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- Feb 19, 2017
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Big topic and no one size fits all.
What I think I'm looking for in descending order:
First, is there a realistic "plastic" solution? I've looked at the Fermzilla 7.1 gallon and the Catalyst. Love the Fermzilla design concept, just not sure how well it actually works in real life, durability, etc? Especially concerned that removing the yeast harvest/trub dump doesn't work well on plastic. Fast ferment is a PITA for this and often can undo the canning jar while fermenting. BTW, I have plastic speidels, big mouth bubbler, 3 gallon fast ferment.
Second, do I need stainless steel? I confess to being a somewhat lazy sanitizer, and that does catch up to me eventually with plastic
Third, for stainless, is it practical to use the racking tube to dump trub and/or harvest yeast? In other words, can you point the tube down, and drain trub until it clears?
Fourth, any feedback on the Reactor Stainless Steel Conical Fermenter
Fifth, any recommendations and why? Thanks in advance.
What I think I'm looking for in descending order:
- price. I can spend but am frugal at heart. Like to keep the fermenter itself under $200 but realistically can afford a lot more.
- ~7 gallon/30L
- yeast harvesting
- trub dumping
- weight (50 pounds is about the max my back and knees can handle)
- siphonless (this may be an oxymoron?)
- Convenient sanitization (I am a little lazy and don't always take everything apart every time to sanitize every nook and crany)
- fermenting under pressure/pressure transfer
- prefer to be able to see the ferment but that's a non starter with stainless
- gotchas I may have missed?
First, is there a realistic "plastic" solution? I've looked at the Fermzilla 7.1 gallon and the Catalyst. Love the Fermzilla design concept, just not sure how well it actually works in real life, durability, etc? Especially concerned that removing the yeast harvest/trub dump doesn't work well on plastic. Fast ferment is a PITA for this and often can undo the canning jar while fermenting. BTW, I have plastic speidels, big mouth bubbler, 3 gallon fast ferment.
Second, do I need stainless steel? I confess to being a somewhat lazy sanitizer, and that does catch up to me eventually with plastic
Third, for stainless, is it practical to use the racking tube to dump trub and/or harvest yeast? In other words, can you point the tube down, and drain trub until it clears?
Fourth, any feedback on the Reactor Stainless Steel Conical Fermenter
Fifth, any recommendations and why? Thanks in advance.