Stockpots as fermenters?

[orlando]

Hmm, 6mm is getting too small for my taste. Pity, they look good otherwise.

I have these on my fermentors, maybe not identical but very similar, they are for taking samples only. If you are thinking of these instead of a proper valve forget it, it will be too easily blocked.

[MTW]

OK

Anyone know anything about these Polsinelli ones? £90 shipped to the UK, or 20 euros more to include handles. I'd want to know a hose will fit on that tap, but other than that...

[Robwalkeragain]

What advice I can offer on dry hopping in flat bottomed stainless fermenters is that cooling the FV will drop them all to the bottom. some breweries will just open the valve a few times over a course of days until the beer runs clear and the remaining pellets stay in a cake at the bottom but I guess it depends on how little hop matter you need in your beer. Some simple stainless mesh might solve the issue for you although racking could be slow, or invest in something to contain dry hops properly and it should be painless.
Ball valves are generally brass and chrome too which are ok-ish materials (not ideal) materials for brewing but will corrode in presence of acids and caustics so plastic might be better which is almost always unreactive in the brewery. You can buy stainless ball valves but you're looking at £30+

[Jocky]

This is part of tightening up sanitation and handling during fermentation onward. I'm pretty confident in my hot side stuff, water treatment, mash/sparge etc, and in everything up to and including pitching healthy yeast. Having to replace buckets again is also a prompt. I've had a couple of off flavours this year which I deduce may have come from mild infections.

I'd be reluctant to go back to siphoning. It's just one of those home brew things that you'd never find in a commercial brewery, and that's usually a sign for me. It always felt intrusive and dodgy! I am going to redouble my cleaning, storage and sanitising regime though, wherever this leads.

Stainless is always a good investment. Will last forever if looked after and can be sanitised with heat/steam if you need to be extra sure.

Having said that, despite my pots and fermenters being kitted out top to bottom with taps and ports... I keep going back to my siphon.

The bottom side taps on fermenters invariably end up dumping a load of yeast/trub into my bottling bucket when racking, which I can avoid by siphoning from the top of the beer.

[Jocky]

The stock pot lids pretty much sit on the rim of the pot, but there is a small (albeit loose) lip and you can weight them down to make the gap minimal - certainly not a gaping void you can see through. They just aren't what i'd call a good/close seal, like most plastic bucket fermenters - let alone the posh ones.

I'd bet if you split a length of silicon hose and ran it around the rim of the pot you could weigh down the lid and it would form a pretty tight seal.

[Kev888]

Yes, now you mention it I remember trying this - IIRC the silicone tube needed to be a little thinner walled than normal (for beer transfer hoses), but if so then it would fit. In my case it didn't stop escaping krausen, but if I'd persevered with the amount and distribution of weights then perhaps it would have.

[MTW]

All helpful, cheers.

Currently taking a hard look at the Klarstein 30L at £120, especially as I SHOULD get £10 off for subscribing to their newsletter 2 days ago, though there's no sign of a voucher yet. The 30L doesn't seem to have volume markings (other than 'Max'), whereas the 25L does. The 25L also looks to have a fair bit of headspace above the 25L mark, and is only £89.99 (potentially 79.99 with a voucher EDIT: no, the voucher only applies to orders over £100); bit of a steal, perhaps. Anyone know them?

[Kev888]

I don't but it looks very potential to me, so i hope someone does.

Personally I'd want to know more about the tap; they suggest cleaning without mention of disassembling it - which may or may not be sufficient depending on its design.

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

Having said that, despite my pots and fermenters being kitted out top to bottom with taps and ports... I keep going back to my siphon.

The bottom side taps on fermenters invariably end up dumping a load of yeast/trub into my bottling bucket when racking, which I can avoid by siphoning from the top of the beer.

This is why the racking arm is important, and annoyingly expensive. From the outside of the vessel you can change the height of the pickup tube to get it out of the trub and get clear runnings.

[MTW]

OK - I've ordered the 25L Klarstein version. The reason for this is that the 30L model does not have volume markings, and by my calculations on the internal measurements they give, is only 2.8L bigger; I noticed that the 'Max' mark on the 30L looked higher up than the 25L line on the 25L version, and they are the same diameter.

Most of my brews are only around 21L anyway. The 25L is 30L to the lid and the 30L is 32.8, going by my maths on the internal dimensions given. Then there's a bit in the lid itself, before it hits the blow off tube. If it were to prove to be too small, I'm pretty sure I'd keep this as a secondary in the long term anyway.

The tap is at least removable apparently.

[Kev888]

Sounds like a canny choice. Personally I don't like filling to the point of intentionally losing lots of the krausen (though there are two schools of thought on that), but it sounds like you won't be doing that and a blow-off is then very reassuring where containment might be a little marginal.

Best of luck with it, I'll be interested to hear what it is like in the flesh.

[MTW]

Yes, fingers crossed! Thank to you and all for talking these through a bit. I will report back.

I think these are just mash/brew kettles/tea urns being re-purposed as FVs by Klarstein, hence there being two oddly similar sizes in their range, and the odd title of "Maischfest Fermenter 25 Mash Kettle". Very unhelpful. If you look at the Amazon reviews, you get a mix of people reviewing these as they are, mixed up with reviews for the versions with a heating element. Typical Amazon, in the lack of distinction between precise variants. However, I have found just enough (forum posts in search result etc) to suggest folk seem happy with them.

The folk on the phone were OK, and knew that the tap was removable, so all in all, worth a punt.

[DaveGillespie]

30L Crusader/Kanmac keg is another option. The orange rubber American carboy caps will fit over the top and you could pressure transfer through the spear/coupler. Leaves the option open of capping the fermentation to naturally carbonate then pressure transfer (or sealed gravity transfer) to Corny.

That's the route I've gone down.

[Jocky]

Brewbuilder has just started selling another flat bottom fermenter: https://www.brewbuilder.co.uk/mini-fv.html

Slightly smaller, but includes the tap with rotatable racking arm and bits to add a blow off tube. I am mightily tempted.

[MTW]

Brewbuilder has just started selling another flat bottom fermenter: https://www.brewbuilder.co.uk/mini-fv.html

Slightly smaller, but includes the tap with rotatable racking arm and bits to add a blow off tube. I am mightily tempted.

Good spot, though I think 24L to the rim would be too small for me which, going by their measurements, it looks like it is. That's 6L less than the Klarstein "25L" (which should be arriving tomorrow )

I'm happy to continue tilting for £42 less (edit - plus delivery) and 6L more space. Nice hardware though.