Question for SS Brew Bucket users

[augiedoggy]

Well, Metallic as an off flavor is not usually associated with yeast.

see:

Yeast autolysis is usually attributed as giving meaty, yeasty, soapy, and excessively estery flavors.

good point...its been a while but soapy would be a good way to describe what I tasted... in any regard it stopped when I switched to stainless conicals the only change in my procedure was dumping the dead yeast and small amount of trub that may make it in the fermenter.

 

[Waunabeer]

I know this struggle all to well, 20 dollar bucket or 300 dollar shiny.

Not $300, $195 at a couple websites. I just ordered a 2nd one from MoreBeer and didn't pay tax or shipping.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I'm emptying mine tonight to fill tomorrow morning. Pretty.

View attachment 1446849931016.jpg

 

[augiedoggy]

Not $300, $195 at a couple websites. I just ordered a 2nd one from MoreBeer and didn't pay tax or shipping.

I think the point he was making is that its basically a stainless bucket without the drain and sampling valve benefits that all other conical fermenters have so the justification is harder to make being the main difference between it and a bucket is cosmetic (unless it does something better than a bucket, I dont have one so I dont know) I think the conical shaped bottom is so shallow and gradual that it doesnt really have much of an effect on the amount of yeast exposed to the beer vs a bucket... I prefer a fast fermenter at half the price over the brew bucket myself for functional advantage reasons. But I do love the stainless aspect of my stainless conical over the plastic "V Vessel I have mainly for cosmetic and cleanup reasons.

I would assume the brew bucket seals better than a plastic bucket(or fast fermenter) and you dont have to worry about scratches so those are benefits for sure but for $100 more there are true stainless conical out there.... I paid $306 shipped for my stainless 12.5 gallon conical. I can do 5 or 10 gallon brews with no negative effects since you dont need to rack to a secondary and introduce oxygen to the headspace... the extra $100 pays for istelf in yeast cost savings...I just brewed an amber lager with yeast I harvested from another lager thats going in the conical next to it with no negative effects to the beer saving me $6-12 in yeast.

I see the ones above have a sampling valve added... do they come that way now?

 

[normonster]

Why have you had to replace the lid gaskets?.

They get little nics and discoloration. You should replace the ones you have IMO.

 

[Oldskewl]

I think the point he was making is that its basically a stainless bucket without the drain and sampling valve benefits that all other conical fermenters have so the justification is harder to make being the main difference between it and a bucket is cosmetic (unless it does something better than a bucket, I dont have one so I dont know) I think the conical shaped bottom is so shallow and gradual that it doesnt really have much of an effect on the amount of yeast exposed to the beer vs a bucket... I prefer a fast fermenter at half the price over the brew bucket myself for functional advantage reasons. But I do love the stainless aspect of my stainless conical over the plastic "V Vessel I have mainly for cosmetic and cleanup reasons.

I would assume the brew bucket seals better than a plastic bucket(or fast fermenter) and you dont have to worry about scratches so those are benefits for sure but for $100 more there are true stainless conical out there.... I paid $306 shipped for my stainless 12.5 gallon conical. I can do 5 or 10 gallon brews with no negative effects since you dont need to rack to a secondary and introduce oxygen to the headspace... the extra $100 pays for istelf in yeast cost savings...I just brewed an amber lager with yeast I harvested from another lager thats going in the conical next to it with no negative effects to the beer saving me $6-12 in yeast.

I see the ones above have a sampling valve added... do they come that way now?

Yes they have always had the valve at the bottom. I'm curious about this $300 12.5 gallon conical though. Care to share a link?

 

[Yesfan]

^^^ plus one on a link. I like the brew buckets, but I can't justify me spending that much for fermenting 5 gallon batches.


That's just me. I would rather spend a little more and have the ability to ferment bigger batches in one vessel for those house beers.

 

[aprichman]

I also think the Brew Bucket is really cool but if I'm going to spend the money to upgrade from my 6 gal plastic carboy I am looking for two features.

#1) Larger capacity
#2) Ability to ferment under pressure and use pressure to transfer

IMO one of the best ways to do this is to convert a 1/2 barrel keg into a fermentation vessel.

For yeast management I prefer to use Gavin's style, where you are propagating extra yeast by making large starters instead of recycling the yeast straight from the fermentor.

 

[augiedoggy]

Yes they have always had the valve at the bottom. I'm curious about this $300 12.5 gallon conical though. Care to share a link?

it appears the seller has no stock at the moment... I did find this stainless fermenter for a reasonable price though... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-S...664896?hash=item25b04d9700:g:vKQAAOSwwbdWMA1V and this is the 14 gallon version...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-S...673968?hash=item25b04dba70:g:S~MAAOSwl9BWMBDe

 

[wilserbrewer]

Interesting, a 14 gallon ss fermenter, a hot rod, a BIAB bag, and an immersion chiller....all in one vessel
Drain to keg

 

[Yesfan]

it appears the seller has no stock at the moment... I did find this stainless fermenter for a reasonable price though... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-S...664896?hash=item25b04d9700:g:vKQAAOSwwbdWMA1V and this is the 14 gallon version...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-S...673968?hash=item25b04dba70:g:S~MAAOSwl9BWMBDe

The 14 gallon one is very tempting. When more funds come in, I might have to give that a serious look.

Thanks for posting the link.

 

[BrewMeister49]

I saw those chapman ones. I like the brew bucket because it has a stand welded on, and a conical design. Those look like a solid secondary.

 

[BrewMeister49]

Just got my Brew Bucket today! I cleaned it with TSP, soap and water, rinsed with StarSan and racked into it from my glass carboy! I love it! After cleaning that out to rack into it and now cleaning my carboy, I am thrilled with this already lol

 

[Oldskewl]

it appears the seller has no stock at the moment... I did find this stainless fermenter for a reasonable price though... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-S...664896?hash=item25b04d9700:g:vKQAAOSwwbdWMA1V and this is the 14 gallon version...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-S...673968?hash=item25b04dba70:g:S~MAAOSwl9BWMBDe

Thanks for the eBay links. For $40 more I'll stick with the SS brew tech brew bucket. I'd have more pice of mind that SS Brewtech will stand behind their product. The 14 gallon fermenter from the eBay seller is a good value, but I have no intentions of fermenting 10+ gallon batches.

 

[Carlscan26]

it appears the seller has no stock at the moment... I did find this stainless fermenter for a reasonable price though... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-S...664896?hash=item25b04d9700:g:vKQAAOSwwbdWMA1V and this is the 14 gallon version...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-S...673968?hash=item25b04dba70:g:S~MAAOSwl9BWMBDe

Who was the vendor? I'd like to keep an eye out for them coming back into stock. For that price I'm assuming you have weldless fittings like the chronicals do?

 

[augiedoggy]

Who was the vendor? I'd like to keep an eye out for them coming back into stock. For that price I'm assuming you have weldless fittings like the chronicals do?

Yes they come with a butterfly valve as well as a threadless TC ballvalve, no threads in the fermenter and an extra silicone seal.... Theres a few members who have bough some from the seller (american home brewer) here is a link to one of his old auctions below. I bought one and have had no problems so far. they are made in china but so are the SS brewtech products like the brew bucket.... The chronicals are actually being sold under another brand name also now, apparently by whoever makes them in china... BRU-something I cant remember the name.. there was one for sale on Craigslist by me a short time back..
With any of these chinese made products, the "support" is only as good as the relationship the distributor keeps with the real manufacturer in most cases...I agree that my dealings with Brewtech have been very positive and they seem like they do a great job thus far of supporting and improving their stuff.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOMEBREW-CO...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

BTW the 14 gallon chronical is like $550 shipped to my door last I checked... not sure why you would have automatically assumed a $300 conical made in the same country should automatically have all the features of the $500 one but it does as far as I see and I have seen both first hand. I have a friend with the 14 and 17 gallon chronical versions. (actually the butterfly and thread less valves were superior to the ones that came with the brwtech conicals but I heard brewtech recently changed and improved them.) The best part though was it took 3 days for my to get mine and about 3 weeks for my friend to get his...

 

[Carlscan26]

Thanks for the link and additional information.

What I was assuming was that whatever fittings it had would be threaded, weldless fittings...certainly not expecting tri clamp and welded fittings for that price. That is a steal of a deal!!

 

[Joe_CraftBeerTraders]

Careful with chapman gear. They are cheap in price because they use 201 stainless steal. All other home brew manufacturers use 304. 201 is a lower grade SS. Also if you price out their equipment after all the accessories you need to buy they are only like $50 cheaper then the other market equipment. To me I'd rather spend the extra $50 and get the higher quality 304ss specially when I'm already paying hundreds of dollars

 

[augiedoggy]

Careful with chapman gear. They are cheap in price because they use 201 stainless steal. All other home brew manufacturers use 304. 201 is a lower grade SS. Also if you price out their equipment after all the accessories you need to buy they are only like $50 cheaper then the other market equipment. To me I'd rather spend the extra $50 and get the higher quality 304ss specially when I'm already paying hundreds of dollars

In regards to the steel, 201 is actually the most commonly used grade in the food preparation industry which would make sense... I dont see why 304 is necessarily needed? is beer that corrosive? 201 is 30% stronger than 304...
http://www.stainlesssteelblog.com/2012/11/201-stainless-steel-characteristics.html

What accessories are needed that arent included? a racking arm is not important really and is optional.

 

[Joe_CraftBeerTraders]

In regards to the steel, 201 is actually the most commonly used grade in the food preparation industry which would make sense... I dont see why 304 is necessarily needed? is beer that corrosive? 201 is 30% stronger than 304...
http://www.stainlesssteelblog.com/2012/11/201-stainless-steel-characteristics.html

What accessories are needed that arent included? a racking arm is not important really and is optional.

Food industry yes... Brewing industry no... 304 is the industry standard. 201 is stronger but harder to manufacturer. With complex bends and welding you end up getting microcracks and stress bends. That's when you'll see pitting and rusting start to occur.

I'm not knocking the company or products. Just stating that it's a different grade of stainless than what every other company uses.

It's just something to consider when making your purchase.

 

[Jkane101]

This is probably a more informative link comparing 201 vs 304
http://www.stainlesssteelblog.com/2012/11/304-vs-201-stainless-steel.html
I believe commercial brewery equipment is generally manufactured with 304

 

[jwalk4]

My opinion? Well I'm glad you asked.

I love the brewbucket and the fts. I can rack crystal clear beer with the racking arm, keep precise temps of my actual fermenting beer with my thermowell, and take up 1/3 of the space of a modified freezer fermentation chamber. Big pluses for me. I can also unplug my fts at the conclusion of my primary stage, and let the beer free rise for d-rests with the pull of a plug. No sloshing and bucket moving in and out of a freezer for me!

Drawbacks: price! Without a doubt, I could buy two chest freezers with Johnson controls for the price of 1 brewbucket with fts. But I rarely treat myself

 

[augiedoggy]

This is probably a more informative link comparing 201 vs 304
http://www.stainlesssteelblog.com/2012/11/304-vs-201-stainless-steel.html
I believe commercial brewery equipment is generally manufactured with 304

Yes they are 304 (if they are not still copper which is easily corroded)

The thing is the logical reason commercial breweries are made of 304 because of the caustic cleaners used in them.

A home brewers environment is completely different. if someone was at the point of CIP with caustic cleaners I would think they would also be using real conical fermenters by then too...

so I ask again what advantage would the 304 serve?

Its kinda funny because I remember having this argument with a vendor over a year ago when they insisted their 316 stainless temp probes where so superior to 304 stainless for homebrewers.... The seller implied the 304 stainless would not hold up and his exclusively made probes where superior...( that was until I found and linked "his" probes for much less on alibaba.
I have a feeling it really doesnt matter unless one cleans with strong acids (starstan and even pbw is not considered one of these)

 

[Jkane101]

I think you're 100% correct that 304 is used commercially due to the caustic cleaners they use more so than anything.
And also correct that most home-brewers, the vast majority I would suspect, use something like pbw or oxy.
That said I, personally, don't have a preference in stainless since I'm not going to weld it, drill it, bend it or do any DIY projects with it. I prefer to buy my stuff pre-made.
As for the SS brewbucket, I would've bought it regardless if it was 201 or 304... i like the design, the small footprint, portability and the especially FTSs option. It just fits my needs and I'm not too concerned about the extra few $$$ I shelled out for it.

As always...YMMV

Cheers!

 

[augiedoggy]

I think you're 100% correct that 304 is used commercially due to the caustic cleaners they use more so than anything.
And also correct that most home-brewers, the vast majority I would suspect, use something like pbw or oxy.
That said I, personally, don't have a preference in stainless since I'm not going to weld it, drill it, bend it or do any DIY projects with it. I prefer to buy my stuff pre-made.
As for the SS brewbucket, I would've bought it regardless if it was 201 or 304... i like the design, the small footprint, portability and the especially FTSs option. It just fits my needs and I'm not too concerned about the extra few $$$ I shelled out for it.

As always...YMMV

Cheers!

Ok those are all good points... I just wanted to make sure people didnt make decisions based on something that would be a non issue for the application at hand... I agree the brew bucket is a bit more refined and has a higher price because of it. I've paid even double that for one of my conicals .. its all about what you plan to get out of it (see my pun ).

I will say for someone planning on have 2 or more of these... going with a chiller and a jacket to control temps is much more cost effective than freezers or even FTS units.. again if you want out of the box performance the FTS is great but it comes at some crazy costs when you get into multiple fermenters... for the $450 or so you can buy an actual conical with a cooling jacket and have easier cleanup with no colils or cracks to have to clean each time...

 

[pretzelb]

Food industry yes... Brewing industry no... 304 is the industry standard. 201 is stronger but harder to manufacturer. With complex bends and welding you end up getting microcracks and stress bends. That's when you'll see pitting and rusting start to occur.

I'm not knocking the company or products. Just stating that it's a different grade of stainless than what every other company uses.

It's just something to consider when making your purchase.

Good information to know. It always bugged me when people would disregard the grade without knowing why it might matter.

 

[augiedoggy]

Good information to know. It always bugged me when people would disregard the grade without knowing why it might matter.

As mentioned it could matter for some things (like caustic cleaners which I brought up myself), just not the case in point. (at least as far as I can see or anyone's explained)

Arent there complex bend and welds in food industry equipment? (i believe more so than most stainless equipment) I suspect this isnt really as common as one might think. I can only speak from my experience as a maintenance man for 15 years in a large restaurant that was full of it... I dont remember this ever being an issue, like ever? I do remember bleach eating through the bottoms of some of the stainless sinks after years of use and the aluminum cookware becoming a nasty pitted mess.
In this case I dont see anything that fits that criteria unless the ball valve option is ordered and its welded on and not weldless.

I'm not convinced that every other company uses 304... I just go into a dispute last week with an engineer "in the field" here who claimed almost all lower cost stainless products from china were made of 201 stainless and that it rusts and cracks yet with all the cheap kettles and conicals used here I really dot see that complaint come up much..

Actually I believe from the color different shown that my bayou classic kettles are in fact possibly 201 or something close to it.

 

[Rev2010]

again if you want out of the box performance the FTS is great but it comes at some crazy costs when you get into multiple fermenters... for the $450 or so you can buy an actual conical with a cooling jacket and have easier cleanup with no colils or cracks to have to clean each time...

In no way meaning to sound pretentious, but it really all comes down to how each individual perceives the price based on their own income and weight of benefits. Now, I didn't go with the FTS system, I just got the Brew Master Bucket, for several reasons one being I don't really have any problems controlling my temps during my brewing season, and second I don't want extra components and buckets of water which are obviously required. Not sure if it's in this thread or the one I started but someone compared the costs of a plastic bucket to an Ss Brew Bucket, but for me it's not a simple matter of price comparison. I make decent money, not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, just a decent middle class income with no car and no kids. For me, even replacing all three of my fermenters at $225 a piece I don't consider expensive, partly because I believe they'll last and mostly because of convenience. I've been using the original plastic Cooper's fermenters for coming up to 5 years now. Been great and now I know I simply cannot live without a spigot built in. The main issues I have with it are 1: How incredibly hard it can be to unscrew the lid! - often takes one person to hold the fermenter and the other to unscrew the lid, which of course I cannot due in place where it's fermenting. The Brew Bucket has simple latches. 100% alleviates that problem and no longer will I have to move the fermenter into my kitchen to open it to dry hop or add something to the beer. 2: Much better spigot than the Cooper's screw on, which after time ends up too loose and leaks and also is very tight to open and close to take a sample. 3: Very accurate thermowell temp monitoring instead of stick on strip. 4: Stainless instead of plastic and 5: Will be way easier for me to clean due to design than the Cooper's.

There are other benefits such as the conical styled bottom etc. But honestly, for me the cost is worth the product and not even an issue. If they were $400 then yeah I'd have a problem, but at $225 it works ok for my budget. <shrug>


Rev.

 

[augiedoggy]

In no way meaning to sound pretentious, but it really all comes down to how each individual perceives the price based on their own income and weight of benefits. Now, I didn't go with the FTS system, I just got the Brew Master Bucket, for several reasons one being I don't really have any problems controlling my temps during my brewing season, and second I don't want extra components and buckets of water which are obviously required. Not sure if it's in this thread or the one I started but someone compared the costs of a plastic bucket to an Ss Brew Bucket, but for me it's not a simple matter of price comparison. I make decent money, not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, just a decent middle class income with no car and no kids. For me, even replacing all three of my fermenters at $225 a piece I don't consider expensive, partly because I believe they'll last and mostly because of convenience. I've been using the original plastic Cooper's fermenters for coming up to 5 years now. Been great and now I know I simply cannot live without a spigot built in. The main issues I have with it are 1: How incredibly hard it can be to unscrew the lid! - often takes one person to hold the fermenter and the other to unscrew the lid, which of course I cannot due in place where it's fermenting. The Brew Bucket has simple latches. 100% alleviates that problem and no longer will I have to move the fermenter into my kitchen to open it to dry hop or add something to the beer. 2: Much better spigot than the Cooper's screw on, which after time ends up too loose and leaks and also is very tight to open and close to take a sample. 3: Very accurate thermowell temp monitoring instead of stick on strip. 4: Stainless instead of plastic and 5: Will be way easier for me to clean due to design than the Cooper's.

There are other benefits such as the conical styled bottom etc. But honestly, for me the cost is worth the product and not even an issue. If they were $400 then yeah I'd have a problem, but at $225 it works ok for my budget. <shrug>


Rev.

yeah that sums it up pretty good... my comment was more along the lines of having multiple FTS systems to go with the brew buckets vs just using a $40 temp controller with a $15 pump and cooling jacket which can range from $$20 -$100 depending on your options... if one have say 3 brew buckets this would save a person about $4-500 vs buying 3 FTS systems... As you say though its not only about functionality vs cost for everyone there other factors like convenience or even cosmetics ... Thats one reason why some refuse to even insulate them or put them in a freezer chamber unless it has a glass door... everyone has different expectations they are expecting to get from them so... People dont buy gold watches because they work better than a stainless one...
for me they are a tool to make beer, for some its more than that. I recognized they have advantages over plastic so I went with stainless conical myself even though the plastic was more cost effective.
a few months back I bought a 8 gallon stainless conical from a guy on Craigslist who went to a different system... after talking to him a bit he told me he has been brewing for almost 10 years and he doesnt even like beer? he just loves the engineering and toys that come with the whole process and hobby... He explained if he had one beer from each one of his brews that was a lot...

 

[pretzelb]

My opinion? Well I'm glad you asked.

I love the brewbucket and the fts. I can rack crystal clear beer with the racking arm, keep precise temps of my actual fermenting beer with my thermowell, and take up 1/3 of the space of a modified freezer fermentation chamber. Big pluses for me. I can also unplug my fts at the conclusion of my primary stage, and let the beer free rise for d-rests with the pull of a plug. No sloshing and bucket moving in and out of a freezer for me!

Drawbacks: price! Without a doubt, I could buy two chest freezers with Johnson controls for the price of 1 brewbucket with fts. But I rarely treat myself

The more I think about the FTS the more I appreciate the product. I have a chest freezer in my garage for fermentation control so I will probably never get the FTS. But it took me a while to realize what a great solution it can be for some people. All you need is a spare cooler and you can control at least 2 buckets vertically in the space of one bucket. But more importantly, when done, it can all go on a shelf. I can't do that with my chest freezer. Nor could you do that with a conical. If I didn't have a spare bathtub or area for a chest freezer this would be perfect. Some complain about the price but I think that totally misses the point. This thing gives you a fermentation chamber without needing that bathtub or garage space you don't have.

 

[BrewMeister49]

Question, when using the spigot on the brew bucket, do you clean it after pouring a little out for Gravity checks and samples? If so, how? If not, why? I ask because I'm using mine for the second time and I pulled a gravity reading before pitching my yeast last night. I didn't clean the spigot but wondered if I needed to?

 

[normonster]

Question, when using the spigot on the brew bucket, do you clean it after pouring a little out for Gravity checks and samples? If so, how? If not, why? I ask because I'm using mine for the second time and I pulled a gravity reading before pitching my yeast last night. I didn't clean the spigot but wondered if I needed to?

Yes with a spray of starsan. Long as you didn't return the sample it'll be fine.

 

[BrewMeister49]

Do you try to clean the inside of the tube?

 

[Rev2010]

Do you try to clean the inside of the tube?

As Normonster said, just use a spray bottle with StarSan and just spray a few squirts into the nozzle. No need to scrub or clean it. I've been doing this for nearly 5 years with my current fermenters (not the Brew Bucket) and it's never been an issue. You clean the spigot after bottling/kegging.


Rev.

 

[DSPFisher]

Does anyone experience the the rubber o-rings pinching when you tighten the thermo well?

 

[pretzelb]

Yes with a spray of starsan. Long as you didn't return the sample it'll be fine.

FWIW, I do this with anything that has a valve. I'm not sure why people fear the spigot on fermenter when they don't seem to have the same fear for any other equipment that has a valve.

 

[normonster]

Do you try to clean the inside of the tube?

Yes but only between batches, not after each sample.

I actually removed my tubes completely because they were useless to me. The weldless "rotating" ideas is lame IMO, and they work great without those tubes....,never had a problem plus you can easily swirl it around and collect yeast after you rack off a batch, with the tube missing.

 

[Rev2010]

I actually removed my tubes completely because they were useless to me. The weldless "rotating" ideas is lame IMO, and they work great without those tubes....,never had a problem plus you can easily swirl it around and collect yeast after you rack off a batch, with the tube missing.

Just got mine today so I haven't even used one yet but I'd already been considering this as I also thought the rotating arm thing to be a bit pointless. Let me ask, do you tilt the fermenter when bottling/kegging to get the last bit (full volume) out? I already simply tilt my current fermenters when near the end of draining and was thinking of just doing this as well with the Brew Bucket.


Rev.

 

[Spartan1979]

I've had the yeast/trub be above the port once. Without the arm I would have transferred a lot of it to my keg. I don't see a reason to leave it out. It doesn't hurt anything and it can be useful.

 

[normonster]

Just got mine today so I haven't even used one yet but I'd already been considering this as I also thought the rotating arm thing to be a bit pointless. Let me ask, do you tilt the fermenter when bottling/kegging to get the last bit (full volume) out? I already simply tilt my current fermenters when near the end of draining and was thinking of just doing this as well with the Brew Bucket.


Rev.

I don't tip but you easily could if you wanted that last little bit.