FermZilla Tri-conical with hop bong pressure kit

[RyPA]

Long time fermenting & serving from the same keg person and am considering switching over to a separate fermenter vessel. This combo looks really nice given it will allow dry hopping without cracking open the fermenter while also supporting fermenting under pressure and closed transfers. Has anyone tried this setup, if so, how is it? I was originally looking at the miniuni as stainless is good for the long term, but that will cost more than double for the same features.

It seems priced decently for what it is, just a little surprised that the hop bong addon cost more than the fermenter itself.

https://www.morebeer.com/view_product/62273

https://www.morebeer.com/view_product/61660

 

[ninkwood]

I'll chime in here, though I just ordered the hop bong and was actually looking for some feedback for this myself.

I can speak to the fermzilla however. I went with the all rounder version instead of the model you shared. When I was researching this, it seemed that the added cost for the yeast/trub container wasn't worth the added hassle of ensuring the unit is fully sealed. I personally don't collect yeast at this point, and have no plans to going forward.

Overall, I like the fermzilla all rounder. It can be finicky at times, but it's made out of plastic, and so that is to be expected. I've done 6 brews in it, and in that time I have broken one lid and one thermowell duotight bulkhead. Both of these were my own fault, but it's important to understand that the plastic is fragile and you need to learn how to assemble and disassemble the unit in a manner that won't break the parts, so expect some frustration there and invest in multiples of all the cheap plastic pieces you'll be relying on, or have a backup fermenter ready to go. Making sure everything seals up on the unit is important, but not overly difficult. Don't over tighten the plastic ball locks. The most finicky part for me has always been the PRVs, so pay close attention to those.

I like the unit enough that I've decided to invest in some additional complication by adding the hop bong. Paired with a fermentation chamber (small freezer, temp controller and heat mat), you can ferment at any temperature, from open to 30psi, see what is happening with your ferment while also blocking out light relatively easy and all for a few hundred dollars. It's really tough to beat that value and flexibility.

The all rounder is the only plastic kegland product id personally buy again. I tried their oxbar kegs as a cheap alternative to get into kegging and immediately regretted it. I only use those for transporting beer occasionally or for cleaning my draft lines now, and they are no comparison to korney kegs. You couldn't pay me to put my beer in them for more than a few of hours as they constantly leak, again usually from the PRVs.

Hope this helps!

 

[RyPA]

Thanks for weighing in @ninkwood

I've been going back and forth over the past few weeks on sticking with fermenting and serving from the same keg or switching to a separate fermentation vessel, with the all rounder or tri conical being on the top of my list; they both were on sale last week (and possibly still) which gave a total savings of ~$60 for the tri conical with the hop bong. I actually placed an order but cancelled shortly after as I decided to stick with the keg for now and am first trying some process changes to improve my NEIPA's.. I'm stating the obvious here but what I don't want to happen is spending $300 and ending up with the same or only marginally better beer.

I don't harvest yeast so the key things I'd be able to do is dump trub and easily do o2 free dry hopping.

 

[ninkwood]

I've never tried fermenting in a keg myself. I only recently picked up my first two kegs and have so far only brewed once since, having just completed the transfer to the keg this weekend. It went fantastic from start to finish, and I'm really happy with how my process has developed over these first 6 batches.

That said, fermenting in a keg would definitely work - and certainly better in some ways. The deal-breaker for the keg fermentation for me is dry hopping/additions. I simply refuse to open my fermenter post high krausen and so far that has limited my brews. I noticed the hop bong was on sale today so I jumped on it ($119 instead of $175 on obk in Canada).

If you're happy with the setup you currently have, and you have enough kegs, you can always do closed transfers to a secondary keg to complete post high krausen dryhopping if that's a big concern for you. But that said, if your opening your fermenter already and not experiencing oxygenation issues then why fix what isn't broken?

 

[RyPA]

I've never tried fermenting in a keg myself. I only recently picked up my first two kegs and have so far only brewed once since, having just completed the transfer to the keg this weekend. It went fantastic from start to finish, and I'm really happy with how my process has developed over these first 6 batches.

That said, fermenting in a keg would definitely work - and certainly better in some ways. The deal-breaker for the keg fermentation for me is dry hopping/additions. I simply refuse to open my fermenter post high krausen and so far that has limited my brews. I noticed the hop bong was on sale today so I jumped on it ($119 instead of $175 on obk in Canada).

If you're happy with the setup you currently have, and you have enough kegs, you can always do closed transfers to a secondary keg to complete post high krausen dryhopping if that's a big concern for you. But that said, if your opening your fermenter already and not experiencing oxygenation issues then why fix what isn't broken?

The oxidation issue can be avoided and my batches over the past 2.5 years proves it. Heres my process and i recommend everyone tries it at least once.

1. Fill keg with chilled wort and pitch, seal keg. You must use a floating dip tube.
2. For blow off, depending on your yeast and how much you fill your keg, you can get away with a liquid hose connected to a gas QD on the gas in port, exhausting in a bucket; Ive done this many times with Voss Kveik with no issues. For aggressive yeasts, like Verdant, I take the QD fitting off of the keg and put a 1/2” tube on the threads and blow off through that.
3. On dry hop day i have a CO2 line ready and as soon as i pop the keg lid i start pumping co2 into the keg. I drop the hops in, seal it, and then do 10 or so co2 purges.
4. For most batches i put the keg in the fridge after dry hopping and get it on co2. For my most recent batch i soft crashed to 50F for dry hopping and am holding it there for a few days, to see what happens.

The beer stays like this until the very last pour, which is usually day 30-45. No off flavors from yeast or trub, i dont think so at least. Some of the batches had a bit of a hop bite that i am seeing if i can adjust process to reduce.

 

[ninkwood]

Yeah mate, it sounds like a case of "if it ain't broke don't fix it", that is a beautiful beer!

The concerns I'd have with fermenting in a keg don't seem to be issues for you. My biggest concern might just be simply not being able to see the fermentation as silly as that is. You seem to have sorted the headspace issue, have found a way to dryhop that works consistently, and I'm assuming cleaning kegs isn't a big deal either? Those would be my biggest concerns. A fermzilla has its own issues. Mainly making sure it's not leaking, and then tearing it down once you've kegged.

Cheers!

 

[Whisky River]

You might also be able to use one of these with the hop bong.

 

[RyPA]

You might also be able to use one of these with the hop bong.

I could, but why? If it aint broke, dont fix it.

Granted, it would eliminate the need to purge out o2 but at the cost of ~$150

Also, i use a 6g torpedo keg, and that keg lid may add too much height to fit into my kegerator.

 

[Whisky River]

I could, but why? If it aint broke, dont fix it.

Granted, it would eliminate the need to purge out o2 but at the cost of ~$150

Also, i use a 6g torpedo keg, and that keg lid may add too much height to fit into my kegerator.

Maybe if you don’t have any other TC equipment but when I bought the hop bong it was $20 and I’m pretty sure that would pay for its self by not having to do 10x purge cycles.

 

[RyPA]

Maybe if you don’t have any other TC equipment but when I bought the hop bong it was $20 and I’m pretty sure that would pay for its self by not having to do 10x purge cycles.

If the hop bong was $20 id definitely pick one up, it is way over priced now IMO

 

[jmstone617]

I'll chime in here, though I just ordered the hop bong and was actually looking for some feedback for this myself.

I can speak to the fermzilla however. I went with the all rounder version instead of the model you shared. When I was researching this, it seemed that the added cost for the yeast/trub container wasn't worth the added hassle of ensuring the unit is fully sealed. I personally don't collect yeast at this point, and have no plans to going forward.

Overall, I like the fermzilla all rounder. It can be finicky at times, but it's made out of plastic, and so that is to be expected. I've done 6 brews in it, and in that time I have broken one lid and one thermowell duotight bulkhead. Both of these were my own fault, but it's important to understand that the plastic is fragile and you need to learn how to assemble and disassemble the unit in a manner that won't break the parts, so expect some frustration there and invest in multiples of all the cheap plastic pieces you'll be relying on, or have a backup fermenter ready to go. Making sure everything seals up on the unit is important, but not overly difficult. Don't over tighten the plastic ball locks. The most finicky part for me has always been the PRVs, so pay close attention to those.

I like the unit enough that I've decided to invest in some additional complication by adding the hop bong. Paired with a fermentation chamber (small freezer, temp controller and heat mat), you can ferment at any temperature, from open to 30psi, see what is happening with your ferment while also blocking out light relatively easy and all for a few hundred dollars. It's really tough to beat that value and flexibility.

The all rounder is the only plastic kegland product id personally buy again. I tried their oxbar kegs as a cheap alternative to get into kegging and immediately regretted it. I only use those for transporting beer occasionally or for cleaning my draft lines now, and they are no comparison to korney kegs. You couldn't pay me to put my beer in them for more than a few of hours as they constantly leak, again usually from the PRVs.

Hope this helps!

Did you drill into the tri-clamp lid to place the thermowell once you added the hop bong?

 

[Brewer Mike]

I've been looking at the FermZilla/HopBong too. One thing that caught my attention was, IIRC, the box says max temp 140 F. So, be aware if you do the the heated PBW cleaning technique.

 

[ninkwood]

Did you drill into the tri-clamp lid to place the thermowell once you added the hop bong?

My hop bong is still enroute to me, but I've drilled a couple of the standard fermzilla lids with no issues. They recommend using a stepped bit, but I don't see a need for it. I just used a regular 1/2" bit (if I recall correctly - double check the size) in my drill press. It's a tight fit but not overly difficult to get the bulkhead in. Then just thread with the nut inside the lid. Once the nut grabs, a gentle turn from the top side with a wrench is enough to press down on the gasket and seal it up. The thermowell is the only place I haven't had a leak yet on my fermzilla, but I did break one of the bulkheads by over tightening it so be careful and order some extras just in case.

 

[ninkwood]

I've been looking at the FermZilla/HopBong too. One thing that caught my attention was, IIRC, the box says max temp 140 F. So, be aware if you do the the heated PBW cleaning technique.

I dont go over 40*C with the fermzilla. I think it's rated a bit higher than that. The other thing is they don't recommend prolonged PBW soaks. 20 min or less IIRC. I built my own keg washer (similar to the SSBT one) and made a second attachment for the fermzilla. It works really well, and keeps he contact with PBW to well under 20 min

 

[jmstone617]

My hop bong is still enroute to me, but I've drilled a couple of the standard fermzilla lids with no issues. They recommend using a stepped bit, but I don't see a need for it. I just used a regular 1/2" bit (if I recall correctly - double check the size) in my drill press. It's a tight fit but not overly difficult to get the bulkhead in. Then just thread with the nut inside the lid. Once the nut grabs, a gentle turn from the top side with a wrench is enough to press down on the gasket and seal it up. The thermowell is the only place I haven't had a leak yet on my fermzilla, but I did break one of the bulkheads by over tightening it so be careful and order some extras just in case.

I’ve drilled the standard lid also with no issue but the tri-clamp is all angled. I drilled with a step bit and cranked down the thermowell as best I could and realized during fermentation that it was absolutely NOT sealed. And I have no idea where/how to drill for the temp twister.

 

[ninkwood]

I’ve drilled the standard lid also with no issue but the tri-clamp is all angled. I drilled with a step bit and cranked down the thermowell as best I could and realized during fermentation that it was absolutely NOT sealed. And I have no idea where/how to drill for the temp twister.

Hmm, I thought the little notched section where you're supposed to drill is level. That's very silly they would design it that way but I suppose the thermowell doesn't take priority. I'll have to wait til it arrives to take a closer look. I'm not against just taping the temp controller to the side if I have to. I think I'll still use the regular lid the majority of the time as I don't plant to dry hop every single batch I make.

I am using a freezer for temp control, so no need for the temp twister.

You could always buy a second lid with the holes predrilled:
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/fermzilla-2tc-drilled-pres-lid.html

 

[Brewer Mike]

I

I dont go over 40*C with the fermzilla. I think it's rated a bit higher than that. The other thing is they don't recommend prolonged PBW soaks. 20 min or less IIRC. I built my own keg washer (similar to the SSBT one) and made a second attachment for the fermzilla. It works really well, and keeps he contact with PBW to well under 20 min

It's actually says not to exceed 35C.

 

[jmstone617]

Hmm, I thought the little notched section where you're supposed to drill is level. That's very silly they would design it that way but I suppose the thermowell doesn't take priority. I'll have to wait til it arrives to take a closer look. I'm not against just taping the temp controller to the side if I have to. I think I'll still use the regular lid the majority of the time as I don't plant to dry hop every single batch I make.

I am using a freezer for temp control, so no need for the temp twister.

You could always buy a second lid with the holes predrilled:
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/fermzilla-2tc-drilled-pres-lid.html

I had been looking for a pre drilled one and couldn’t find it. Thanks for sharing!

 

[ninkwood]

I

It's actually says not to exceed 35C.

Shoot, I just fermented a kveik at around 38C

Good to know, thank you