ZmannR2
Well-Known Member
Just saw this, much better priced than SS Brewbuckets too!
It's an interesting new product somewhat different from the "Ferment in a Kettle" kit. It could do with a couple improvements, in my opinion.
The stainless ball valve and spigot is nice but a dump valve could be added as well to collect yeast or discard trub. It would be a minor extra option for yeast harvesting so the finished beer could be dispensed afterward for better clarity. The second modification could allow a precision thermometer, digital or otherwise, as found on their brew kettles.
It is a nice cost effective choice for small batch hobbyists who want the stainless steel option as opposed to the more expensive SS Brewtech models.
$99 for 4 gallons? I'm sticking with my better bottle and glass carboys for now. If I didn't have a bunch of other priorities, I consider it though.
My fermentation chamber (freezer) is pretty small and my main problem would be getting it in there.
Edit: I just looked at the size, and I could probably fit two of them in there, but the price is still an issue.
How's the seal? Would it hold pressure? The website doesn't show or mention any kind of rubber in the lid or anything like that.
I wonder why they chose those sizes. 4 gal is to small for most and 7.5 leaves a lot of head space for 5ish gal brews.
How's the seal? Would it hold pressure? The website doesn't show or mention any kind of rubber in the lid or anything like that.
This is a great solution to a non-problem. It looks like a great way to separate the brewers from their money with little improvement but plenty of "shiny". Plastic buckets work just fine, cost way less, and can be replaced regularly without costing as much as one of these. If you have the money to waste on "shiny" go right ahead. I prefer to spend money on what is important in brewing, the ingredients. My 10 year old bucket still makes great beer.
To each their own, and yes you can brew in a plastic bucket, but you can't argue that they are as good as a stainless vessel. Plastic easily scratches, which makes a great place for bacteria to grow. Plastic will degrade over time. Buy stainless once and it will last a lifetime. Since I made the switch I wouldn't go back.
A ball valve that you can't fully break down is much more likely to harbor bacteria than a plastic bucket.
Weldless ball valve that can't be broken down for cleaning - no thanks.
Looking closer, yes you can break the valve down to clean.
There's a feature here I don't care for--though it may not be an issue for others. It's something the SS Brew Bucket has that this does not.
The diameter of the SS Brew Bucket is 12.5". The width of the Anvil offering (Handle to Handle) is 16.5" while the depth is 15.25".
The Brew Bucket maybe could fit in my little mini-fridge ferm chamber; the Anvil could not. I don't know, exactly, why they make them this way, but if the handles were fore-and-aft, instead of port-and-starboard, it would be easy to fit it in that ferm chamber.
So I'll be honest here - It took me a second to figure out what you meant by this, just because I've never seen a kettle that had the ball valve/port underneath the handle. That said, it kind of makes sense. I can't imagine a situation where I'd be using the handle & ball valve at the same time, and even if I was, having it underneath the handle doesn't sound like much of a disadvantage.
But, even in my head, it looks weird. I doubt any company will ever make one that way just because the market wouldn't expect it.
$30 more and you get the 7.5 gal though. And by comparison, the SS Brewbucket is $199.
I’ll never use plastic or glass as my fermentation vessel so these are great options. I just wish they offered a 10 gal batch version.
Got mine today in the mail. It seems really nice. Fairly tall and thin, so diameter shouldn't be a problem for most people.
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