How to Choose the best Beer Conical Fermenter for Brewing
- Jul 01, 2021
- 109
- tiantai
Conical Fermenters, Brewery fermenter tanks, or more commonly fermenters, are key components in beer, wine and kombucha brewing. Fermenters are specialized tanks designed to precisely control temperature and maintain the optimal conditions for fermentation, which occurs once the wort has been transferred from the brewhouse to the fermenter; a conical-bottom design is highly recommended for fermenters allowing for easier yeast harvesting. Conical Fermenters are for next level brewing.
Sometimes a brewer just wants to step up.
Sometimes a brewer just wants to step up.
They may have started out with beer kits and made a few handy drops.
They may have done the old boil in a bag once or twice.
They probably went 'all grain' and made some really damn good beer.
They make have begun to keg their beer. And now it's time to step up to a conical fermenter. A conical fermenter is a kind of like the big leagues for homebrewing. It's an investment in steel.
It's an investment in yourself as a brewer because quality steal fermenters are not cheap!
So what are conical fermenters?
These steel beasts have a cone-shaped bottom with a valve at the point of the cone. This is obviously quite different from the standard flat bottom of a plastic drum or glass carboy.
One of the key reasons why you would want to use a conical fermenter relates to how you can manage the 'trub' so very easily. As the wort ferments, the solids will collect in the cone. By clever use of the valve at the bottom of the fermenter, the trub can be removed from the beer solution.This means that secondary fermentation can be done in the fermenter. It also means that the trub can be washed and the yeast re-used. This can be very handy when using special yeasts that can be quite expensive! This process means that given you can easily remove the sediment from the wort, you can make that holy grail of many a brewer - clear beer. The beauty of using a steel conical fermenter is that unlike a plastic drum, it can be reused countless times, it won't retain odors and it's bloody easy to clean and sanitize.
So if you want to cut back on 'racking' your beer or simply cut done on time spent doing your cleaning chores then you might want to step up to the big leagues of brewing with a conical fermenter.
So how do you choose a conical fermenter?
Do you go cheap and plastic?
Do you go quality and made of steel?
Do you make a DIY version or buy from a popular brand like Blichman?
Tiantai Fermenters
We are big fans of the Tiantai brand. Their gas burners and brewing kettles are quite popular because they are well made and do the job they were designed to do. Much like their range of conical fermenters.
The starting point is the seven-gallon conical fermenter, through to the 14.5 and the gut-buster of the 27 gallon unit. I imagine most home brewers generally go for the 7 gallon version but and the semi-pros go the bigger units.
In reality, these are commercial grade devices that will help ensure you brew clear beer in quantity. These units boast a 100% weld-free interior which removes the chance of bugs lurking. There's no more need for racking and you can dump trub and take samples with ease and harvest yeast. It's bloody simple to sanitize as you can just drain it out when those germy nasties have been dealt to! If you happened to take a tour of any quality craft brewery you'll probably find a line up of conical stainless steel fermenters. The Teck 7's bottom dump valve allows you to harvest yeast and reduces yeast contact with the beer, allowing for a primary and secondary fermentation inside the same vessel.
The domed lid allows the user the ability to transfer under pressure (1-2 psi).
The Chronical has a full 60° cone, terminating in a Full Port 1.5” opening, making dumping trub through the included elbow and ball valve a breeze!
The sanitary TIG welded fittings ensure years of rustless contamination free brewing!
A Rotating Racking Arm (patent pending) is set halfway up the cone, allowing for the racking of trub free beer, regardless of how high your trub reaches.
"I am quite impressed with the conical fermenter, and am very excited about its use in the future, as well as the future of Tiantai. They make some great products at incredibly low prices, and are shaking up the homebrewing industry a good bit. I expect this to quickly become my go-to fermenter, and am quite excited about being able to capture yeast with the bottom valve, and it truly feels like a commercial-grade product."
Derrick
Sales Manager
Tiantai Beer Equipment
Email:[email protected]
Derrick
Sales Manager
Tiantai Beer Equipment
Email:[email protected]
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