In the realm of brewing, there are just a few equipment upgrades that really make a big difference in your brewing process. The big thing? A conical fermenter. When you visit a brewery of any commercial scale, they are not using a bucket brewing system like most home brewers. They don’t have carboys lined up. They have large shiny conical fermenters. These pieces of equipment for homebrewers are like vision of sugar plums dancing in children’s heads.
So on my wishlist for the holidays this year was a conical fermenter. I knew that a bright shiny stainless steel one was not an option, so instead I asked for a more affordable and movable one. I went for the FastFerment Concical Fermenter. I chose this one for a few reasons. The price point was right on, there were a bunch of add-on accessories, and it was movable. I will post a full setup and review of it in the future.
So what are the benefits of a conical fermenter over a regular bucket fermenter or carboy? First and foremost, ease of use. With a conical fermenter, you can do everything in one vessel. You don’t have to transfer your brew to another vessel, which gives you less of a chance of infection and introduction of outside nasties. By opening the valves in the bottom, you can harvest your yeast, remove sediment, and help clarify your beer with ease.
Also a conical fermenter allows you to not have to use a siphon. You can use a hose on the bottom, and let gravity do all the work. Want to bottle from one? You can. It helps to raise the fermenter to make this easier. You can also use the tubing to rack it off to a bottling bucket if you really want. Oh year, and it can get emptied right into a keg too!
One last reason why you want a conical fermenter….it just looks cool! Watch for my review in the next few months of my new toy. I will probably do a setup and accessories review as well as a review of it in action.
