West Coast Brewer Home Brewing Blog

Month: September 2016

Stainless Steel Homebrewing Fermenters

Homebrewing Stainless Steel Conical Review

Homebrewing Stainless Steel Conical Review

 

I own 4 different stainless steel homebrewing conical fermenters at this time:

2 Stainless steeel brew buckets

 

7 gallon SS BrewTech stainless steel conical fermenter 

 

14 gallon stainless steel conical fermenter

 

Prior to purchasing these home brew fermenters I tended to use glass carboys but would also use a plastic carboy on occasion. Often times I get asked if they are worth the money?  For me I can quickly and honestly answer yes! The main reason is they are more durable and I do not have to worry about dropping one of my glass carboys anymore and having it send me to the hospital.  I also got them for a great deal, or at least what I consider a great deal.  I picked the stainless steel brew buckets up for $195 each, the 7 gallon for $395, and the 14 gallon for $495. There are a few more reasons why I like them so much.

 

They are constructed from 100% stainless steel, so if I care for them they will last a life time. Since these homebrew fermenters are built from metal, it also means that I do not need to worry about light oxidization while the wort or beer is in it. They are incredible easy to clean. If I want to I can transfer via CO2 pressure.  My 14 gallon unit has a temperature control unit which makes fermenting an ale or a lager a breeze regardless of the time of year. My stainless brew buckets and 7 gallon conical fermenter all fit in my fermentation fridge and allow me to ferment about 18 gallons of beer as opposed to 10 gallons if I was still using my glass carboys! Dry hopping these are a snap since their lids come off, which make they a snap to clean as well.  The conicals come with a thermowell built in and the stainless brewbuckets have a add-on kit for them as well; that makes monitoring temperature easy if you have a temp controller and fermentation chamber since it give you an actual temperature reading of the fermenting beer as opposed to the outside of the fermenter or ambient chamber temp which may be off by several degrees.

 

 

Filling mt 7 gallon stainless steel homebrew conical fermenter

Filling mt 7 gallon stainless steel homebrew conical fermenter

As you can see, filling the conical is as easy as it gets.  It even has easy to read gallon markers etched into the inside wall of the fermenter.  As you can see there are two ports on it.  One for dumping large volumes from the base of the conical or harvesting yeast (which is simple and can save you some money) and a second transfer and tracking arm port for siphoning beer above the sediment and or yeast bed.

 

 

Transferring beer from the stainless steel home brewing brew bucket fermenter.

Transferring beer from the stainless steel home brewing brew bucket fermenter.

 

As you can see in the above photo, transferring beer from the stainless steel brew bucket is about as easy as it gets. It has a single port and rotating internal racking arm that makes transferring clear beer to the keg as easy as turning a valve.  No more sanitizing siphons with these fermenters. Having less things to worry about or to clean is always a plus when it comes to home brewing.

 

Home Brewing Conical Fermenters

Home Brewing Conical Fermenters

 

As I had mentioned earlier, cleaning these fermenters in very easy.  I simply use some PBW, warm water and a nylon scrub sponge.  The lid comes off so it is easy to reach everything and the conical fermenters come with sanitary clamps so they break down and reassemble effortlessly. I have used these fermenters for over 3 years now and still do not have one complaint about them!

 

If you are interested in picking one up, here are the links and best of all, they are shipped free!

 

7 Gallon Stainless Steel Brew Bucket $195

 

7 Gallon Stainless Steel Conical Fermenter $395

 

14 Gallon Stainless Steel Conical Fermenter $495

 

The above listed stainless brewbucket is currently on a promotional deal.  It regularly sells for $225, so if you were looking to purchase one then now may be a great time!

Digital Homebrewing Fermentation Monitoring System on Sale!

Beer Bug Home Brewing Internet Based Monitoring System

Beer Bug Home Brewing Internet Based Monitoring System

Limited time and quantity promo code from MoreBeer.com – MoreBeer
Promo Codes for the Month of September 2016
Coupon Code Date: 9/5/2016
Promotion Details: Save $40 on a Digital Homebrew Monitor was $199
Promo Code: BEERDEAL
Coupon Code Description: MoreBeer currently has a coupon code that will save you $40 on a Digital Homebrew Monitor! The Beer Bug is a fantastic piece of homebrewing equipment that measures the actual specific gravity, ABV and even temperature of your fermenting homebrew beer every minute. It then compiles the homebrew data and sends that information to your own free online account. It makes it super easy for you to log on at the TheBeerBug.com or via an internet based app on your phone to see exactly how your fermentation is doing from anywhere! In fact, this homebrewing technology has three graphs that are created for each of your beers to log how specific gravity, alcohol %, and temperature changed over the course of the fermentation. The Beer Bug gives you the knowledge to make better beer and saves you time! Understanding what happens during fermentation, and how to control it, is often what separates good brewers from great brewers. The Beer Bug is the tool that gives you the information you need to know things like if your fermentation temperature inside the chamber is too high or too low, when fermentation is nearing completion so that you can prepare to dry hop, keg or bottle and even what the lag time is on your beer is.

 

Here are the specs on the Beer Bug, digital home brewing monitor with web interface:

  • Fits just about any fermentation vessel
  • Actual gravity sensor hangs from your BeerBug into your beer and can be lengthened or shortened to accommodate any vessel
  • Sends information via your local WiFi network
  • Rechargeable battery in the homebrew monitor has a 25 day charge life
  • Free account on TheBeerBug.com
  • Easy to setup and configure
  • Android and iOS Apps available for your phone or tablet
  • Software upgrades will automatically be sent to your Beer Bug via WiFi as released

Click Here For This MoreBeer Coupon Code

 

 

Found this at: HomebrewingDeal.com

How to Dry Hop Beer and Homebrew

 

How to Dry Hop Beer

How to Dry Hop Beer

 

Dry hopping your beer is one of the easiest ways to make a good beer great and is supper simple to do!  At this point I dry hop any Pale Ale or IPA that I brew. It does not make the beer more bitter but instead gives the impression of hoppyness and freshness with fragrant hop aroma. To dry hop your beer, wait until fermenation has completed and CO2 is no longer being generated.  The reason for this is so that the escaping CO2 does not carry away the hop aroma with it because you want those odors to stay in contact with the recently fermented beer.  I use either whole hops or pellet hops for dry hopping but prefer to use whole hops if available.  Depending on the beer I will add between 2oz to 6oz per 5 gallon batch ( I typically go with 2oz, but my Pliny the Elder recipe calls for 5oz). I leave the hops in contact with the fermented beer for approximately 5-7 days and then either transfer to keg or cold crash for another 2 days.  The process is that simple and I encourage you to try it on your next hoppy beer batch.  When you pour your first pint focus on the aroma and if possible compare it to a batch of homebrew that you did not dry hop to see the difference!

 

 

Labor Day Homebrew Sale!

Labor Day Promo Code Homebrew Supply

Labor Day Promo Code Homebrew Supply

HomebrewSupply.com Coupon Codes and Promotional Code

 

Labor Day Sale For HomebrewSupply – Homebrew Supply
Promo Code for the Month of  September 2016
Homebrew Promo Code Date: 9-4-2016 to 9-5-2016
Coupon Details: Labor Day Homebrewing Sale – Save 15%
Homebrew Supply Coupon Code: LABOR15

Coupon Description: Happy Labor Day! Right now you can save 15% on your home brewing orders and get flat rate shipping!  Homebrew Supply is having a big sale right now to celebrate Labor Day and with coupon code LABOR15 you can save yourself 15%! These guys are great if you have not used them before for your homebrew equipment and supply needs.  They have a good and growing inventory and ship fast!

 

Click Here for this HomeBrew Supply Labor Day Coupon

 

 

Found at HomebrewingDeal.com

 

Homebrewing Brewrig Sale at MoreBeer!

 

Save $500 on a More Beer Stainless Steel Brewing Rig

Save $500 on a More Beer Stainless Steel Brewing Rig

Coupon Code Date: 9/2/2016 to Unknown
Promotion Details: Save $500 on a More Beer Stainless Steel Home Brewing Rig
Promo Code: BREWRIG SALE
Product User Rating: 5/5
Availability: In Stock

Coupon Code Description: MoreBeer currently has a sale going on that will save you $500 on one of their famous stainless steel homebrewing sculptures. More Beer makes the very best home brewing systems available and they rarely go on sale.  So if you have been looking to purchase one, this might be the time. This is truly the easiest to use all-grain system out there. With nothing electrical to go wrong, simple valves to control flow, easy to view mashtun, and no pumps its just plain easy. The frame of this homebrew rig is made from 304 stainless steel and welded in the MoreBeer metal shop in California. The low profile  heavy duty stainless steel homebrew kettles are formed in a mold via the use a punch. This means they are made from a single piece of stainless with no welded seams. These beefy kettles then get an added aluminum layer that is capped with another layer of stainless. The added aluminum helps keep the kettle bottom from scorching and allows for easier cleaning.

  • 304-Stainless Steel Frame made in USA
  • 15 Gallon Heavy Duty Kettles
  • High-Quality Analog Thermometers on All Kettles
  • Piped Propane Gas System with single regulator to run off one propane tank
  • Perforated stainless steel screen in Mashtun
  • More Beer Stainless Steel Quick Disconnects

To take advantage of this home  beer brewing promotion, use coupon code listed above if applicable and click on the following home beer brewing promotion link:

Click Here For This More Beer Brewing System Promo Code