drawing samples.

 

[smarch0]

Yeah, 15psi is plenty to carb after crashing, but not in 24 hours.

They probably mean with the carb stone attachment $$$

 

[Vale71]

Note that they don't claim the ability to spund (as I'd wrongly assumed), just the ability to carbonate in the fermenter in 24 hours. How is that possible at no more than 15PSI?

Any pressure-rated fermenter will allow you to spund. You just need to replace the blow-off with a spunding valve before FG is reached.
TC attachments mean you can use any number of third-party spunding valves to do that if Spike does not provide one as an accessory.
With spunding and vigorous fermentation it can take less than 24 hours to fully carbonate.

 

[whovous]

Any pressure-rated fermenter will allow you to spund. You just need to replace the blow-off with a spunding valve before FG is reached.
TC attachments mean you can use any number of third-party spunding valves to do that if Spike does not provide one as an accessory.
With spunding and vigorous fermentation it can take less than 24 hours to fully carbonate.

Spunding, vigorous fermentation and 25-30psi may get you fully carbed in 24 hours, but the Spike+ is rated at 15psi, and that is not enough to get an American ale to 2.3 volumes at 67F in 24 hours.

 

[Vale71]

That is obviously not enough to get beer fully carbed at that temperature within any timeframe. Capability to spund to full carbonation will of course be limited to lagers. For ales you can still spund to 15 PSI which will also prevent any oxygen ingress once fermentation stops, you then drop temperature and finish force carbing at conditioning temperature. You can even combine the two processes, just attach your regulator set to 15 PSI while you drop temperature and it will keep feeding CO2 into the fermenter to replace the CO2 that has gone into solution.

 

[Robert65]

Thought I'd post here my next adaptation on the 10 gallon corny. I have an old carbonation lid I don't use because I spund. I'm putting a liquid post on that and it will now take the Clear Beer floating dip tube. On the regular liquid post will now be a standard spear all the way to the bottom. So the floating system will act as a "racking arm" to draw clear beer, and the spear will serve as a "dump valve" for harvesting slurry. Full functionality of a conical once this is done, rated to 130 psi, still into it for barely $400 even if I had to pay for the spare lid.

 

[whovous]

Interesting idea. I've used my carb lid exactly once, and I've been wondering what to do with it. All my kegs so far are three gallon, but I suppose that could change.

 

[Robert65]

Don't really have to even change the post, I could surely draw liquid through a gray QD. I'm just being anal about that.

 

[daveerickson]

Thought I'd post here my next adaptation on the 10 gallon corny. I have an old carbonation lid I don't use because I spund. I'm putting a liquid post on that and it will now take the Clear Beer floating dip tube. On the regular liquid post will now be a standard spear all the way to the bottom. So the floating system will act as a "racking arm" to draw clear beer, and the spear will serve as a "dump valve" for harvesting slurry. Full functionality of a conical once this is done, rated to 130 psi, still into it for barely $400 even if I had to pay for the spare lid.

You just answered a question I've had while considering kegs for fermentation, how to harvest yeast. So simple I can't believe I didn't think of it. Thanks for the details.

I still like the ability to make 2-5 gallon kegs of finished product at a time. Does anyone have experience using a Kegmenter 13.2 gallon keg as a fermentation vessel?

 

[Robert65]

You just answered a question I've had while considering kegs for fermentation, how to harvest yeast. So simple I can't believe I didn't think of it. Thanks for the details.

I still like the ability to make 2-5 gallon kegs of finished product at a time. Does anyone have experience using a Kegmenter 13.2 gallon keg as a fermentation vessel?

One caveat on my plan. It seems a good solution for the 10 gallon corny, with its large diameter and the spear tube coming down off to the side. I would think that in a 5 gallon keg with the much smaller diameter and the abruptly angled spear, the Clear Beer equipment could get hung up.

For a year and a half now, I've been using the 10 gallon and just swirling up slurry and pouring it through a funnel into my flask after racking the beer, like in the old carboy days. Kind of kicking myself for not thinking of this sooner too.

 

[twd000]

Will thick yeast slurry pass through a dip tube spear without clogging? I don't care about oxidation when I'm harvesting yeast. I ferment and serve from the same corny keg, so the yeast cake is waiting for me like a prize when I finish drinking the keg. Rouse the slurry and dump it into a mason jar for the next batch.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Will thick yeast slurry pass through a dip tube spear without clogging? I don't care about oxidation when I'm harvesting yeast. I ferment and serve from the same corny keg, so the yeast cake is waiting for me like a prize when I finish drinking the keg. Rouse the slurry and dump it into a mason jar for the next batch.

I've had slurry clog my dip tube before when fermenting/serving from same keg. Do you use a floating dip tube? Can you describe your process? I'm convinced that serve/ferment same keg is the way to go but haven't dialed in my process yet.

 

[Robert65]

I've had slurry clog my dip tube before when fermenting/serving from same keg. Do you use a floating dip tube? Can you describe your process? I'm convinced that serve/ferment same keg is the way to go but haven't dialed in my process yet.

I haven't done this yet either, but all the remaining parts need have shipped! I'm not talking super thick slurry. Up to now I've just had the spear trimmed to leave 2L of beer in the fermenter. After transferring to the keg, I continue to draw off until I reach that level. Then rouse the slurry into the remaining beer and dump out 1L into a flask with a funnel. (Not always a pretty process.) That 1L, settled and decanted to leave just over 100mL of hard packed yeast, is my next pitch.

The idea I have here is to make sure the floating dip tube leaves the same amount of beer when it reaches the end of its line. Then rouse the slurry and draw it off through the spear. The slurry is very thin, I don't foresee any problem. (I also separate both hot and cold break before sending wort to the fermenter, and don't dry hop.) This will just be a much easier and neater and more sanitary way of harvesting the slurry.

 

[BeerFst]

Corny keg for sure. I do ~4.5 gal batches in a standard corny. A shortened gas tube, a few drops of ferm cap and rarely have any krausen into the blow off. I'll wait til peak ferm is over, replace blow off with spund and its good to go. On the batches i haven't spunded or didnt dry hop, you can even get away with serving straight from the ferment keg. never had an issue with weird yeast flavors over time or grassiness of hops, though i do think that dry hopping off the yeast cake does provide the best aroma.

 

[marc1]

You just answered a question I've had while considering kegs for fermentation, how to harvest yeast. So simple I can't believe I didn't think of it. Thanks for the details.

I still like the ability to make 2-5 gallon kegs of finished product at a time. Does anyone have experience using a Kegmenter 13.2 gallon keg as a fermentation vessel?

I've got this kegmenter and i love it. I got it before it started shipping with a floating dip tube, so I put a CBDS in it. Works great. I use fermentation gas to purge my serving kegs with a spunding valve.

 

[daveerickson]

I've got this kegmenter and i love it. I got it before it started shipping with a floating dip tube, so I put a CBDS in it. Works great. I use fermentation gas to purge my serving kegs with a spunding valve.

I appreciate the response. For the price it seems like a hard deal to beat if it functions so well. The only downside seems to be moving them around full will be heavy.

 

[yowzers]

Another vote for corny kegs. I just added the floating dip tube to mine and I’m serving my latest ipa from the fermenter. So easy. I also use a blow off on the gas out for the first three or four days and replace with the gas post once the Krausen drops a tad. Spunding valve after that and I was drinking this one in about 10 days.

 

[whovous]

Another vote for corny kegs. I just added the floating dip tube to mine and I’m serving my latest ipa from the fermenter. So easy. I also use a blow off on the gas out for the first three or four days and replace with the gas post once the Krausen drops a tad. Spunding valve after that and I was drinking this one in about 10 days.

I am having a hard time visualizing a blow-off on the gas out. Can someone walk me through this? Please use small words or big pictures.

 

[BeerFst]

I am having a hard time visualizing a blow-off on the gas out. Can someone walk me through this? Please use small words or big pictures.

Not the best photos but I just run a length of tube off a gas qc to a growler of star San

 

[Robert65]

This goes into a jar of Star San. Note: this works for me because it is not actually a "blow off." I know the kräusen level will never reach high enough for material to actually be blown off. So this is really an airlock. If there is any chance kräusen will rise high enough to come out, there is a distinct danger that the poppet will clog and pressure will build uncontrolled. Kn that case another arrangement would be needed.

 

[marc1]

I appreciate the response. For the price it seems like a hard deal to beat if it functions so well. The only downside seems to be moving them around full will be heavy.

For sure it's heavy when full, but any fermenter with 12 gallons of wort in it will be. This is a very durable container. It also rolls because it's circular. Going from the garage on brewday to the fermentation fridge in the basement isn't fun, but it's easier than any other container that i can think of.
I'm setting up for electric in the basement now, so things will be much easier soon.

 

[daveerickson]

For sure it's heavy when full, but any fermenter with 12 gallons of wort in it will be. This is a very durable container. It also rolls because it's circular. Going from the garage on brewday to the fermentation fridge in the basement isn't fun, but it's easier than any other container that i can think of.
I'm setting up for electric in the basement now, so things will be much easier soon.

I'm not sure if you have more than one, but I've ready they are stackable as well due to the lid being recessed. I'm considering a pair of these, and a fridge that fits around two stacked. Seems like an extremely economical way to ferment 2 x 10 gallon batches.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Another vote for corny kegs. I just added the floating dip tube to mine and I’m serving my latest ipa from the fermenter. So easy. I also use a blow off on the gas out for the first three or four days and replace with the gas post once the Krausen drops a tad. Spunding valve after that and I was drinking this one in about 10 days.

Do you dry hop in the same vessel as fermentation and serving? How many gallons do you put in the keg?

 

[yowzers]

Do you dry hop in the same vessel as fermentation and serving? How many gallons do you put in the keg?

Yes I dry hop it using a hop screen ball type thing. I hang a couple ounces in the liquid just a couple inches in using dental floss. It will be out of the liquid after I drink a few pints so it does not give off grassy notes sitting in the liquid for weeks. I usually fill it to 4.5 gallons and use some fermacap. That and the blow off tube for a few days allows me to make almost a full keg.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Yes I dry hop it using a hop screen ball type thing. I hang a couple ounces in the liquid just a couple inches in using dental floss. It will be out of the liquid after I drink a few pints so it does not give off grassy notes sitting in the liquid for weeks. I usually fill it to 4.5 gallons and use some fermacap. That and the blow off tube for a few days allows me to make almost a full keg.

Smart! I'm going to try that

 

[Robert65]

Thought I'd post here my next adaptation on the 10 gallon corny. I have an old carbonation lid I don't use because I spund. I'm putting a liquid post on that and it will now take the Clear Beer floating dip tube. On the regular liquid post will now be a standard spear all the way to the bottom. So the floating system will act as a "racking arm" to draw clear beer, and the spear will serve as a "dump valve" for harvesting slurry. Full functionality of a conical once this is done, rated to 130 psi, still into it for barely $400 even if I had to pay for the spare lid.

I am happy to report that this plan works! Just harvested the first slurry. I just put the CBDS on the barb on the lid without modifying the length of the tube. Because it is coming off the lid instead of a bit lower off the regular out post, it left just over a liter of clear beer and yeast cake behind when it started pulling gas. Sloshed that around, and used a picnic tap to collect it, through the full length spear, in a flask. I'm a happy brewer.