They’re easier to sanitize and last much longer than your typical plastic bucket. You’ll find a lot of conical fermenters are made of stainless steel, and with good reason. Not only do you eliminate a labor-intensive step from brewing, you protect your beer from oxidation, and from contamination that can occur during the racking. This is yet another advantage to using a conical fermenter. You may still be doing it, but you risk oxidation every time you do. It’s important to note, however, that while racking to a secondary fermenter was once a must-do part of homebrewing, that advice has fallen by the wayside over the last decade or so. In short, it makes it easier to brew clear beer. That means there’s no need to rack or transfer to a secondary fermenter like a carboy. From there, you simply dump the sediment by either removing a containment unit or draining with a hose. Just make sure you keep it out of your secondary fermentation.Ĭonical fermenters allow the trub and yeast to gather at the bottom of the cone. In your primary fermentation, it may actually give your beer a hoppier and crisper aroma. It’s also not appetizing to look at or drink, especially if you’re brewing a lighter beer. It forms a sediment which can make your beer hazy. Trub is a combination of dead proteins, yeast, and wort debris. If you’re using a fermentation bucket-a common tool in beginner homebrewing kits-you want to avoid transferring trub to a secondary fermenter or keg. Some manufacturers offer plastic conical fermenters which may come in more imaginative shapes, like a balloon or lopsided hourglass.īut why does the shape matter? What makes a conical fermenter so great? No More Racking Your Beer with a Siphon The smaller ones for home use are typically shaped like a regular kettle with a cone at the bottom. Technically they’re cyclio-conical fermenters, but you get the idea.> If you’ve ever visited a large brewery, you may have seen a line of stainless steel tanks with what look like ice cream cone bases. NOTE: For both of these vessels, we recommend getting the temperature control system and neoprene jacket add-ons.

The domed lid seals in place with a molded silicone gasket and six spring-loaded clamps, so no oxygen can ruin your brew.

This food-grade stainless steel conical fermenter can hold up to seven gallons or more (depending on which size you need). The Chronical (not a typo-that’s what they call it) is the next best thing when it comes to conical fermenters.

Chapman vs anvil fermenter