Best quality f/v

[akka lakka]

Hi all

What is the best quality f/v,the f/v i am using is starting to get rough and pitted after only about 10 brews,admitted i got it cheap from wilco's,i am worried after last f/v caused infection no matter how well it was cleaned.

Cheers joe

[keith1664]

How much did you want to spend!

http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/blichmann ... nters.html

[alix101]

Yes the blichmann is the dogs...but a quality affordable option would be a glass carboy, I always think my carboy beers taste better, thats probably in my head but they won't scratch easy ...unless you drop it

[sunny_jimbob]

I've got one of these which is surprisingly sturdy.

[akka lakka]

Hi

Too expensive and will not fit in fermenting fridge,i was thinking are there better quality plastic fermenting bins,or could i use a s/s stock pot.

Cheers joe

[hotmog]

I used to use plastic FVs, but have since graduated to two 30l S/S stockpots. Much better, and so much easier to clean.

[dreadskin69]

apparently those big blue barrels people use as water butts are food grade. they come in all sorts of sizes, all the way up to 225 ltrs, and are cheap enough and air tight. anyone use them?

[akka lakka]

Thanks all

Think i like the s/s 30 litre stock pot,I will nip on flea bay and see what size they are.

cheers joe.

[Jocky]

I used to use plastic FVs, but have since graduated to two 30l S/S stockpots. Much better, and so much easier to clean.

Interesting.

Do you use your stock pots for anything other than fermenting? Just wondering how your whole process work with them.

[Underground Joe]

I was thinking about getting some stainless pots to ferment in, but I was looking at doing it due to fact that my plastic fermenters seem to absorb a lot of hop aroma that I think a stainless pot would leave in the beer.

[hotmog]

I used to use plastic FVs, but have since graduated to two 30l S/S stockpots. Much better, and so much easier to clean.

Interesting.

Do you use your stock pots for anything other than fermenting? Just wondering how your whole process work with them.

No, they're only used as FVs. I brew in 38l lengths, ie enough for 2 x 19l cornies, so each stockpot is just under 2/3rds full, which allows adequate headroom for the foam when the cooled wort is poured in from the boiler, and later for the yeast krausen.

The shelf on which they sit is about 12" above the height of a cornie, so once the fermentation's over I can transfer direct by gravity. No need for siphon tubes, nor even to lift the lid, thus minimising the risk of airborne infection. Prior to filling, I sterilise the stockpots by pouring in a kettle-full of boiling water, swilling it around and leaving for several minutes, then emptying and spraying all over with StarSan.

[Jocky]

Does the position of the taps on your stock pots not cause them to pick up a lot of trub?

[hotmog]

Does the position of the taps on your stock pots not cause them to pick up a lot of trub?

No. Before I connect the line to to the cornie, I open the tap into a glass underneath to collect the first runnings that contain the yeast sediment immediately under the pipe opening, which I discard (it's only a small cupful). By careful positioning of the tap hole, and using a 15mm copper elbow facing downwards on the inside so that there is only a 2mm gap between the opening and the bottom, there is virtually no wastage whatsoever. The yeast sediment immediately underneath the elbow opening is obviously drawn up, but that really is a minimal amount and nothing around it is disturbed. There is no need to tip the FV up to drain to the last drop - it does that automatically. There is only a very thin surface covering of liquid left above the yeast.



Obviously, for this to work you need to exploit the syphon effect fully. I connect the FV ball-valve taps to the cornie outlet posts via JG 1/2" BSP - 3/8" connectors, and there is around a 9" - 12" drop to the cornie positioned beneath.

[Belter]

Is that THREE STIR PLATES?!?!?!

I never envisaged needing more than one!

Now I have a more like 80L brew length perhaps I'll start building the next one. 3 batches each with a different yeast

[hotmog]

Is that THREE STIR PLATES?!?!?!

I never envisaged needing more than one!

Now I have a more like 80L brew length perhaps I'll start building the next one. 3 batches each with a different yeast

Three's not excessive .

It all boiled down to a choice of making two stir-plates for 2 x 3l conicals, or making three for 3 x 2l conicals. I couldn't get hold of any 3l ones, and they are prohibitively expensive anyway, so I opted for the second option.

My rationale was quite simple: when I first decided to venture into the mysterious world of liquid yeast I sought advice on this forum about the best way to proceed. Being a tight-arsed git, I wanted to make a stepped starter from just 1/3rd of single vial of Whitelabs that would be enough for my 38l brew length. The received wisdom (many thanks to Wolfy especially) was that I needed a 3-step starter.

Step 1 - 250ml
Step 2 -> 1 ltr
Step 3 -> 3.5 ltr

Given that the conicals can realistically only be filled up to less than half their maximum capacity when used for for this purpose, you will probably now appreciate why I needed three of them, each with their own stir-plate, to accomplish Step 3 .