Brewing Gadgets: Meet the Ferminator
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:04AM Say Hello to my little friend, The Ferminator! Its an all stainless steel 14.5 Gallon conical fermenter made by Blichmann Engineering. This baby is basically a miniature version of what the commercial breweries use.
Advantages I've found using a conical:
- The ability to remove beer bottom of the vessel rather than siphoning
- Ability to remove trub (sediment) without moving beer to a secondary
- Less opportunity for oxidation/contamination
- Much easier to clean and sanitize than carboys
Downsides:
- Very Expensive (this model rang in at $500)
- Everything is easy to clean, but there are many connections to keep sealed tight
- Important to keep Teflon tape and o-rings on hand for leaks
- Its heavy (handles are built in for carrying)
This was a significant investment for me, however it has helped streamline my brewing process in many ways. Particularly, the elimination of siphoning.
This model has a domed lid, airlock, and corny keg style latch with a pressure valve in the top that allows for mild pressurization. This allow me to defy gravity and push the beer out of the valves and into a keg sitting next to it. This also comes in handy for pushing the thick yeast cake and trub from the bottom. All of the valves are stainless steel and easily disassembled to allow for thorough sanitation.
Adding a conical to your home brewery is an awesome way to take your brewing to a higher level. I am also certain it will last for decades with proper care, plus it just plain looks like you mean business!
Buy one if your serious about brewing and plan to stick with it.
Cheers,
-D
Homebrewing, Review, gadgets in All-Grain, Beer, Homebrewing, Reviews
Reader Comments (2)
[...] fermented in the Ferminator for about two weeks at about 68° to a final gravity of 1.014 leaving about 4.7%abv. I kegged [...]
[...] your kitchen faucet. I simply submerge the coil in sanitizer (I prefer StarSan) while cleaning my fermenter then I submerge in the brew kettle with my final hop addition. When the boil is complete I move [...]