I just received the ~8 gallon Speidel Fermenter and I’m curious if anyone else has given this a shot? Today also marks the day that my large glass carboys get repurposed somehow!
Stash them away in case you want to get into sours someday.
I have a Speidel. It’s great. Not much to say. Gets the job done and doesn’t shatter when dropped (like my glass carboy). I have never used the spigot. I just siphon.
Why avoid the spigot?
Yeah.
Anyway, get rid of those glass carboys. Smooth move on the Speidel fermenter!
It seems like my trub line is right there at the spigot every time. I guess I should try it but I always assume it will fill the keg with yeast.
Mine will be delivered today. I have been waiting for one for a few months now. Looking forward to something that won’t shatter if dropped.
Yep. That’s what I plan to do with mine.
Haven’t had a chance to do much with this yet, but I am impressed on how small the fermenter looks. VERY light weight and seemingly great construction.
I received my Speidel 30L fermentation vessel today. The airlock is so large that it looks like a caricature.
That’s a lot of trub. Do you transfer the entire contents of your kettle to the Speidel?
Yes. I transfer everything.
I use a false bottom, whole cones, and an immersion chiller. This setup allows me to leave most of the break and almost all of the hop material in kettle.
I’ve also got the 8 gallon Spiedel. I like it. It’s light, the handles make it easy to maneuver, cleans easily, and it’s got enough headspace on a 5-6 gallon batch that I don’t need to worry about a blowoff tube.
I use the spigot. Some people don’t because infectious crud can grow in there if you don’t clean it thoroughly. Case in point: a couple of batches ago I drew a gravity sample after filling the fermenter, and when I came back to transfer to keg the spigot was black and nasty. I siphoned that batch out. Last weekend I made sure to spritz the spigot with Star San before putting it down to ferment.
One more note: there’s almost exactly 1/2 gallon of dead space at the bottom, below the level of the outlet. So if you do use the spigot that’s how much you’ll lose unless you tip the dregs out.
I have thought many times about whirl pooling and other methods to remove the trub and hops. But in the end it is just so fast and easy to pour the whole kettle of wort into the fermenter. Laziness wins out for me every time.
I’m thinking about ordering an 8gal. Is it true that they will handle a 5 gal big belgian without a blowoff? How tall are they including airlock?
Put something under the side with the spigot and ferment at an angle. Can’t get any lazier than that.
Couldn’t you just stop pouring before you start to dump the trub though? I have to hold my kettle at a significant angle and shake it to get the trub out for cleaning.
Too late, already ordered it. Hopefully it does the trick and fits in my 14cf chest freezer
Good idea on tilting. I will try that. My spigot isn’t covered. The trub is just in the vicinity. I’ve always assumed the trub will get sucked up by the siphon. With a tilt that may be minimized.
I can whirl pool or stop short on the pour. Both leave a lot of beer behind. My beers are good with the trub in the fermenter so I have never wanted to waste the extra beer.
Specimen cup?