THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW About Using CONICAL FERMENTERS

[@davidhall158]

Yeah, too deep a rabbit hole for me. You get the FV then you need all the paraphernalia. I like the rustic aspect of home brewing, the notion that I can make really good traditional/classic styles at home with minimal or basic gear. I’m not a complete Luddite, I’m pretty keen on modern yeasts and I like that I can store hops in a freezer, and I really appreciate the inkbird controllers for my heat belts and freezer, but I’m happy to use a bucket fermenter and work around seasonal ambient temperatures in my cellar. I kinda like that rhythm of the seasons prompting me to brew styles that suit the weather, or in advance of the weather, and bottle conditioning Strong ales and lagers through the winter. Nothing against modern hoppy beers but it’s a lot of gear and I feel like I can just choose to play to my natural advantages and leave that stuff to the industrial brewers

[@clevelandmortician3887]

Well put sir

[@rafaelpestano7436]

In my experience and location it's way easier to get a good lager/hefe from local brewery/supermarket then a good hoppy beer like a NEIPA which is better when it is fresh

[@GentleGiantFan]

Been down that rabbit hole. I still have my CF-10, but lately having been doing double batches in a modified 15 gallon ball lock corny. It's really hard to beat the simplicity of a keg & floating dip tube for use as a unitank. Maybe I need to do my next double batch in my conical. That way I'll know for sure whether to keep it or sell it.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Its definitely not for everyone, but there are a ton of people who are still interested in using this kind of equipment and the purpose of this video is to help them get started on the right foot with it. Nothing wrong with mastering the basics, as I said in this video that is way more important than equipment, I brewed for years with BIAB and a plastic bucket with no temp control.

[@porterbrewer9349]

BONUS points for the near shock N awe use of "Luddite," with passive placement. Nice.

[@Red-sm1cl]

I finally got one because carboys with a small necks are hard to clean, and I don't like to re-rack for second stage (usually dont) but still want to dump trub etc. Also tired of getting goodies in my keg. Yes big mouths are a fix to cleaning but I also wanted to up my size so it was a good time to take the plunge. My guy is lower end, only $160 but has a ball valve at the bottom, and a ball valve higher for sampling. I love that you tell people to start small. I brewed extract in dual buckets with a turkey fryer when I started. Through the years I switched to all grain and have been slowly upgrading which has made it easy on the pocket book and helps me identify what works for me and what is a waste of money.

[@basweny1]

Couldn’t agree more, I have made amazing beers with plastic fermenters. I have won many awards with my home built keggle herms system and cheap fermentors. Learning the skills and understanding your system goes further then shinny expensive equipment.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thats why I keep saying it!

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

Buckets for life! I really like pressure transfers though… So I’ll take any fermenter that holds pressure, cheers Steve 🍻

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Agreed!! Cheers Brian!

[@JamesRea2]

Definitely agree about replacing the sample port valve.

[@Erik_Swiger]

Love your content, recently subcribed. After a 3 decade hiatus, I believe I'm going back into brewing, to make a constant 3-beer a day supply of simple bitter, around 4%. Hopefully it will ferment in a month, to be consumed in a month, and not take too much of my time, much as I love it. Watched your other videos on this particular brew, great content and great presentation, keep it up, please. My passions are ordinary bitters, proper old-school balanced IPAs that were served aboard steam ships bound for India, ambers, and from there, the sky's the limit. To be honest, I probably shouldn't be so much into alcohol, especially beer (for the carbs and whatever gluten content there is), but in all my life, real beer is my only alcohol passion, ever since that first taste of genuine bitter from Coopersmith's, Fort Collins, Colorado, in 1988. The alcohol is almost a by-product of the incredible flavor profile overall. I'm a candy kid, weaned on caramel, toffee, butterscotch, and malted-milk shakes (especially black raspberry, not to be confused with blackberry). A love of real beer should not be a surprise.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Welcome back to brewing! I'm glad you enjoy the channel and best of luck for the brews!

[@SchmegmaOnToast]

Im moving to stainless conicals soon. The days of dealing with floating diptubes that work half of the time, are over. Closed transfers are a big factor for me. Thanks for the info

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks for the superchat!!

[@jonathanwilliams1974]

I think in the right hands, you can make better beer with a conical. 1. It's the best (only?) way to ensure the first time O2 touches your beer is when it's in your glass. 2. Cone dumps - The best commercial IPA producers are doing cone dumps after transferring, and after dry hop additions. They are finding its the best way to get the fresh hop taste without the vegetal bitterness. If you're not that into IPA and hazy IPA, you can do without. That being said...yes you can make a very good IPA with a bucket, but I'd at a minimum want something with a spout on the bottom so I'm not using a racking cane and pumping O2 in there.

[@sjporr]

So glad I’ve added conical fermenters into my system. Started with plastic and moved to stainless. Nice video

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

They are helpful!

[@guitarmike4ever]

Been thinking a lot about opening a brew-pub - do you think learning the conical method at home would assist with the large scale process or just my bucket adventures are enough? I'm pleased with he beer I've produced, had many very nice compliments, and I think I've learned a decent amount from the all-grain, yeast and hops process of many different styles but there's always more to learn. I do appreciate the videos and awesome advice!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Considering conical fermenters are the norm on the pro side, using homebrew sized one would probably help you learn the best way to use them. Just pretend they're much taller and more permanent than they really are. Use hoses and gas to push the beer and clean with CIP. If you've mastered using the bucket then you can reliably make good beer, but learning the quirks of conicals and the order in which to do things can be learned on the big stuff.

[@kaylasadiva]

Spending money doesn't necessarily make better beer, but it sure does make brewing easier.

[@Eagle1846ytown]

Thanks for this in-depth look at conicals. Always had an interest in them, but I’m happy with Anvil bucket fermenter. I have no issues making great hazies and never had oxidation issues. All this stuff looks great, but I making award-winning beers without it. And damn that’s a lot cleaning and sanitation!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

If you know your equipment well and you can do good work with it there is no real need to upgrade! There are some things about conicals that make brewing a bit more convenient in my eyes (no lifting, pressure transfers etc) but there are more parts to take off and clean!

[@vruychev]

Great info as always! And yes, a plastic bucket "fermenter" can be used for a great brown ale! And yes, you must use closed transfer for heffe and neipa, so conical is the way to go there. Use the appropriate tool for the job at hand. Cheers all.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Cheers and thanks for watching!

[@theculturebrewingchannel5619]

Nice vid, I'm on my first ever ferment on a Brewtools F40. I used to have a fermzilla which was ok but the pure ease of accessories and control over the process using a unitank with all the bells and whistles is totally worth it.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thats an absolute Ferrari of a fermenter!

[@jasperb6191]

Ive been watching your videos for years man and I appreciate you broadening the range of your videos. I just hope more brewing videos would come back since your brewing techniques have always been a basis for my brews

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I'm doing my best, life is pretty crazy right now and I don't have the time to brew every other weekend like I used to.

[@detectivebosch7875]

Excellent video!! My question relates to the Triclamp to corny keg DC. Once you set that up to the fermenter, it can't be changed. In other words if you use the sampling port to take gravity readings during fermentation, how do you connect this when it comes time to transfer to a keg??

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thats one reason why I recommend adding another butterfly valve, that way you can swap stuff out without spillage.

[@vaunthompson]

Another great vid. Thanks! What I learnt: ....bubbling CO2 from bottom port while dry hopping..hadnt thought of that...but also made me think of the acid clean once in a while.... I previously had thought this was just to break up any calcium stone, and not about reducing the chance of SS rusting.... anyhow..thankyou again... your honesty and humility is always much appreciated and respected. Cheers1🍻

[@gmull70]

Thinking about moving to a conical fermenter and controlling temp the way you suggested with mini fridge. Wondering why glycol solution as opposed to just water.

[@Th3_Gael]

Freezing points. Glycol (antifreeze) lowers the freezing point of the water

[@omnitouchbb2408]

Will this work in the 20 gallon 240v boil coil? Just want to make sure it’s not going to touch the coils if that would be an issue.

[@theferalpaladin4350]

Genius, do you CIP then SIP between every batch? Thank you Sir you are a gentleman and a scholar

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Yes, I'll CIP after transfer and SIP right before the next wort goes in.

[@theferalpaladin4350]

@@TheApartmentBrewer Thank you Sir. Im going to be building a bit of a system(2x2bbl) over the next month or so. Your videos and knowledge is exceptionally informative. It would be impossible without the education you have shared. Ill be looking for your patreon after work today, Thank you.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Im glad I've been able to help so much!

[@poisonpotato1]

How do you connect / disconnect chilling lines and chilling coil? Do you get a dump bucket and pour back into glycol chiller or water reservoir?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It is a quick connect fitting, you can use a dump bucket but these lines don't need to be cleaned more than a few times a year

[@americathegreat1811]

I ferment in a keg. When Iam done mashing I put the BIAB in my conical and sparge it there. Drain it through the valve and pour it into the mash.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thats a really interesting technique!

[@bencrawford6547]

Love the Party Time brewing shirt

[@patrickglaser1560]

It makes everything easier

[@WilliamPimlett]

A fine video from which I learned a great deal. It is also very nice to see the brewing equipment and you using it.

[@williamdaffern3590]

Curious about the temp control using the mini fridge. Thinking of the same setup but with using a bucket with glycol and water in a chest freezer. How cold can you get the temp during fermentation?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I was able to get the fermenter to stay below 50 F pretty consistently with an ice water mix. I bet you could get it lower with glycol water and a chest freezer

[@Bullsbrew551]

Good informative video. I do not have a conical yet maybe some day. But as you point out hone your brewing skills first. I have over time with essentially the same equipment and my beer has improved so much. Cheers!🍻

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thats the most important takeaway from this video!

[@curtisbrause9255]

When opening the conical valve for dumping trub or yeast for dry hopping do you risk oxidation if the fermenter doesn’t have CO2 pressure?

[@curtisbrause9255]

@@acmhfmggru Thanks for the info! That was my assumption but wasn’t sure. Makes send to just purge it with CO2 right after doing that.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

If you dump trub in the first few days though this isn't a big deal. Harvesting yeast can be done after you rack the beer over as well if you want to and this can help avoid oxygen, but otherwise it doenst hurt to hook up a 2-3 PSI CO2 line to the lid when dumping yeast earlier.

[@python27au]

0:48 its the price that tells me I don’t need one. I got into home brew partially for the challenge and fun of it but mostly because its way cheaper than buying beer. For the price of conical fermenters, chillers, and all that good stuff it would take me a life time to reclaim it in savings. I use a 30L Chubby. Holds pressure, does closed transfers, cost me $80.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It definitely takes a big chunk out of the wallet - and its absolutely different levels of priority for different people, but thats why I say you don't need them to make great beer. Cheers!

[@Norseman2]

I’m brewing my second batch in my Brew Demon plastic conical and asked for a small 3.5 Gal SS Brewtech Conical so hopefully I’ll be starting a 3rd batch in that soon after the holidays. Thanks for the in-depth look at how far down this rabbit hole I could go.

[@JohnDoe-es5xh]

PET vessels have a restricted lifetime, as you remeber with the Soda Stream bottles. Those should be replaced at a certain age for safety reasons. Stainless kegs last much longer, but one cant see the process inside (with presure fermenting etc.).

[@jaggersbrewingco]

Awesome in-depth video!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thank you!

[@TWillBeer]

The pig tail keeps carbonation IN the beer when getting a sample from your tank. It creates resistance just like having longer beer lines on your kegerator.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks for the correction

[@tmarkk99]

Great vid. I enjoyed the level of detail. My conical is pretty basic. Bottom port and racking port. And the lid only has a 1.5 triclamp port. Wont hold pressure. So I’m thinking of upgrading. This video and associated links is perfect for how to get a great conical system and not spend too much in the process. Thank you again!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@jt4180]

On the sight glass, What size flow pipe OD do you recommend… 1” (25mm) ?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I just use the same diameter as everything else in the system, which is 1.5" or 38mm

[@deckerhand12]

How is the conical from northern brewer? I have the one from anvil love it but want something so I can do a double brew day. That’s not going to brake the bank

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I haven't used the reactor so I cant speak to its quality, but I assume its similar to the crucible as it occupies a similar price bracket.

[@troyjorgensen2560]

So new to brewing, my question is after primary fermentation in the conical,say 2 weeks, can i condition my brew in the fermenter for another 2 weeks and then transfer to a keg, or do you keg condition after primary fermentation? Thank you! 22:37

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Yup, either approach is fine

[@13fjrm]

I have a spike flex can I still use this cleaning in place tech/equipment?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

If it doesn't have a bottom drain valve it will be more difficult. You may just need to lift and dump it out in this case

[@jt4180]

What tc oxygenation stone are you using? Looks like you have it hooked up directly to a 1.5 butterfly valve on the racking port..?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I have the spike carb stone, it hooks right up the valve and works great, plus its shielded so you're not going to break it

[@jt4180]

@@TheApartmentBrewer Nice! I already ordered one a couple days ago. Being delivered today. Thanks for the reply !

[@ronnyskaar3737]

Thanks for one more great, informative video. I think I will stick with my fermzilla all rounder. The beer is great and the fuzz is minimal.

[@zebedeemaloney5154]

Any issue with light affecting the beer via the sight glass during fermentation?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Just keep the sight glass out of direct sunlight, or if you want to you can add a valve upstream of the sight glass and then add it in the flow path later

[@spawn2qc217]

I hate washing/sanitize too many small parts... I went with a simple temperature controlled conical just for that. The expensive ones are the one with lots of options/parts.

[@omnitouch]

how many days does it take hops to make it to the bottom of a 14 gallon unitank? a couple day then dump?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I've only ever used 7 gal sizes, but usually they pack on the bottom after 3-5 days from dry hopping. Initial trub settles pretty much within 1-2 days.

[@tommanning7337]

😎👍🏻👍🏻🍺🍺 Great video man, very informative.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thank you!

[@jackhandy7237]

Thanks!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks for the superchat!!

[@johnoberto2659]

I wonder if conicals are the reason you cant get a good saison from US commercial breweries. A flat wide fermenter is better for ester development

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Fermenter shape is certainly a factor, but I know plenty of US breweries that will use open/wide fermenters for plenty of styles that benefit from it.

[@RiggerBrew]

I homebrewed for over 20yrs before buying my first conical.

[@TheDraughtLine]

this was a whole lot of info in one video...awesome...

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad you found it useful!

[@jstndrst]

Mr. Steve "getting swole" apartment. Filming in front of your gym and making us all look bad.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Lol I only have so much space, just forgot to take the weights off. Gotta offset all the beer somehow and it aint gonna be from cardio.

[@henrikolsson7026]

21:23 Hi what about dryhop as you said, is this worh for connical to dump yeast? Swenglish😂

[@kommi1974]

Unnecessary and not needed.

[@jerryrogers5233]

Wow, through, engaging, very educational. I have not brewed since the 90's am getting back into it (Brewzilla? who knew) and found this to be most helpful. It lacked unnecessary fluff of some videos, was to the point, and had great and honest information. Thanks a 1.0E6

[@paulschroeter4987]

i recently had a czech dark lager which i absolutley enjoyed. i want to brew one but im unsure what to add as far as salts ect. i know czech lagers are very soft so i was wondering could i possibly brew one with spring water and no salts ect ect and be fine or..? chemistry isnt the easiest for me to undertstand but i love a good beer. so im reaching out to basically the only guy on youtube who might have an answer for me i dont have a ph meter thats working so ill have to wing it and take a chance so hopefully itll be a succesful brew day. ph should be between 5.4 to 5.6 if i remember correctly

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

That's honestly the most straightforward way to do it. If you don't have a pH meter on standby I'd recommend adding maybe 1 or 2 mL of lactic acid to your strike water or using 1/4 lb acidulated malt. This will keep your pH where it needs to be despite your soft water. I do highly recommend investing in a pH meter though, it really helps

[@paulschroeter4987]

@@TheApartmentBrewer thats what i was thinking but i wasnt 100 percent sure. the czech lagers/ dark lagers are my favorite ive come to realize. thank you very much ill do that. also ill invest in a ph meter for sure