yeah, i also admit i am using 100% glass carboys. i wont buy anymore and intend to phase them out, honestly the added weight of them is half of it.
what do you mean about PVC pipes? as a fermenter?
Yep. To increase hydrostatic pressure, trying to more closely mimic the pressure experienced by other brewers for small batches. I typically brew no more than about 2 gallons at a time. In standard fermenters, that’s very shallow and underfilled, tons of air space in a carboy, etc.
I ferment my lagers in Cornies. 2 for a 5 gallon batch, 3 for a 10 gallon batch. Then the beer is closed transfered into 1 or 2 kegs. I use a spending valve set to 1 or 2 PSI during fermentation, or a blow off tube. The kegs have a shortened dip tube to leave trub behind.
For ales I’m using plastic buckets. Been doing open fermentations by having the lid cracked an inch or so on one side for O2 exchange. It’s working so far, no problems.
I have the Fermzilla 7 G – I think it works like a champ!
Why would you want to increase hydrostatic pressure?
These days I am using a corny keg as my primary fermentation vessel but I still use my original bucket from time to time. I also have a few better bottles I use for sour beers which are also not terribly expensive.
We love to look down on those buckets but they are serviceable and really not that different from many of the more expensive plastic vessels.
I feel like homebrewers are tinkerers and love, love, love to build things, track things, document things, etc. I do not brew so I can build an overly-sophisticated system. I know that some people love that stuff but for me, it’s all about the beer and my system reflects that. Mash in a cooler, ferment in a plastic bucket, etc. No real toys to speak of except for two Thermopens that I really love. For those who want a huge room in the basement filled with sparkling stainless steel … giddy up. I get it. Denny once said, “It’s about the beer, not the gear” and that has stuck in my head ever since.
100% agree with you. When I first started I wanted all the cool stuff but realized that the budget just wasn’t having it. Even now I have to fight the urge to get the shiny new stuff. But, for me, like the DIY part of the process. DIY bucket and keg washer, Two old dorm fridges for my kegerator and ferm chamber, cooler to add for my sparge water. But, at the end of the day, if you dig the cool new stuff, I understand completely. I have a nice routine going and that gives me what I think is good beer. That’s the end game.
Hear! Hear!
So to summarize thus far we have:
Denny - Grainfather - 700 ish bucks - (you can’t hide money!!!)
Ynot/major - Kegland - Fermzilla flat - 40 beans, Fermzilla Rounder/Conical - 150 bucks (ouchy on the 150)
Neuse/dmtaylor/redrocker/hopfen/reverse - buckets - seems like a solid primary fermenter. I like the way you think!
erock/china/hopfen/reverse - kegs - solid suggestion, already purged those puppies
Richard - Fermonster - sub 40 bucks - kinda digging it!
Kev/Andy - Anvil buck fermenter - 185 bucks - Denny Jr kinda pricing
Bama/Kevin/Andy - SS Brewbucket - 150 bucks and up - Denny III kinda pricing 
fred/goose - PET Carboys - solid suggestion, hoping for a larger opening
Jeffy - Brewcraft - seems like they only make liners now. Can’t actually find one for sale
John - Speidels - 80 beans - been eyeballing them
Village - buckets, but Williams - I still have my Williams Buckets - need to inspect, but they might get put back into service.
Keep the suggestions coming. I’m kinda digging bringing out my old buckets for primary, just need to decide what to use for secondary. A keg would work for that if I was serving a batch and only made 5 gallons. If memory serves PET has lower oxygen permeability than HDPE, but most of the time secondary wouldn’t last very long. Decisions, decisions!
I ferment ales in buckets, lagers in big mouth bubblers. Why, I don’t know. I brew 10 gallon batches mainly, each fermentation vessel is 6.5 gallons.
The keg is my secondary, although I did use a 5-gallon glass carboy for a couple of months for a 1.095 quadrupel I brewed in December, kegged in March.
I should have mentioned that I use these because 1) I had them and 2) they had a spigot which would allow for a closed-loop transfer of the beer into the keg and at the time I started this I was looking into low(er) O2 techniques. At the same time I can purge the keg with CO2 created during fermentation. This could be done with any bucket that had a port on it … I just happened to use these Williams jobbies because I had them.
One more thing: When I say “it’s about the beer”, that equates to “I really like my beer” and that is true for me. If I was finding flaws in my beers that could be remedied with something a little more whiz-bang, I would look into it. But I have to admit that I really, really like my beer and I think I’m spoiled by it when I find myself out somewhere and looking for a beer to drink. There are A LOT of questionable commercial beers out there and I don’t have to tell you guys. If I can make my beer simply, enjoy the process and also be satisfied with my beer, that’s winning to me.
The best beer possible with the least effort possible while having the most fun possible.
I actually have the conical version of the FermZilla with the yeast collection/dump on the bottom. I think it was $125 when I bought it. And yeah, it’s a little pricey but it works.
However, if you wanted to keep it simple just go with the big mouth bubbler with the side port/racking arm. Makes like super easy to rack beer. I attach Co2 and push the beer from the FV. Works great. And to keep the valve clean during fermentation, just wrap a plastic sandwich bag over it and secure with rubber band.
lol, just spitballing but 2 of these things are transient - one is not permanent, but could last months or even years (best beer quality).
there is a triangle for tanks - armour vs speed vs weapon power and in general if you have more armour you will have lower speed and/or a lower calibre/less powerful weapon and vice versa for the others.
its a triangle one can choose for themselves. as well i dont have “fun”, i feel like its satisfaction of a job well done
I rack from a ported Fermonster into a keg in a similar way. I use kegs purged by fermentation gas. I put the Fermonster on a table and the keg on the floor. I connect the spigot on the Fermonster to the liquid post on the keg, and the gas post on the keg gets connected to a bulkhead gas QD on the lid of the Fermonster (the same one used to purge the keg). Then just open the valve and let gravity do the work in a system closed to air. You can purchase a solid lid for the Fermonster and add any kind of airlock, blowoff, gas QD or whatever you want to it. The Bigmouth Bubbler doesn’t offer that, as far as I know.
I have a couple of those too. And I do like them better than the BMB! I was throwing BMB in there more as a generic term for a wide mouth plastic carboy FV. I love the siphnless valves. I used to be scared of them because of contamination but the newer design are easier to take apart and clean. Easier racking means less potential for oxidation during racking IMO.
I’m a YouTube junkie and I keep watching videos on the Brew Built X3 conical and I really want one. Then I take a step back and realize what’s holding my brewing back is really not the tools or gadgets, but time (similar to my other hobbies of fishing, hockey and BBQ).
With that, I stay settled on my 16 gallon Sanke Keg with a corny lid welded into it (had it fabricated before they were selling them on MoreBeer for around $200-250). It works for everything I need when I pair that with my fermentation chamber. I can pressure ferment (although I see limited need to do that), closed transfer to kegs, cold crash and easily clean with a pump by removing the lid and using a spray ball. Only downside is that I can’t dump trub and drop hopping means I’m going to open the lid.
+1
One day, you’ll wake up and there won’t be anymore time to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t wait. Do it now.
You can get Better Bottles with larger openings. Check out More Beer for Fermonster fermenters.