The FastFerment: A Hands-On Review

[@3rwparks3]

I have one, and at times I feel like I made a big mistake when I purchased it. I also just did a Hefeweizen, and it worked out well (only one once of hops). But a couple of weeks ago I brewed a pale ale and the valve, even though I left it open, plugged. I had to insert a metal rod from the top.to get the clean sanitized ball to fill. That batch was exposed to way to much oxygen. The fermenter is fine as long as the amount of trub is kept to a minimum. BUT!

[@3rwparks3]

I agree, I am moving back to the glass carboy. The "Big Mouth Bubbler" is a convenience.

[@da85bears]

I used the 3 gallon version for a couple years and have stopped. It has a design flaw where sometimes the ball valve o ring sticks to the collection ball connector. Because of this when you unscrew the connector the ball valve also unscrews resulting in losing all your beer.

[@MikeTorbey]

If you read the instructions, the tube is if you mount it on the wall. 40" for wine bottles and 52" for kegs

[@DreBourbon]

If you control the release valve it will control the flow speed.

[@johncowan5706]

Thanks for the video Larry. You cant put that strap on from the bottom of the fermentr around the collection vessel and through the legs of the stand allowing you to pick up both the stand and the fermenter together?

[@johncowan5706]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Cool. Thanks for the heads up.

[@progers5019]

Hey Larry. Since the last time commenting at beginning wine season (picking grapes) I purchased 2 of these with accessories exactly as you had itemized. Your vid review was excellent and exactly as I found in using for wine. You get a big break in the racking process, but pay dues cleaning the side walls. Mine had a build up of sediment and crud during the process. I attempted to knock it loose with the round end of the long handle plastic spoon. Started in Sept-Oct and today is end of March. Gone thru all the processes of adding sulphites and sorbate, back sweetening and the clarifying super kleer. My issue is although the wine is clean and clear, the walls again have deposits running all over. Today, I took several paper towels, folded down to wrap around the long spoon and put a rubber band tight to hold. Dipped the end in the sanitizer squeezed it out and went to work on the wall of the conical. Waiting to see if everything settles to the bottom. Little disappointed in this aspect of the plastic conical. I'm ready to bottle, but may need to add another round of super kleen. I already bottled the two carboys and ran that wine thru a buon vino mini jet filter pump. Looks store bought clear. There are trade offs with the fast fermenters.

[@progers5019]

BEER-N-BBQ by Larry Yep, racking in carboys is a little more work (only in rinsing and sanitizing but that's not so bad) but at least you can see what it's doing. Thanks for a speedy response Larry. I know you're a busy guy. Appreciate ya. SeeYa-Phil

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

One question on the carrying strap. Is there a way to put it under the top of the stand and pick up the fermenter and stand at the same time? Rather than just around the fermenter?

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

Gotcha.. That thing is pretty awkward! I have been thinking about the fermentasaurus. It solves some of the issues you noted, not being able to see the fermentation, etc. And the stand comes with handles built in! Thanks for the response Larry! 🍻

[@viralgecko]

Super late to the party on this one but, is there any issue with the attached bulb being empty after getting rid of the first round of fermentation? As in will the 3cups worth of air cause any problems or would it be better to add a similar beer as fill or water? My Holiday Brew is right around that time to swap the bulb out and was just curious.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Honestly, you don't need to bother removing any trub if making beer. That way, there is no worry about adding any air at all until bottling/kegging.

[@robo5737]

I made an imperial red ale and used this to ferment. The problem I had is when I went to remove the trub, it got stuck in the ball and was difficult to clean out and when I went to bottle it the trub got stuck in the valve so I ended transferring it to a bottling bucket. Did you have any issues with the ball and trub or was this just a user error on my part?

[@davesnothere8859]

I think if it had been mounted on the wall you could have better access to fill things, I think the work flow would be fill it on the stand put it on the wall to ferment and fill might also be very nice to clear wines in it. Everyone has a particular system and some things work well for one person and poorly for another. Thank goodness we are blessed with so many options.

[@Progfan2010]

I've always used sanke kegs and they are very easy to purge and fill up from the bottom in a closed transfer. Can't you do the same with a corny keg?

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

You sure can.

[@yourmetalgod69]

I have the 3gallon version the one thing you have to watch is over tightening the ball valve lol I broke mine. I brew mead not beer so my clean up is easier and mine has the mason jar attachment which I do like more than the ball collector. they are different that's for sure. but very functional. and mine only came with a 1 foot hose lol so yeah not sure what they were thinking there.

[@Tree-ations]

I know it’s an old video, but still helping people like me! Thanks!

[@lorenhusky2717]

Hey Larry, I was seriously considering getting the FastFerment as my first step beyond Mr. Beer. I don't drink a ton of beer so smaller batches are where I want to stay. Do you think the 3 gallon version of the FastFerment would be a good step up for me? It's $54 and it comes with the stand and all the stuff you mentioned being extra for the bigger one.

[@davidjonsson4190]

Great video! Does the collection ball have enough space to contain a IPA sediment? Normally I brew IPA in normal carboys and get a substantial sediment cake on the bottom. Best Regards

[@robmetzger9955]

Perhaps you could purge your keg with CO2 before you transfer the beer. It might help with that oxidation during kegging

[@joebonaiuto5554]

I would worry about the sanitation of that added sampling port. I can't imagine it would be easy to clean well enough between uses during fermentation.

[@steveweild9434]

good point Joe. I was thinking that too. Ive had a fastferment for years and dont have the sampling port. Was thinking about it til now. How would you you take this valve apart to clean it during mid ferment????

[@ForgetU]

Maybe the two foot hose was to be cut to make short reducers to the 3/8" hose, I understand you still got to work at it but you could still use your old hose and have reduced flow.

[@purebloodbrad5352]

The 2' hose works perfectly if you follow the manufacturers instructions for mounting the fermenter to the wall. Simply place the keg below and drop the hose in.

[@blackwoodbrews]

Great video, I ended up buying at 3 gallon version since I was brewing a few 1 gallon batches. My question is when I used the fast ferment I had no activity in the bubbler. But there was trub in the mason jar and karsuen (sp?) also built up around the top of the brew. Do you think even with no activity in the bubbler it was ok?

[@porkfied]

That is what is happening to me I have the 3 gallon too and no bubbling I think because only 1 gallon of apple cider is in there so I added another gallon so I will see.No bubbling means the gases are not escaping and when I opened it it stinks of sulpher.

[@JeffTheHokie]

@@porkfied No bubbling would mean gasses are escaping elsewhere. It would mean the top seal is not airtight. The sulfur stink would confirm that. Once the ferment slows down, air is getting in.

[@porkfied]

Ok thanks Jeff I had the top seal tight so I dont know ,I will try it again.I might just stick to the gallon glass jug though I can see what is going on.That fermenter seems like a hassle though compared to gallon glass jug.

[@johnathanhibbard3502]

Use the ballvalve to control flow rate.

[@1984WillS]

Exactly!!!!

[@ForgetU]

Larry, loop straps around stand as well as plastic fermentor, you should be able to carry both. Good luck, Mike.

[@ForgetU]

Which fermentor did you like best... How about a side by side review with the catalyst. Brew a batch and split between your three fermentors... FastFerment, Catalyst, and glass carboy (bucket if you like). Mike.

[@ForgetU]

Thought of another fermentor ... Corny keg. BTW, love your spreadsheet. Mike.

[@setthehook4me]

Which marking is the sampling valve nearest?

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Idk. I got rid of this thing a while ago.

[@setthehook4me]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thanks for the reply back

[@gaurav317]

Hey! Is the airlock + grommet on a lid tight enough? I’m planning to brew a few small batch test batches in glass jars with screw on lids - will that make it airtight sufficiently?

[@gaurav317]

Thanks Larry!

[@daddynutz024]

Thanks for the video very helpful. I think I will stick with my old school buckets, and carboys for now. How does it compare to the catalyst fermenter?

[@alejandrovasconez8895]

Hey Larry. What is best: this fast ferment or the fermentasaurus?? I'm leaning towards the fermentasaurus but I like the fact that this has the spigot .... please your comments

[@alejandrovasconez8895]

BEER-N-BBQ by Larry fermentasaurus it is !!!

[@Steph_retro_show]

Hello nice video. After you make a sampling , are you remove the bubbler ? It s necessary ?

[@Steph_retro_show]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY thx Larry and sorry for my bad English. I thing your video instructive. I hope your beer are a good taste. Have fun ;-)

[@BrettAhoPhotography]

Of the three plastic conicals, you reviewed did you have a favorite?

[@aceaspade2000]

I too like mine, super convenient and easier then bucket transfers. Only real down side is the ball valve sticks sometimes and becomes as pain.

[@diegoinsignito3045]

Hi Larry, thanks for your video. What about priming with this fermenter? I need to bottle today and I don't know if it's convenient to put a sugar sirup into the fermenter or to put sugar in each bottle. I saw a video where a guy states that if you put sugar in the fermenter and move it, it will take all residual parts in the fermenter and they will end in the bottle. Could you please give me an advice? Thanks again!

[@diegoinsignito3045]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY many thanks, I read your comment before bottling and I used a secondary bucket to mix both ingredients. Although it's a step more that I didn't expect, it is indeed efficient! :)

[@davevjordon]

Thanks Larry! I've wondered about conical fermenters. Maybe some year, if I really feel I can spend the money, I may want to get a stainless fermenter. For me, the biggest negative would be the cleaning of the HDPE material. I really like how it will collect the trub. Then I would want to collect the yeast. Great review. Thank you.

[@mikehurley3963]

are you using this as your main fermenter or have you gone back to carboys after a few months?thank you for you review

[@williamsellers3980]

I've been looking into conical fermenters for a while now but I'm failing to see an advantage to them vs. two buckets. You sacrifice clarity and potential oxidation for simplicity. And by the way the only light you have to protect your brew from is ultra violet. Home lighting will not harm your brew unless it contains hops and is exposed to UV rays. In other words sunlight is the enemy. Great video though.

[@steveweild9434]

...but who makes beer without hops?

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Distilleries. And there are beer styles that use other bittering and flavoring additions in place of hops.

[@orrichter]

Hi how do you suggest to do a dry hopping with it?

[@8BitChickn]

Nice review. For me the short hose wasn't a problem but I see where your coming from I do think they should have given you at least 5 ft of hose.. I also didn't have an issue with the cleaning I used a standard scrub sponge and it cleaned it just fine. Maybe that's cause you used a oxygen stone? Thanks awesome review

[@8BitChickn]

Yea for sure.

[@brianvanhelvert5684]

You mention several times about the short 2 foot hose. Mine works great when mounted on the wall brackets and draining into the bottling bucket without any problems whatsoever. Instead of buying a 10 foot hose and cutting down to 5 feet, why not just buy 5 feet of hose instead?

[@jrlanglois]

FastFerment is the Apple of plastic conical fermenters. Hot damn do they ever nickel and dime you into all of their accessories!

[@bradenmichaud5511]

you could control the flow during kegging by pinching back the valve itself....No?

[@Spencerbuildsit]

Probably going to pass on the Conical. Other than saving a racking, I keep asking...why? For wine, punching the cap could be a mess. When moving, make a shoulder strap out of a belt and run it through the conical straps

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Conicals really aren’t needed for homebrewing. For winemaking, I see an advantage for avoiding racking during bulk aging but plastic is terrible for bulk aging wine. Stainless steel conicals would be better.

[@Spencerbuildsit]

Agreed, although I've never done beer. To me it came down to a couple of things. Yes removing gross lees is painless, and then saves a racking. Great! A prominent wine supplier preaches stirring the dropped yeast back in, but the consensus seems to be to remove it as the wine approaches dry to limit off flavors (sulfur or vinegar) it may create. My reservations are on what to do with the grapeskin cap. Cleaning? Potential clogging? How do they drain the wine out the bottom and not get the grape cap. If not bagged, it seems it would have to be fished out. But mostly, as oxygen is the enemy of wine once it's done, this thing can't be used for long term storage. Too much headspace that needs to be filled with something, whether store bought or by cannibalizing from another batch. Bulk storage really won't work. A car boy has that narrow throat, minimizing headspace, and is then really the answer... So the conical seems to be basically a cool shaped bucket with a trap door, looking for a purpose, at 5 times the price

[@3l3vat3music7]

Hey Larry, so you just put water and yeast in it? Newbie here

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I have a home brewing basics playlist if you'd like to learn about home brewing: kzbin.info/aero/PLJGQZwp3xofuwirWhdD2ks1Zf2cji0-rr

[@masonwheeler8515]

My concern, and maybe you can elaborate based on your physical experience with this fermenter, is with some of the hoppy beers that have a large amount of hops as a dry addition. Do you see any issues with the size of the union or potentially stuck debris not making its way to the collection ball? And regarding your review, it was most helpful. I've considered this and the Fermentasauraus , but after your review, I think i'm going to hold off and stay with the glass carboys for now. I've also been looking at the new Conical Fermenter from Spike Brewing, but at $600.00, it may be a Christmas gift. great videos as usual Larry... Looking forward to how the Hefewezien turned out. Cheers!

[@bigbadt444e]

Great video sir, I own a fast for meant I was never able to get it to seal with the supplied gasket I always wrapped a ton of Teflon tape around it. I found it very very frustrating. I recently got a fermentasaurus with the pressure kit. I used it for the first time this past weekend, and I'm quite happy you should definitely check one of those out :)

[@ForgetU]

Send me one too, thanks.

[@frank64409]

Run the straps around the outside of the top ring of the stand. That way you hold the stand tight with the Fermenter!

[@Evan-mh7it]

You do great reviews, thanks! Fermentasaurus looks a little better to me for the price. That thing just looks really tall, might not fit in my fermentation fridge.

[@Evan-mh7it]

BEER-N-BBQ by Larry thanks for reviewing, I value your unbiased reviews.

[@Billbobaker]

I'd like to have one.. I'd probably plumb it down to use 3/8 hose and maybe even 1/4.. easy enough.. The only drawback I see is.. that you can't see.. But that easy work around with the wine thief port.

[@chadcarpenter9742]

There is a lot of videos on this thing. Almost eight gallons hanging on the wall with those brackets looks kind of scary although that's how I would probably use it. If it was made out of glass that would be the shit!

[@TINMAN]

You didnt mention how the taste of your beer turned out? I'm not sure i like the idea of plastic or not,i know i cant stand canned beer,it just has a whole different taste than bottled

[@TINMAN]

Yeh sorry dont do facebook.I c your smiley face must be ok?

[@houndjog]

Thankyou Larry! Just a thought .... fast rising bread is unhealthier than slow rising bread. Have you heard anything about this while brewing? Many thanks!

[@houndjog]

Thx! Helps a lot!

[@chriskennedy6983]

if you use star san and are careful then you wont have to let the yeast dominate, I soak all my stuff in a heavy dose of star san which can kill everything plus worts are boiled and then iin my case covered and kept that way till poured in, so really no chance for infection in my case, and I have never had one. I did lose a batch as you know from faulty yeast but that wasn't my fault.

[@chriskennedy6983]

Yeah I know, and I do that as well but lets be honest nothing survives boiling in a wort, boiling will kill 100% of whats in the wort, as to sanitizing I clean out my gear with one step and then soak it in star san which makes it about as clean as I can get it. I honestly can assure you that if I could guarantee 100% that it was clean I would but its probably 97-99%. Ive had good luck, heck ive even done batches using only one step and ended up having no issues. I'm not really overconfident, I'm just both lucky and I guess careful and I do take sanitization seriously.

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

Agreed! Love pizza dough that has a slow rise in the fridge..🍞🍕🍻

[@chriskennedy6983]

:) ive never made pizza but all the talk abut pizza dough is making me hungry.... This is why I should never go on the internet before ive eaten something lol. Anyways I'm now left to figure out how to use 5 pounds of pale ale malt that I have because ive not used it in anything before.

[@dippster357]

Hey, Larry, at least this one is a lot better than the other one you had with no space at the top for runoff of foam

[@fdk7014]

Thanks for the review. I feel it's too expensive for what you get. At the end of the day it's just a plastic bucket that happens to have a conical bottom. If the floor stand and the sampling spigot came as standard I'd say it might be worth $50 but $100 just for a plastic bucket is too much.

[@musicmike1960]

I put my straps between the stand and the keg and lift it and that works well...

[@musicmike1960]

Hmmmmm....I guess it will have to be up to the individual as how to best perform this task...It is heavy about 30 lbs give or take...Good luck Larry

[@Kerosenetrewthe]

Great video, appreciate it! Im in the market for a conical to make it easier to harvest the yeast.

[@jaymiller3756]

Thanks for the straightforward manner in which you present, Larry! Great production values too; you clearly know what you're doing with the video production.

[@gracevanhelvert1117]

You mention several times about the short 2 foot hose. Mine works fine when draining from the wall stand in to my bottling bucket without any problems whatsoever. You repeated mention about having to buy a 10 foot hose and cut it down to 5 feet. Why not buy a 5 foot hose instead.

[@frankgerlach5059]

Seems to me, you forgot or had bad results. HOW did the beer turn out???

[@MrBrentmetro]

Thanks Larry, this is the review I've been waiting for. I've seen other reviews of the fast ferment, and they seem to be more advertising than practical reviews. My daughter has grown up now and moved out, so her old bedroom is under renovation. My wife has already converted most of it into her craft/media space, and my "corner" will be a fermenter space. When I started looking at fermenters, I quickly realized... I can't afford stainless steel. When I looked at the fast ferment, I got my hopes up. I decided to wait and watch some reviews before I buy it. Your review has nailed it for me. Tanks again, and Cheers.

[@akcender]

This thing leaked so bad for me I had to machine part of that plastic union on a lathe to get it to seal properly. Not very good quality imo.

[@shobogenzo]

Hey Larry, thanks for this review. I'm in the market for a conical fermenter. This review helps a lot.

[@michaelcall4962]

You should make the hose connect to your keg OUT, using another connection... it'll reduce aeration that way.

[@craigr9905]

Another great review Larry

[@JeremiahT]

Thank you for an honest demonstration. I wish these conicals geared towards homebrewing would allow the stand/feet to be locked in-place. I understand for cleaning/sanitizing why they're separate pieces but it seems like such an oversight. If you really like this fermenter enough you could invest into a second stand, one for the brew location and one for the fermentation room.

[@jamaic1aboy2]

Nice video Larry.

[@rogermenshew1246]

hay take and add more strips to the stand to you strips you pick up the unit.

[@pollopollo3531]

Love this channel, keep up the good work!

[@frank64409]

HOLD ON! If you notice that it's marked with the FLOW is upside down. "IF" and only "IF" the O-ring sticks... You will unscrew the BALL RETAINER RING and the BALL WILL DROP OUT and you are screwed. DANCO Waterproof Silicone Faucet Grease | Silicone Sealant | Plumbers valve Grease for O-rings | 0.5 oz. DON'T LET THE O-RING STICK!

[@gbparn]

Thanks for the info.

[@DreBourbon]

OMG. Hose hose hose. Did you read the recommended attachment height?

[@futboljefe1]

I was always curious about these things. Thanks for the review. It was very helpful!

[@DelmarvaBackyard]

Excellent review. I appreciate the honesty.

[@brooklynzgear]

Just picked one up that I found for $20 that looks almost brand new, stand included. This video helped me understand how to use & clean it better!

[@MrEvanfriend]

Guy at my local homebrew shop was trying to sell me one of these. Glad I didn't buy it. I find glass carboys a real nuisance to clean, and if this is harder than that, for all that extra money, no thanks. Also, that valve for the hydrometer reading seems wasteful. I take gravity readings in a wine thief (wine thief and hydrometer sanitized, of course) and just let it back into the fermenter. I hate wasting beer that I worked so hard to brew.

[@MrEvanfriend]

BEER-N-BBQ by Larry I don't own a drill attachment, and I've never tried PBW. My issue is trying to get everything through that narrow neck, and filling and dumping the water out of them. I recently bought some plastic buckets as well for a number of reasons (getting fresh juice for cider from a guy who doesn't take glass, making a mead with a significant amount of fruit that I didn't want to jam down the neck of a carboy, experimenting with open fermentation, and just the fact that I only have three carboys and all of them were full), and so far they've been much easier to clean.

[@PbCon45]

ILL Larry, thanks for the reviews

[@throttlejockey70]

$15 for a sample port?! looks just like the ones i pay $1.59 for at my local brew shop. great review, Larry. i was actually giving serious consideration to buying one of these, but after seeing how they get ya with the extras, i think i'm gonna stick with the way i've been doing it. again, great review. very detailed descriptions of both the pros and cons.

[@GlobalEscapesXperience]

strap goes lower dude so you can lift the stand and fermenter at the same time no need for a second person.... just saying

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Tried that too. Going lower only made it too top heavy when full. I got rid of this thing a while back.

[@wonyankeesays5661]

If it was glass I'd be all in

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I ended up getting rid of this fermenter.

[@wonyankeesays5661]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY rack early ,, rack often

[@raymondbukaty3108]

Thanks Larry! I have been interested for some time about conicals. Also having a fish and shrimp boil New Years eve after watching your video as well. accompanied with a Lemon Hefe Weisen !

[@jamesballard1170]

Just wrap the loops under the top ring of the stand. 😂

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

That was a fail as well. Is too top heavy when full.

[@piorosellmigone7012]

9:40.... superb ! hahaaha.

Don't worry I just bought one with NO accessories - just the fermenter for 200$ canadian 2024.

[@CantE8tCheese]

You butchered the word Heferwiezen