Conical fermenters

[NumbSkull]

I keep reading about these conicals and how they are the ultimate fermenter. It has me thinking maybe that should be the next step I take. Buckets are OK but it makes more sense to me to ferment in one big fermenter then keg off of that. Also I want to get more strict on temperature control. So I started studying up on the matter and it seems there are two real choices for stainless conicals. Beer and more beer has a nice 12 gallon and Blichman makes a 14 gallon one. So here go my questions.

Blichman apparently uses weldless fittings which Beer and more beer says have to be taken apart and cleaned every time. Is this true and if so how big of problem is it to take apart every time?

Blichman apparently is pressurable so you can use co2 to blow beer into your keg and Beer and more beer has to be gravity drained. Correct? If you have the thing in a frigerator for temperature control, it will not be high enough to gravity flow into a keg will it?

I see that Beer and more beer has a heated and cooled fermenter that is big bucks but seems to solve some of the problems with gravity flowing into a keg. Good Lord that thing is expensive though. I would not even want to show the Mrs how much that darned thing is! Shoot that is more money than I have invested in all my brewing crap together.

I'm wondering about the frigerator. I understand how you cool it and control the temperature inside with a controller. That much I get. How do you heat it during the winter? Is it possible to hook it up so it can do either or? I understand the fermentation creates heat which may make it need to cool for awhile but then that stops and you may need heat to kick on. Is this correct? Can you do that with a frigerator or is it more of a manual keep an eye on it thing?

So it seems to me that the Blichman conical and a frigerator would be the cheapest and best way to go in the long run but I am concerned with the weldless fittings and maintenance involved with them. Are my worries for nothing? Do I really want a conical? Help me I am struggling.

Mort

[Speyedr]

I got the Blichman recently and am only on my second batch with it. I CAN tell you that the fittings are a breeze to take apart and clean. After I emptied the fermenter last time I just took apart the fittings and dropped 'em in a tupperware with PBW solution in it. I prefer this to welded fittings 'cause I can be sure they get cleaned, but that's just me. Thirsty Mallard has a B3 and from what I can tell he likes that one just fine, though as you said, it is pricey.

As for the temp control, you can get a two stage controller from B3 and just plug the fridge into one stage and a heating device in the other. I use a reptile heating pad in my fridge and it works fine. You can get one at any pet store, or online. Search for ZooMed as a place to start. They make these types of devices.

That said, I do not have a dual stage controller. I just warm the fridge up to ferm temp with the heating pad and then once the heat from fermentation starts going up higher than my set temp, I switch over to the fridge to keep it where I want it.

As for transfer, you are correct that with the conical in the fridge you can't just rely on gravity. I took a foot long length of Gas tubing and hooked it up to the plastic elbow connector that comes with the unit. I put a 5/16" Male flare fitting (Gas) on the other end and then when I transfer I just connect to a CO2 line as if it were a disconnect. I'll post pics if anyone wants to see them.

Finally, I don't know about you but I don't NEED a conical. I sure as hell wanted it though, and its great. You can drop the trub out if you want. You can harvest yeast if you want. You can ferment all in the same vessel. Mainly though I like it 'cause taking samples is sanitary and a breeze, it fits nicely in my freezer, it cleans up easily and sanitizing is as easy as spraying sanitizer on all of the surfaces. It is also SHINY, which attracts brewers and Bass.

Rob

[NumbSkull]

Thank you for the update on the Blichman fermenter. I would like to hear what the people with the Beer and more beer one have to say. I would go over to that sight and ask but I got kind of a rude welcome over there. It was my own fault but I do not want to show my face over there again.

Mort

[J.Brew]

My set up is similar to speyder's. I use a small personal heating pad designed for use under your ass or at the small of your back when your sitting down. I don't use a two stage controller either. My heating pad has a low setting and I just keep it on all the time and let the temperature controller in my fermentation freezer do the work. I keep the thermostat sensor right at the level where my carboys sit and it works great to produce any fermenation temperature.

[Thirsty Mallard]

I have a MoreBeer 7 gallon with the electric heating and cooling unit. I would have never invested in one personally, but my mother overspends every Christmas... and here I sit with one!

You definitely don't need one but now that I have one I wish I had a few more so I would never have to ferment in carboys or buckets again. I have the one with the larger professional dump port and the clamps, so I don't have a problem with welded valves being hard to clean, I just take everything apart and soak it in a bucket of PBW.

The positives:
-Temp control an amazing thing
-Ease of cleaning is a plus
-Being able to easily pull a sample from your fermenting beer is awesome
-The racking port made transfer an amazingly easy process

The negatives:
-Temp control comes with alot of hardware (temp controller, power cords, a metal box with an unknown purpose... and you have to find a place for it all)
-More Beer conicals don't come with any directions other than how to sanitize, you can call the store and they help you out, but only during store hours
-You can't pressurize it (or if you can I dont know how... again, no instructions).

All in all I love mine. If you can afford it, temp control is the way to go. It will take about 6-8 weeks to deliver though... custom made apparently.

[NumbSkull]

Thanks thirstymallard.

I would not even consider buying a conical except my mother in law slipped me a sizable wad of cash when we were back there. I did a lot of work around the house and she knows when we get around to selling off her property and moving her wherever we end up I will be the one doing most of the work. I think she thought a little cash up front would ease the pain in my butt yet to come. The Mrs agreed that I should spend it on something fun and I really do not need anything else for my beer making except maybe a better set-up for controlling fermentation temps and such. I have been pretty happy with my bucket fermenters but I was thinking while I was at it I just as well get the caddilac of fermenters. I had no idea what them conicals were about until I got to reading up on them. From what I have been reading temperature control and getting the trub out from under my beer is the way to the best beer possible and this seems like the way to go.

What about the rotating racking arm? I read on the Blichman sight that the Beer and more beer one does not have this. I can see where it would be a good deal to have and when I went to the Beer and more beer sight it said they did have a racking arm. I am confused.

Regardless I think I wll get me the Blichman fermenter. I like the idea of being able to push the beer out of the fermenter. I hate siphoning. Hey here is another question. Could you rig up a hose from the racking port to a liquid out ball connector and blow directly into a keg without removing the lid? A totally closed system transfer seems to me would be the ideal, even if it took a little longer.

Thanks for all your help

Mort

[Bugeater]

I have a MoreBeer 7 gallon with the electric heating and cooling unit. I would have never invested in one personally, but my mother overspends every Christmas... and here I sit with one!

Does she want to adopt another son?

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[NumbSkull]

Hey here is another question. How in the world do you get the beer from the pot into the fermenter? I'm thinking once you have 10-12 gallons of wort in that thing you aren't just going to throw it into the frigerator very easy like. Probably weighs 150 pounds easy and my old back would not take too much of that stuff! I am just trying to get all this figured out before the day comes.

Mort