Plastic Barrel fermentors?

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Norik
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Plastic Barrel fermentors?

Post by Norik » Tue Sep 19, 2017 7:09 am

Does anyone have any opinions on plastic barrel fermentors like THIS one?
I need a new fermentor that will fit in an undercounter fridge.
TIA.
Litany For Beer
I must drink the Beer.
Beer is the mind-killer.
Beer is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my Beer.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the Beer has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.



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Re: Plastic Barrel fermentors?

Post by scotsloon » Tue Sep 19, 2017 7:47 am

That looks like the dogs danglies, but I would say its a bit over the top and about 3 times the price of either a lidded bucket or an airlock fermenter.

Because fermenting beer creates a blanket of CO2 gas above the surface of the brew which protects the beer many people only brew in lidded buckets, I like to transfer from a lidded bucket to an airlock fermenter after the initial vigorous ferment is over.

Good luck with it if you go ahead.

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IPA
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Re: Plastic Barrel fermentors?

Post by IPA » Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:28 am

Norik wrote:
Tue Sep 19, 2017 7:09 am
Does anyone have any opinions on plastic barrel fermentors like THIS one?
I need a new fermentor that will fit in an undercounter fridge.
TIA.
I have been using them for eight years. I have four sixty litre and two thirty litre. There is a slight problem with the thirty litre in that the tap, to my thinking, is slightly too high and you have to tilt it quite a bit to get all of the beer out. I also have a Brewtech thirty litre Brewbucket which costs five times as much and is not half as good ! They work very well using a foam bung instead of the supplied airlock which allows you to transfer without the risk of admitting airborne infection. Very easy to clean and sanitise. The lid can be placed at the bottom inside to be submerged in the sanitising solution. The lid seal is also replacable . If you have two of them you can transfer from one to the other using silicone hose from the tap through the airlock adapter which combined with the foam bung greatly reduces any risk of contamination. All in all a very good buy.
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chris246810

Re: Plastic Barrel fermentors?

Post by chris246810 » Tue Sep 19, 2017 9:54 am

Wow that's expensive for a plastic drum.
What's wrong with just using a standard plastic fermenting bucket for about a tenner.

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Re: Plastic Barrel fermentors?

Post by Fil » Tue Sep 19, 2017 2:10 pm

the 30l 4"neck wine fermentors (circa £12 from wilko) fit inside my fridge, while the standard buckets are a bit too wide.. I can also use 25l and 30l plastic jerrycans depending on the brewlength.

if the above FV's tickle your fancy and fit comfortably in your fridge the extra cost could be worth the investment, its not as if your spending £1000 on a temp controlled conical option ;)

airlocks are redundant inside a fridge however the regular glug of reassurance is inaudible through the fridges insulation, a simple loose lid or blow off tube can be used comfortably imho..
ist update for months n months..
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Re: Plastic Barrel fermentors?

Post by IPA » Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:33 pm

chris246810 wrote:
Tue Sep 19, 2017 9:54 am
Wow that's expensive for a plastic drum.
What's wrong with just using a standard plastic fermenting bucket for about a tenner.
For the reasons I stated above there is no comparison.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

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Norik
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Re: Plastic Barrel fermentors?

Post by Norik » Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:34 pm

Thanks for the points of view, I'll have a think about them all.
Litany For Beer
I must drink the Beer.
Beer is the mind-killer.
Beer is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my Beer.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the Beer has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.



Hitchens's Razor:
"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."

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Kev888
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Re: Plastic Barrel fermentors?

Post by Kev888 » Thu Sep 21, 2017 5:40 pm

Those white barrel fermentors are very good IMO. They are vaguely similar to the rugged blue general purpose barrels, but are far superior in terms of things like their lid and lack of crevices around the neck.

You'd be able to make similarly good beer in cheaper buckets (or even poly sacks!). The difference is more to do with practicalities - things like the excellent seal, high build quality, longevity, satisfaction and ease of use. They are of course more expensive, but still a quarter the cost of a stainless equivalent; all these things are relative.
Kev

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kisslikeether
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Re: Plastic Barrel fermentors?

Post by kisslikeether » Fri Sep 22, 2017 9:35 pm

I've got two of these and really rate them. The massive opening makes it easy to clean them and the seal is much better than the cheap fermenters (wilko etc) that need petroleum jelly to work, and the bundled airlock is great. One thing to bear in mind is that the picture is of the bigger version (the 60l I think). The 30l is half the height.

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