Conical Fermentors

[Alex Daniel]

Does anybody know if there is someone who makes conical fermentors on the homebrewer scale in nz? or does anyone have expereince with ordering these from overseas? what sort of prices etc

[Grant R Baker]

I hope that is the last of your bad luck for a while... Always told me wife that doctors are bad for you.

 

Chicken soup will see you right (well maybe not your knee, beer might help with that).

[Liam Callaghan]

Went for the hot toddy recipe of my grandads, not sure if it worked but made me feel good!

Prototypes shipped today, I will drop off the ones in Auckland including Brewers Coop along with the additional fittings.

Tank, lid, seal and handle.  Hope you guys like it and I am really excited to hear what you think of them.  I think you are going to be suprised at how robust they are!  I am not kidding when I say they will make family heirlooms.

Other news is that we have confirmed the additional fermentors and the hardware is being started next week.  35 litre, 50 litre and 65 litre.  The two larger ones have double the sockets built in as they are quite a handful when loaded with beer.

They all have interchangeable lids, seals and handles which hopefully makes them more affordable as you don't have to buy everything or can buy them as you can afford.

I have also commisioned a thermal jacket for each size and (I am very excited about this one!) a coolant jacket for running glycol or other cooland around the tanks.  So no need to run them in the fridge any more, just a cube of coolant in the fridge and pumped to maintain your tank(s) at your required temp.  I'll still have to test this once I have the prototype but on the simple tests run at home its pretty good.

Not as quick as having them in the fridge but they hold temp well once they reach it.  No sure it will cope with extreme low temps in the height of summer etc. so might have some restrictions but for the main part they will be pretty good.  Cheap too I hope.  Or cheap ish.  Need to source pumps, tanks for the fridge and fittings for the pipework but should be pretty straight forward.  The local engineering firms have been awesome and been really supportive so hopfully they come to the party with fitting rates too!  Happy to discuss with anyone if they sell them.

Mash tuns are still a sticky matter, we couldn't maintain temp for long enough with a single skin.  This was done outside in mid winter so a pretty extreme test but not unusual for a lot of brewers.  Will try it again with a thermal jacket but I think they will require a dual skin and foam filler.  So wont be a cheap option (less than $100) like I was hoping.  Cool bins are pretty good value all up :)

I'll issue rough prices in a few weeks once I have the full list of products and costs back from the manufacturers and have discussd prices with the retailers.  Also if there is anyone that is looking to stock or sell, I am very happy to talk to you.

Now to get some real work done, geometrics here I come! (thats what I do as a job when I am not making beer or designing hardware).

L.

 

[Liam Callaghan]

Oh and almost forgot!  I am also designing a twin 750ml bottling plant that will bolt onto the fermentor, should fill two bottles at a time with the push of a button.  Then I can prime and cap as it fills the next two.  Lazy I know but I ufcking hate bottling.  Shame of it is that the bottled beer always seems to taste better, espeiclaly the highly carbonated Begium types.

Fun stuff!

I have also designed a bigger top cropping fermentor but seems only I am interested in it, so thats just for me!  Wider and more shallow than the conicals, will be around 100 litre volume.  PM me if your interested.

[Hillman]

You're a legend. Are you going to start exporting these products? There would be a tonne of demand in the US for these.

[Grant R Baker]

What the hell....? Twin bottling plant... ?

 

Pics required when you get this one setup..

and aI agree with Hillman ... need to get some of these ideas etc into the Australian and US Homebrew forms.

[Hillman]

Is this bottling plant going to be compatible with other fermenters? Because I'm definitely up for one of those.

[Liam Callaghan]

there is no profit in making them compatible...
Only jokes, they will or should fit into anything, just needs a sizable flow hose, if its too narrow a pipe it will probably get crushed under the suction from the ram

Yes I'd love to get these shipped to Aussie, need to start making in roads into that and looking at retailers over there. Be a lot easier if I didn't have a real job haha

[Kelly Milligan]

I reckon Grain and Grape over in AU would sell a metric shit-tonne of these! Should get in touch with em :D

[Liam Callaghan]

Mailed John yesterday, thanks for that!

Hopefully the tanks should arrive today for those that have taken a prototype!  Tristan got his on Saturday from mine.  I have to drop two off tonight as I got lost brewing beer on the weekend and now feel very refreshed with 100 litres bubbling away in the workshop!

[Liam Callaghan]

Did they arrive yet?

[Grant R Baker]

I haven't heard fro Great Expectations yet... it might be a little early in the morning.

[Liam Callaghan]

I guess :p

Too excited!  I noticed yesterday that they have drilled out the lids which may not be what everyone wanted.

Got a good response from Grape and Grain btw, quite exciting but thats my tank gone...

 

Seeing the guys regards the thermal jacket and glycol cooling jacket today, hopefully a fortnight and they should be ready for testing!