Best fermenter in 2024?

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Checkout the full shed brewery build 👉🏼 kzbin.info/aero/PLC62TC7NnpJObuoqlSErVQVrDMhWI7qVu

[@briancampbell119]

Since you don't have a floor drain what negative side effects are you experiencing? I also don't have a floor drain but thought about getting my basement ripped out for it. Not sure if the costs justify the need.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

I just need a place to drain waste water and I’ve come up with a creative way to make it happen that you’ll see in a few weeks

[@briancampbell119]

@@HopsANDgnarly cool looking forward to seeing creative ways to address the need. I don't like the idea of the cost of ripping out flooring and concrete to install a floor drain.

[@BentGateBrewing]

I think I fell out of my chair twice watching this. The intro was insane and also you put together the most creative dream setups. My only request is that I want mooooooooooreeeee!!!

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Thanks man! 🙌🏼 It’s so fun to play with!

[@connorcampbell7592]

I’ve been waiting for this to be released in the US! Very versitile and upgradable for us homebrewers! Nice shed btw! Keep it up hops & gnarly!

[@finspin4984]

Morebeer has it in stock now

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Yep Morebeer has it - link in the description!

[@beeroquoisnation]

Incredible production work H&G. The depth you invested in triclamp employment was super engaging. I find myself exploring possibilites regularly and you put it over the fence with your chronicling of the same. Video production is my shortcoming. It's content this well produced that antagonize me to remain interested in the craft. Cheers bud.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Much appreciated! Love to hear that!

[@gamndoodbrewing8636]

Stop showing me stuff I don’t need but somehow need! Great video!🍻

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Hahaha you’re welcome 🍻

[@andrewreid5355]

Nice one man, this is a great video for showing what you can do with the MiniUni+. Love the idea of adding the TC adapters etc.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Much appreciated!

[@BrewabitRick]

No denying that is a fantastic bit of kit and you showed it off really well. Cheers 👍🍻

[@buckeyebrewcraft]

Killer editing on this video! Love the spotlight on this great fermenter. Would be interested in a follow up down the road on your experience with the wall mounting.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Thank you! Yea I’ll have to do a long term review after I use it for a while. Getting ready to put the first batch through this weekend

[@Jango1989]

Great video! Looking forward to seeing how things come along!

[@dudestewbrews]

You're on a roll lately. Well put together video my friend, and good to see you back. Not a bad way to go when getting into the pressure fermentation fun. Honestly have thought about getting one as my secondary/backup fermenter.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Thanks, this new space has me fired up! Highly recommend this thing! I put some links in the description if you want to see the different size options

[@joshuapinter]

Perfect timing. The MiniUni was cool but this MiniUni+ takes it to the next level. Not only jacketed but 2 additional ports. In my mind, this is such an improvement, it should be called the MiniUni++.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Totally agree! Those two ports on the front are a huge addition! The jacket is something most people will likely work up to but those ports will get used right away.

[@wickedbeernut]

Let's reserve the term "MiniUni++" for a MiniUni+ with a few more ports in order to take advantage of the Brewtools Fermentation Control System.

[@cmcurran5]

I needed this video. I won the miniuni 20 and never used it yet

[@malzundhopfen]

Love mine too! And I appreciate that you mention the opportunity to add some 6 or 3 way valves to expand the ports even further! This will be something I'll look into in the future. For anyone considering getting the 2" butterfly valve and elbow; if you're not going to hang the tank on the wall you need to have an extension like a sight glass for example in order to operate the valve. Otherwise, the legs will be in the way.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Good call out! I'd be curious to see if anyone's created 3d print files yet for taller legs. Really curious about printing some accessories for this tank. I did see Mastering Homebrew is using some of the brewtools coasters to add some extra height.

[@markusstahl7629]

Thank you for the video. I love your combination of temperature rod and tap in minute 5:20. What accessories do I need to recreate it like this? Greetings from Germany.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Prost! I used a 34mm-1.5 in adapter, 34mm tee, 34mm sample valve w/ pigtail, and 34mm thermowell

[@markusstahl7629]

@@HopsANDgnarly Prost! Thank you and have a nice weekend!

[@markosolaris550]

Best video for Miniuni+ !!!!!!!

[@bigernbladesmith]

I am definitely picking up one of these. I have a glycol set up with a Fermzilla Allrounder, but I have been wanting to upgrade. THe price of this unit is impossible to beat. Now to figure out how to do a pressure fermentation AND have a hop bong for it.

[@marklpaulick]

This is the best ad for the mini Uni , really shows it off even better than brewtools has done! I use to have a spike unitank and I used T pieces to expand the ports with accessories much like this. All very fun… but after a year I grew tired of the complexity and effort needed to disassemble and clean so I’ve gone back to simple fermenting in kegs with floating dip tubes and I’ve never been happier. So that’s just my story everyone enjoys different parts of brewing. when I see all these rad features I think, man that’s cool but so glad I dont have to deal with all that stuff anymore!

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Totally fair! For some styles a keg is good enough 🍻

[@marklpaulick]

@@HopsANDgnarly I take offense to that! No hard feelings but I’m sure you are thinking of “easier” styles don’t need yeast dumps or dry hop dumps. I’ll just say I’ve taken home best in show ribbons for helles and for ipa (dry hopped at 5lbs per barrel) using kegs with no dump port. I do use oxygen free transfers to dry hopping kegs and serving kegs. But my point is to some degree the equipment doesn’t limit your styles or the quality of the beer… at this scale it just limits the way the brewer gets to have fun with his equipment! Don’t get me wrong I get that it’s fun! 🤩

[@HopsANDgnarly]

No offense intended! Some gear is more convenient than others but it all makes beer and I’m sure you make great beer in kegs 🍻

[@marklpaulick]

@@HopsANDgnarly haha ok thanks. I feel better 🍻. I mean it all in good fun. And yes to convenience, we chose the convenience and fun we like in the hobby.

[@HOMEBREW4LIFE]

Setups looking epic! Nice editing as well! 🍻

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Thanks dude! 🍻

[@NixCM]

could you list out the parts for the spunding setup you showed? :)

[@grahamhawes7089]

I like the look of the mini uni. Essentially it is like fermenting in a corny keg, but with a dump valve and a conical bottom... And CIP! Personally I can’t justify the cost and space of a glycol system, so I would probably want to mount it on a stand inside an upright fridge. Can heat the chamber rather than use an insert.

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

Awesome edits and great choice of music as always! Cheers, Dan 🍻

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@petersargent1255]

8:10 You say that a fully equipped mini uni + is going for less than half the price of the F40 Uni. I don’t calculate that; it’s more like 3/4s OR about the same as a F40 Uni light.

[@brewman467]

Great video, thanks. Since I am also going for that fermenter I like all the options you showed US. Keep on going with your brewing shed videos. Subscription done 👍

[@wickedbeernut]

The slope of the MiniUni+ cone is less steep as compared to the Brewtools F-series (and other conical fermenters). I assume this is to minimize the overall height and, more importantly, to minimize the volume of liquid in the cone. Have there been any informal studies as to whether the more shallow cone has a negative impact on the trub/yeast dump?

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Planning to test that out! You’re right that it looks less steep. They’re definitely a company that relies on engineering and testing so hopefully that’s something they’ve tested. I haven’t tried it on my regular mini uni yet either

[@wickedbeernut]

@@HopsANDgnarly I guess it depends on what the MiniUni (not necessarily the MiniUni+) was engineered and tested for. It's conceivable that the MiniUni has evolved into something (with the added ports, glycol jacket and all of the creativity that you've demonstrated) into something it was never originally intended to be. Clearly, a trub/yeast dump is going to "work". It may just be a question of efficiency. I'll subscribe and await your findings. 👍

[@grahamhawes7089]

Personally I don’t really care about dumping trub, but being able to CIP my fermenter and never move it sounds awesome!

[@wickedbeernut]

@@grahamhawes7089 You could definitely replace the hop drop and "pressure rig" (including spunding valve and blow-off pipe) with a CIP ball for cleaning. Mounting the MiniUni+ on a wall and never having to move it is very attractive. With only 1.7 liters of liquid in the cone, it's almost as if the MiniUni+ is fully-jacketed. It'll be great for half-batches.

[@normodegard183]

Good one! Now i want one of those.

[@connorhulegaard2012]

I think the best VALUE might be a GW Kent sanikeg. They have a decent amount of TC ports at appropriate sizes. The 26 gallon one is only a few hundred shipped. Worth a look ;) I’ve been considering one for a stainless aged solera project. Cheers.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Not bad! For me it's missing a bottom port and some way to maintain temps outside of a ferm chamber. But looks like a decent cheap stainless option!

[@connorhulegaard2012]

@@HopsANDgnarly There are triclamp cooling coils and cool stix and TC heating elements and even seed mats all on the market for temperature control that could theoretically be used outside a chamber. Tough telling what actually works well with the keg I mentioned unfortunately especially considering the size. The lack of a bottom port IS an issue.. I wonder if anyone on KZbin has a video about adding one of those to a stainless fermenter 😂 I probably won’t ever get the thing but every time I see it I’m pretty tempted by the value. Cheers and beers dude.

[@marklpaulick]

Good to know that’s out there. It’s a worthy competitor, but doesn’t have nearly the feature set.

[@wickedbeernut]

Great video. A lot of great options. I assume you temporarily remove and replace the pressure rig on top of the 3" tri-clamp valve with the HopDrop (3" tri-clamp sight glass or polycarbonate pipe). I've seen at least one example in which the pressure rig (including a full-size spunding valve and blow-off pipe) hangs off a 3" tri-clamp x 34mm tri-clamp tee under the 3" tri-clamp valve. This way both the pressure rig and HopDrop can remain in place.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Damn that’s an epic setup. The blow off cane from the F series line would look great on there. Might have to try that

[@brunocoast]

I am looking to upgrade to a stainless fermenter. The Brewtools MiniUni 30 is something I am looking at. I brew in my garage (detached) and ferment in my basement. I would like to know if they are portable. I watched a video saying they are not. Too heavy. Thoughts? Thanks!

[@HopsANDgnarly]

They can be awkward to carry without the handles on the lid so I’d definitely get those. Before they came out I also was using a rope tied to the mounting point on the back. Empty is fine. It’s carrying 30L of beer that gets hard

[@ayetobee8461]

I would love to see you ferment and serve from one of these. Which size is it, the 20, 30 or 40? I am trying to build a home brewery in limited space at the moment, and this could be a game changer. I have gotten so many tips from your videos, thanks so much for making them.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

It's the 30L. I've fermented and served out of my regular MiniUni 20L and it worked really well! Thanks for watching!

[@TheBruSho]

Looks like legos for brewing, I dig it!

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Haha that’s about right

[@emmettbortnick1181]

Great Video! I love the set up, just curious, how much do you think it cost including the mentioned accessories that do not come with the fermentor

[@HopsANDgnarly]

I’m not sure if I want to know the answer 😂 but I’m guessing around half the price of the F40 so maybe $800-900. But I love that you can work up to that over time adding a little piece here and there

[@africantwin173]

Don't forget the Brewtaurus. Their FlexiTaurus PF55L Jacketed is pretty cool.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Looks like it’s on pre-order so far. I’d be curious to try that out but I’m not sure if they operate in the US. 1 bar isn’t bad but I wish it could go a little higher for carbonating. I usually set mine to 20psi when fermentation is almost done

[@ElCaminoMasLargoBrewing]

So, do you pressure ferment ales too, or do you install a temp coil?

[@HopsANDgnarly]

It has a glycol jacket on the outside. So you can just connect it directly to your glycol loop without a coil

[@Homebrew58]

Have you considered not heating your sparge water? More and more homebrewers are simply using room temp water instead. That saves a lot of time, space, and equipment.

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Yea I’ve been known to do that as well. Totally works! My plan is to use a single vessel for both sparge water and cleaning water since I don’t have a proper sink in here

[@MasteringHomebrew]

Nice

[@Jason__________]

Cool intro. I bet that took some time!

[@HopsANDgnarly]

Thanks! It did indeed but super fun to make. Thanks for watching 🍻

[@vruychev]

Boys and their toys 😃😆

[@BeautilufMusic]

Sky's the limit... that and my wallet...

[@HopsANDgnarly]

😂 Amen!