Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
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- Swill Maker
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Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
This is my realization after my first couple of batches made in my 35 gallon plastic drum. These were 15+ gallon batches to run in my 15.5 gallon keg pot still.
Just so much easier to have your fermenter hold a full batch. Instead of messing around with 3-4 5 gallon pails. Not to mention less cleaning and less floor space taken up. I wish I had done this in the first place.
Just so much easier to have your fermenter hold a full batch. Instead of messing around with 3-4 5 gallon pails. Not to mention less cleaning and less floor space taken up. I wish I had done this in the first place.
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15 gallon keg pot still
15 gallon Brew King boiler
2 35 gallon fermenters
15 gallon keg pot still
15 gallon Brew King boiler
2 35 gallon fermenters
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
+1
A lazy man is an efficient man.
A lazy man is an efficient man.
- Oldvine Zin
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Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
+2 just wait until you move up to a 60 Gal fermentor
Ovz
Ovz
- GrassHopper
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Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
+3
We are glad you saw the light! You have been saved......from the misery of the 5 gal shuffle.
We are glad you saw the light! You have been saved......from the misery of the 5 gal shuffle.
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- Swill Maker
- Posts: 352
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:26 pm
- Location: Ontario, Canada
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
Oh I think the 35 gallon should be more than adequate for my quantities.Oldvine Zin wrote:+2 just wait until you move up to a 60 Gal fermentor
Ovz
I guess the main takeaway here is that it would be extremely rare that anyone has ever complained that their fermenter/still/boiler is too big and they wish they had a smaller one.
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15 gallon keg pot still
15 gallon Brew King boiler
2 35 gallon fermenters
15 gallon keg pot still
15 gallon Brew King boiler
2 35 gallon fermenters
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
Got that right. My mash tun/fermenter/thumper is a 55gal SS drum.speedfreaksteve wrote:Oh I think the 35 gallon should be more than adequate for my quantities.Oldvine Zin wrote:+2 just wait until you move up to a 60 Gal fermentor
Ovz
I guess the main takeaway here is that it would be extremely rare that anyone has ever complained that their fermenter/still/boiler is too big and they wish they had a smaller one.
- Truckinbutch
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Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
Agree with everybody .
I moved from buckets to 44 gallon Brutes . Aquarium heaters had a way of crudding up in sugar washes . SRD developed the idea of 32 gallon Brutes inside the 44 gallon Brutes . Lining the 32 gal with a clear 55 gal trash bag and gathering the top of the bag around a bleeder hose with tape . Loop the vent hose and co blocks the low point to prevent contamination . You can see what the ferment is doing at any point without risk of contamination . You can add heat to the water jacket without fouling the aquarium heater .
Finished ferments have gone for weeks before we got to them .
Rack , dip , strain and lift the bag out of the fermenter and repeat without having to clean the fermenter .
A 30 gallon total volume gives us 23-24 gallons of strained mash to strip run with the boiler and thumper both charged to the max .
Feel free to ask about what I may have been unclear about .
I moved from buckets to 44 gallon Brutes . Aquarium heaters had a way of crudding up in sugar washes . SRD developed the idea of 32 gallon Brutes inside the 44 gallon Brutes . Lining the 32 gal with a clear 55 gal trash bag and gathering the top of the bag around a bleeder hose with tape . Loop the vent hose and co blocks the low point to prevent contamination . You can see what the ferment is doing at any point without risk of contamination . You can add heat to the water jacket without fouling the aquarium heater .
Finished ferments have gone for weeks before we got to them .
Rack , dip , strain and lift the bag out of the fermenter and repeat without having to clean the fermenter .
A 30 gallon total volume gives us 23-24 gallons of strained mash to strip run with the boiler and thumper both charged to the max .
Feel free to ask about what I may have been unclear about .
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
I moved up to a 32 gallon brute at the end of last summer, I would never go back to buckets.
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- Swill Maker
- Posts: 352
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:26 pm
- Location: Ontario, Canada
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
I really like this system. Minimizes contamination issues while saving time as well.Truckinbutch wrote:Agree with everybody .
I moved from buckets to 44 gallon Brutes . Aquarium heaters had a way of crudding up in sugar washes . SRD developed the idea of 32 gallon Brutes inside the 44 gallon Brutes . Lining the 32 gal with a clear 55 gal trash bag and gathering the top of the bag around a bleeder hose with tape . Loop the vent hose and co blocks the low point to prevent contamination . You can see what the ferment is doing at any point without risk of contamination . You can add heat to the water jacket without fouling the aquarium heater .
Finished ferments have gone for weeks before we got to them .
Rack , dip , strain and lift the bag out of the fermenter and repeat without having to clean the fermenter .
A 30 gallon total volume gives us 23-24 gallons of strained mash to strip run with the boiler and thumper both charged to the max .
Feel free to ask about what I may have been unclear about .
_______________________________
15 gallon keg pot still
15 gallon Brew King boiler
2 35 gallon fermenters
15 gallon keg pot still
15 gallon Brew King boiler
2 35 gallon fermenters
- nerdybrewer
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Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
I'm using a 100 gallon vessel at the moment.RedwoodHillBilly wrote:Got that right. My mash tun/fermenter/thumper is a 55gal SS drum.speedfreaksteve wrote:Oh I think the 35 gallon should be more than adequate for my quantities.Oldvine Zin wrote:+2 just wait until you move up to a 60 Gal fermentor
Ovz
I guess the main takeaway here is that it would be extremely rare that anyone has ever complained that their fermenter/still/boiler is too big and they wish they had a smaller one.
Got to admit I've been looking at 250 gallon containers though.
Cranky's spoonfeeding:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975
Time and Oak will sort it out.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975
Time and Oak will sort it out.
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
Sadly boys, it turns out SIZE DOES MATTER
Accumulating pieces
- Truckinbutch
- Angel's Share
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Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
Only if you know how to use what ya got .bbok wrote: Sadly boys, it turns out SIZE DOES MATTER
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
When I did my research, pre internet Youtube and forums, it was clear that to make the products that I wanted, I needed a fermenter at least three times what my boiler could take, so I didn't start off with the illusion that I could make conveniently sized quantities of quality product one ferment at a time. The fermenter I started with is still my most used fermenter, even though my current collection includes larger and smaller.
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- Swill Maker
- Posts: 352
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:26 pm
- Location: Ontario, Canada
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
I started many years ago with a 20L boiler/still and a 23L fermenter. At the time I thought it would be a great setup. Although now my boiler/still is around triple that size, and smaller than I'd like, if I could do it again I would've started with a 80L/20 gallon minimum as a "starter" size.NZChris wrote:When I did my research, pre internet Youtube and forums, it was clear that to make the products that I wanted, I needed a fermenter at least three times what my boiler could take, so I didn't start off with the illusion that I could make conveniently sized quantities of quality product one ferment at a time. The fermenter I started with is still my most used fermenter, even though my current collection includes larger and smaller.
_______________________________
15 gallon keg pot still
15 gallon Brew King boiler
2 35 gallon fermenters
15 gallon keg pot still
15 gallon Brew King boiler
2 35 gallon fermenters
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- Novice
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- Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2013 8:21 pm
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
I run 200 litre fermenters with 10 or so litres of space to allow for foaming.
4 x 47.5 litre stripping runs gives enough strip at around 50% to do a single spirit run.
The result is about 22-3 litres at 93%.
It saves a lot of cleaning and sanitising and reduces the total cost of the whole process.
4 x 47.5 litre stripping runs gives enough strip at around 50% to do a single spirit run.
The result is about 22-3 litres at 93%.
It saves a lot of cleaning and sanitising and reduces the total cost of the whole process.
Re: Get a larger fermenter. Saves so much effort.
I started with a 33l pot, but soon built a 33l preheater to go with it. It can easily strip a 180l ferment in a day and uses bugger all heat and cooling water to do it.