6.5 gallon model XE conical fermentor- Minibrew

[Aksarben]

What are the opinions of conical fermenters, and this one is the newest model the 6.5 gallon XE model with improvements over earlier models. https://www.minibrew.com/products/6-5x-gallon-conical-fermenter?variant=25674595014

Just wondering about 2 things. Is conical a good choice?
2. If you save yeast, how long can you store it in the refrigerator where it is still good for starting another batch?

Price on this doesn't seem bad. I think putting wheels, like you see on office chairs, would be a very good idea. Allow you to roll it out of the closet or "wherever" to where you want to work with what's in the fermentor.

Wish it had the option for Tri-Clover fitting (Sanitary) for the bottom.

Has anyone used one of these, and can they be slightly pressurized for moving product to another vessel?

Vernon

I was born with nothing and managed to keep most of it.
Associate Winemaker in Michigan but former Nebraskan

 

[Nosybear]

I have a little conical fermentor I use for 3-gallon brews and love it! Would like a larger option but they're either very price stainless models or plastic models that are too tall to stand in my fermentation chamber (a used refrigerator). I guess I could get handy and make a shorter stand for the conicals....

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Ive been wanting one but my fermentation chamber is made for buckets or barrels no taller than 36" I wouldn't have a way to chill, if you can I would get one, as for the yeast theirs a lot of variables that go into saving yeast, I keep mine at 35F and no longer than 6 months, I prefer dry just because its easier and more predictable but an air tight container with a little finished beer on top will work just don't freeze it

 

[jeffpn]

What he said. I’m intrigued by the thought of using a conical fermenter, but they’re too tall. I’d do it, otherwise.

 

[Aksarben]

Watching a conical fermentor on youtube made me think..... of those that have a large opening, like the Ss Brewtech Chronical, it looks like you could drop in a SS cooling coil into the pitched wort, run the water tubes out the top where the 1 1/2" Tri-Clover fitting is in the center of that domed lid, and stuff cotton batting into the void area to close it up. CO2 gas the thing and fruit flies, etc, are less problems. CO2 can go out the cotton, since not strictly air tight, and adjust the water into the cooling coil to trickle. Monitor the temp of the side of the fermenter and adjust the flow accordingly.

Put the fermenter on rollers, like caster wheels or something you see for office chairs, so you can move it around easier.

Another option is to get thin wall copper tubing and wrap the fermenter on the outside, several wraps, and use that as a cooling jacket. Same principal we use in our white fermentation room at the winery, except those tanks come with dimpled cooling jackets and we have them all plumed up to a glycol chiller outside the winery, and can really throw a lot of cooling into the SS tanks that way.

I am thinking that one could even use a pretty long piece of flexible tubing (vinyl) and allow it to curl inside the fermenter, even on the 6.5 gallon HDPE Minibrew I posted at the top, and cool it with a garden hose adapter on one end and drain it out the other. We have pretty cold well water and I believe it would do the job of cooling a Lager inside to 60 F with no problems OUTSIDE a refrigeration unit, just standing inside the kitchen, or basement, or wherever. If I had a basement that would be very nice as the basement temps are pretty constant and generally pretty much on the cool side. I live in a double wide on 10 acres here in Michigan, so no basement. BUT for those that do have a basement, this idea would work wonders. Don't get overboard with water flow, because you would be amazed at how much water, in gallons, a light flow will use up in a week.

Saw a post about saving yeast, boiling the jars for 20 minutes, etc. Seemed overkill. You can do that if you wish, but if you rinse Mason jars (canning jars) with boiling hot water, I can guarantee that there are neither any viable yeast cells alive, nor an ML bacteria. Yeast are killed above 110 F and ML is killed above 100 deg F. Don't be fooled into thinking that if you boil for 20 minutes you are sterile UNLESS you do all this in a sterile clean room, such as an operating room, etc or at some clean room in a laboratory. Kitchens, basements, garages, etc are not clean rooms. If you removed the jars and allowed to cool (after boiling for 20 minutes) You are still subject to air born micro organism. Keep them at minimum with clean dished and jars, lids, etc. But for me I can get boilng water in a few minutes in the microwave, and that's 212 F and rinse jars and lids, and allow them to dry AND cool on a clean towel and be about as much as I can assure for sanitary.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

this is the one I would get plus you can take the whole top off and clean or add stuff easily
https://www.minibrew.com/products/48?variant=25687095366

 

[Mase]

this is the one I would get plus you can take the whole top off and clean or add stuff easily
https://www.minibrew.com/products/48?variant=25687095366

Looks like the valves are a bit small. Just be careful of dry hopping as it could clog up

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

yes looks like standard 1/2" you would need to pressurize with C02 for a good flow

 

[Aksarben]

Well, talked with owner John tonight and ordered one. Will give it a good going over when it gets here. One thing John mentioned (owner) is that it is plastic, and as such is easy to just drill a hole in the lid for intake and output of vinyl tubing and thread the tubes in there to connect to a SS coil for chilling. With a small separate tank for cold water, and a small pump and valve one could circulate water into the wort to cool it. Add ice or change of water as needed.

It has gallon marks on the outside. It does not need passivating. It is impervious to things that might affect Stainless Steel. It has a 60 deg cone for best results. I can see adding rollers OR just put 4 of those carpet sliders under it, and slide it around on our carpet. The only floors in our house that do not have carpet is the kitchen, laundry room, and entry way. Slide it close to the front door, attach a 25 foot vinyl tube and run that down the steps and gravity flow the finished beer into a couple of carboys for priming with sugar and bottling. Or if one had a keg, just put it in a keg and carbonate it.