(Non-Affiliated Review) Why the ANVIL BUCKET FERMENTER is my FAVORITE

[@HOMEBREW4LIFE]

glad to see you moved, brewing, and putting out content! See you on Wednesday and this weekend braj! #ashevilleeee

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Can't wait!

[@terryt-rexhanke746]

Great video, this is my next purchase! Thanks!

[@Hacky2447]

absolute easiest to clean. I use a hose from the low Oxygen transfer kit, and connect the valve up to the Marks Keg washer and washi it out only using a gallon of hot water with PBW, and then rinsing with another kegs washer. Takes about 30 mins total and its ready to be sanitized. I am hoping that they come out with a pressurizable version someday soon.

[@alantran6901]

I like fermenting in 1/4 sanke kegs. They're cheap and you can easily pressure ferment in them. Also have my 2" tri clamp valve and sight glass for dry hopping.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Sounds like a great setup!

[@SomeTechGuy666]

I agree. I inverted mine, putting the 2" triclamp on the bottom for a bottom drain. I cut a hole for a 4" triclamp ferrule on the top and soldered it on. Way cheaper, way more versatile. Having said that, I still love the big mouth Fermonster 7 gallon fermenters. So light. Easy to clean. FYI, Starsan will get in any pore that yeast will get in.

[@jcinsaniac]

Still love my Fermonster...addicted to seeing the fermentation activity...its just mesmerizing. One of my favorite shows is fermenting WY1728 (Scottish Ale) - lovely little fluffy blobs of yeast forming a powerful heat draft in the center of the fermenter that slowly churns the entire mass until the blobs grow too large to be sustained - then you get the fall out and a fine, compacted layer of trub and yeasty goodness. Fantastic Review...but I would miss the SHOW! Saw where a guy modded one of these on YT for pressure and with a central drain/trub dump...thought that was pretty neat.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thats true! Nothing beats watching the fermentation progress, definitely a downside of stainless.

[@paultagert3904]

I have two Anvil 7.5 bucket fermenters, love them

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I may be getting a second one myself!

[@Vykk_Draygo]

I really like the Anvil Bucket Fermenter. Some flaws, but overall very good. I did have an issue with my first one rusting pretty badly. They replaced it, but it was a bit of a job to convince them that the fermenter was pitted and rusting, and not just covered in bits of old krausen.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Its been one of my favorite pieces of kit. Did you passivate the first fermenter correctly? Sometimes that can cause 304 to rust

[@Vykk_Draygo]

@@TheApartmentBrewer Nope. Just used it right out of the box.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Yeah thats probably why it rusted on you. You need to passivate stainless steel before using it for brewing applications. It's easy to do with starsan

[@beeroquoisnation]

Great Review. I always lean toward the modifiable properties of these larger items we employ for brewing. While they are marketed as fermenters, we can use them fully for many things around the brewhouse. I like the Blichmann and Anvil products. I have the Blichmann Brew Easy system, and the only drawback to it is the weldless fittings. Blichmann and I assume Anvil make quality equipment. Same goes for Spike. They all have pros and cons, what is challenging is evaluating our process to match the equipment available. Zum Wohl

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

True! You have to really know what you want out of the equipment first before buying it. They all have slightly different pros and cons to different people, but they aren't going to automatically make your beer better unless you have your process nailed down. Prost!

[@oneoeightales2772]

Love mine. Bought 2 in February. Definitely has its limitations but it's way better to have this than replace plastic buckets so often. I have like 6 buckets just hanging out now. I love not siphoning into the bottling bucket, but I tend to lose a bit more beer in the bottom of the bucket with the dip tube but at least it's not picking up yeast.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

They're great! I use my old plastic buckets for starsan and cleaning etc now. The ball valve at the bottom is light years better than siphoning, you'll definitely pick up less oxygen this way.

[@GREEENZO]

Love mine (I have two). Got a pair of Brew Hardware’s cold crash guardians to go with them, and I use the sous vide magnets to dry hop. Soooo easy to clean, which is a game changer. Conicals are cool but honestly I think I’m set with these guys! Only “downside” is it doesn’t allow much pressure but I just use a couple of kegs for that. Cheers!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

They're a fantastic piece of equipment, I also ended up getting a second one eventually

[@bobsledding2583]

I've owned an anvil 7.5 for a few years and it still works like new. I've only had one contaminated batch with it, and a day long soak with iodophore fixed that. As it is made of metal you shouldn't use diversol.

[@Kveiksmithdaryl]

Such a great looking bit of kit, I can't wait to finally upgrade my fermentor and no longer use plastic fermenting buckets!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

You'll love it!

[@TheBruSho]

My favorite fermenter right now as well, not a perfect product but at the price point its pretty hard to beat!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

The simplicity paired with the benefits of stainless steel make it very worth it in my book. Cheers Trent!

[@trevor8049]

Can't wait to see your grain to glass videos since your Belgium trip. Your brewery looks great.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I know! I've already brewed one but its going to take a while to condition. Hoping to do a blonde soon so I can have it ready quickly.

[@herbbowers769]

I love my Anvil Bucket Fermenter! It is the best!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

They're great pieces of kit!

[@PatrickSandy78]

Helpful review....can't wait till the next video, since I'm off work for the next three months.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Well you'll only have to wait a week, cheers!

[@JB-fe7mk]

Thank you for the information, this was very helpful. The initial information about the Anvil company lineage caught my attention because quality is important to me. I am in the process of buying equipment and I want to avoid items that I will want to replace quickly. I took your advice on the Perle and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops. I purchased several rhizomes and they are growing well.

[@emmettmartin2639]

I just always use kegs to ferment. I never have to transfer, can ferment under pressure super easy, and they are stainless steel.

[@Bullsbrew551]

Good honest review of the Anvil. Like to get one some day.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I love mine and I think they're well worth it!

[@stevehilary435]

Good video Steve. Good luck at the new place! I’m still rocking a glass carboy in a chest freezer with an inkbird. Beers have been coming out good, knock on wood!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Hey, if you've got your system figured out you've got the keys to success. Shiny equipment doesn’t just automatically make better beer. Cheers!

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

I’m in need of a new fermenter and have looked seriously at this one. The only thing that’s holding me back is that it isn’t pressure rated. I have the all rounder and absolutely love the pressure transfer capability but I want stainless in my next fermenter. So many decisions!!! Great video explaining all the pros and cons!!!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I'd still highly recommend it. You can still do a mostly closed transfer with 1-2 PSI on it, but there's no floating dip tube. Decisions, decisions. Sooner or later you'll end up with a unitank 😆

[@williambellavance8784]

I have two of them and my goto's as well. Great review. I do closed transfer's, with adding 1-2 PSI, and use cold crash guardian which is a great add for these fermentors, which helps with suck back.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Great stuff, I'll have to check out the cold crash guardian

[@chrismd00]

I just got one of these. The bare cut hole in the top seemed rather cheap, surprised there wasn't some kind of finished edge on it.

[@MAGACOPP]

Huh?

[@wrayzor97]

I love my anvil fermenter, it’s great for basic fermentation. I just picked up the cooling system and looking forward to trying it out this summer. Good review.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I think you'll find it pretty effective, best of luck!

[@AreYouFor86]

I really like my bucket. my biggest gripe is actually the plastic base. I have a had a few over active fermentations leak into the plastic underneath and it's impossible to clean without taking it apart.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Good to know, I haven't experienced that bit but I'll keep that in mind in case something goes overboard on me. Cheers!

[@NWsmallbatchBrewing]

I own 2 and only complaint I have is the seal on the lid. It's not very tight and you sometimes don't get the satisfying bubble action in the air lock. But you can fix that with some keg lube or I have seen people slip a half a popsicle stick under the clamp down to give it more torque.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Interesting workaround. I haven't had that issue but I could see it happening

[@AndreQuirion]

I went from a 4 gal Anvil to a 7gal SS brew bucket and I must say the quality of the SS Brewtech is quite nicer. Having said that, the PTFE washer used in the Anvil bucket racking arm was quite nice to avoid the ball valve getting loose. I did add one on my brew bucket. Imho both are great bargain stainless fermenter..

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

They're pretty competitive with each other and they're both great options. Cheers!

[@bryand8581]

I am strongly leaning on this fermenter being my next purchase

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Don't let me sway you too much haha, but it is a great piece of equipment I've gotten more than my money's worth out of

[@cheechooj]

I have both the anvil bucket and the 7.6 gallon Kegmenter, looks aside I think the Kegmenter is the product to buy. It’s a touch more expensive 219 vs 169 but offers pressure fermentation, floating dip tube and is a very strongly constructed piece.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

The kegmenter is a really cool product, definitely want to get my hands on one eventually. If you've already got a keg handy though its still cheaper to convert it to a fermenter

[@cheechooj]

@@TheApartmentBrewer depends on how you want to look at it. can’t make a full batch in a corney keg, those 15 gal sankes are too big for a 5 gallon batch and sanitation is difficult in the 2” opening. I’m looking forward to see the SS fermzilla when it get released too

[@MAGACOPP]

Thanks Mayne

[@Homebrew58]

I would suggest the SS Brewtech Brew Bucket instead. You have a lot of options with that one when it comes to lids. They come with a flat lid which has some of the same issues with closed transfer oxygen ingress as the Anvil but you can use any of the other SS Brewtech lids which fixes that. I use the domed lid from the Chronical which had a 1.5" tri-clamp opening along with their closed transfer kit made for that opening. They just introduced the Chronical II which has a 3" tri-clamp opening that also fits the bucket. I'm considering getting one of those to used a hop-drop attachment for dry hopping in the fermenter. There is also heating and chilling options for the SS Brewtech that I like but I skipped getting their heat accessory because being a bucket, the flat sides are well suited for wrapping an inexpensive Fermwrap around it. The bucket also has a deeper V bottom which keeps trub well below the ball valve pickup tube. However the ball valve itself is what they call a "mini" and although it works, I wish they had a better option. I have two stainless steel fermenters; the SS Brewtech Chronical and the Brew Bucket but I use the bucket 75% of the time.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks for the info!

[@Camrographer]

Do you think this is the right tool for making mead?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I can't say for sure since I have no experience making mead. That being said I believe it would work pretty well.

[@MAGACOPP]

@@TheApartmentBrewer You gotta drink some Mead. It is life changing

[@ucantstopme1000]

Great piece of equipment, but I hate the handle setup. 4 inches of dead space that makes it not fit into my fridge. I also agree with the sharp edges on the top of the lid. I have two cut through bungs to prove it.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It would be great if the handles folded down, wouldn't it!

[@jwalsh5764]

I've gotten really lazy recently, I just ferment in my brewzilla with the distilling lid. It actually works great, especially for kveik ferments which love the heat. basically turns into something like this.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

That's certainly a method! If you get the the fermentation going quickly enough I bet it works great!

[@SaucySpecial]

There was a claw hammer video where they made hard seltzer with kveik in the kettle with the heating element keeping around 95F for a few days.

[@dennymicka8795]

My only downside to this fermentor is visibility and "action" in the airlock. I like knowing by brew is fermenting by the activity in the airlock and not having to open to see activity. Any thoughts or recommendations?

[@WreckedBrewery]

SS Buckets are great. I have the Brewbucket from SS Brewtech and it's equally great. Cheers!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I think these two are pretty similar in specs. Nothing beats the simplicity!

[@JusBrewing]

I think this fermentor is on my list as my next fermentor. Need Stainless steel now xD

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Stainless is a gamechanger, and this is honestly what I would recommend getting into it with, even if it's not a pressure fermenter

[@henrikolsson7026]

Hi! Great video. I decided to go for the anvil because all the washing with your unitank. How does the anvil work when you dryhop 50-100g? If you coldcrash the vort and the hops drops to the bottom, will it be a problem with the smal cone to use the diptube?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Never had an issue with the dip tube clogging. Usually for higher dry hop quantities though I will bag my hops

[@brianm4709]

Using mine for the first time now. Even with the dip tube angled up, every time I pull a gravity sample with the spigot I'm getting some yeast/trub and I'm not sure why.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Probably either have a huge yeast cake or some yeast settles into the dip tube over time

[@ssiem37]

I've always used glass carboys. But siphoning from carboy to keg is always a challenge. Do you have any videos that compare carboy vs. bucket?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I do not, but very quickly: a steel bucket fermenter is lighter than a carboy, has a bottom valve so you don't need to siphon, won't shatter or break, won't let in light and is just as sanitary as glass.

[@NikitaVorontsov]

I've got to admit it looks like a really good fermenter. I just wish it was pressure rated as i'm too lazy about getting proper temp control, otherwise it's a decent price even here in the UK!

[@SaucySpecial]

For a good stainless pressure rated fermenter check out a 6 gallon keg. I got one from torpedo for less cost then my anvil bucket. There's no ball valve obviously, but great otherwise.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Even without pressure fermentation capability its a gamechanger! But I think the reply before mine nailed it, a keg is the best entry point for stainless pressure fermentation.

[@NikitaVorontsov]

@@TheApartmentBrewer yeah I’ve been considering it to be honest, I’ve got a bunch of kegs and it would be so much easier to be able to ferment, carbonate, serve from the same thing! Especially cleanup wise!

[@gordthompson824]

Do you recommend for wine as both primary and secondary ?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Never made a wine so I can't really speak to that

[@Jango1989]

I like these impartial reviews. It's very interesting and useful to hear your experiences. Infections in plastic (or indeed glass) do indeed suck very much. However, I'm still on the fence about whether it's worth getting the basic anvil fermenters or waiting and getting a more advanced fermenter with a conical bottom and pressure and cooling capabilities.🤔

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

If you're looking for a conical, the Anvil crucible is definitely on the more affordable side of things, but I've found there's a lot more complications with these more advanced fermenters that doesn't always help. Plus the price tag, but they are nice for what they can do

[@Jango1989]

@@TheApartmentBrewer thanks for the tip! I'm still a little while before upgrading but the anvil conical is a good shout.

[@VTDivot]

Do you like this more than the Spike Flex?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

If i didn't have to move my Spike CF5 up and down two flights of stairs every time, probably not. But this is so much easier to move around and simpler

[@MikeP350]

the only con is you can't see the fermentation like you can a carboy. I love stainless steel, but I also love to see the beer churning as it's fermenting

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

That's very true!

[@edbercaw5833]

Steve or anyone: can you tell me if the bucket steel is magnetic? Would I be able to use magnets on both sides for holding a dry hop back to the lid? If the lid is magnetic then it might not drop, right?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It's 304 stainless steel, which is nonmagnetic. So the magnet method will work just fine

[@edbercaw5833]

@@TheApartmentBrewer That is good news. You are my favorite channel at the moment. I like the grain to glass videos especially and they way you create recipes. We did the Italian Pilsner one and I just kegged it! Thanks a ton!

[@GentleGiantFan]

Biggest drawback for me are the handles. I wish Anvil made them to where they can drop down to the sides of the body like your conical's handles. That would allow the Anvil to fit in tighter spaces.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Definitely agree with that, a big potential improvement!

[@vijayramachandran3559]

Do you feel it makes better beer compared to your other fermenters? Pressure fermentation with the all rounder has kicked my ipas up a couple of notches

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

If you have your process down it doesn't matter what you ferment in. But it does certainly help make cleanup far easier, helps batches be more consistent, and is far less likely to hold on to flavors or scratch compared to plastic

[@dt4676]

Hey buddy, I've been wondering about pressure fermenting in a 6.5 gal bucket, maybe finding a 10psi relief valve to put in the lid. Any thoughts?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Unfortunately it's pretty much impossible to pressure ferment in a bucket since it only takes a few psi to pop the lid off. You're better off with a Fermzilla all rounder or something like that

[@PartyTimeBrewing]

I do like the simplicity! I wouldn't mind having one of those or a brew bucket (although the SS brewtech bucket heating and cooling setup is hilariously expensive...) Cheers!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I think its definitely competitive with the brewbucket. I think anvils cooling system is around 110 USD if I remember correctly?

[@afhostie]

Looks like the amazon link isn't the cheapest

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Yeah, I put a second link in the description to Anvils website, I think its cheaper there but there will be a long shipping time

[@afhostie]

@@TheApartmentBrewer more beer's site has them for same as anvil site. They're usually quick with shipping.

[@Vykk_Draygo]

@@afhostie They dropship it, so it's the same as ordering directly from Anvil.

[@chrisparisi7291]

Maybe you'll become affiliated with Anvil after this!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Maybe, but I'm kind of getting to the point where I have too much brewing stuff lol

[@Ogrelibation]

I just bought one of their bucket fermenters and it came with a broken latch and after 6 weeks they still haven't fixed my issue. I'd personally recommend against them just because of their poor customer service.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Sorry you had that experience!

[@amarkert]

The possibility of the ball valve leaking just unsold me.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It's an unfortunate issue. Just gotta be certain that gasket is tightened properly, but that's the nature of all weldless ball valves

[@billweber1340]

It's always amazing the hype brewers believe with "plastic scratches and harbours bacteria" That brushed looking stainless steel.... That's little scratches. That shiny mirror finish plastic bucket... Scratch free! If you're cleaning regime can't get a fermenting vessel clean then find a new hobby.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It has a lot more to do with the porous nature of plastic than whether or not it can be scratched. Sure stainless can be scratched too, but those scratches are easier to clean since its not porous. That's not "hype", its just science. Ferment a brett or a sour beer in a plastic bucket followed by a wheat beer or pilsner, give it a few weeks and see how thorough your cleaning regimen really is.

[@tommanning7337]

👍🏻👍🏻🍺🍺🍺🍺

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Cheers Tom!!