Fermenter size dilemma

J A · Feb 8, 2025

So I'm gearing up to brew again but I really have to change my program pretty drastically. I had built up capacity to the point that I could ferment 15 and 20 gallon batches routinely. The 15s required a strong wort and topping up somewhat but yielded great beers. The 20s required a double-mash/single boil. Bottom line a lot of work that I just don't want to do any more. Also, I just don't have need for that much beer. At this point I need to make 10 gallon batches of my house lager and my wife's preferred pale ale and 5-gallon batches of IPA, Irish Stout,

I want to get rid of the two big'uns - Brewbuilt 27 gallon conicals with Peltier cooling - but I suppose I'll keep the half barrel SS Brewtech Uni - that's just a great piece of equipment.
One reason to lose the big fementers, aside from size is that the peltier coolers work great for temp control but not crashing unless it's already pretty cool. The Uni has a chiller coil that, in conjunction with glycol cooling will virtually freeze a beer in pretty short order.
So...
First step is to replace my defunct DIY glycol chiller...I've decided to save 4 or 5 hundred bucks and go the DIY route again. It's a very effective way to get the job done and I have all the stuff other than a donor AC.
Second is to replace the big boys with a couple of smaller fermenters that can be glycol chilled. I'm torn between just getting 2 dedicated 7-gallon fermenters or one or more 14 gallon fermenters that can handle half batches. Eventually one 7gallon and one 14 gallon gives me everything I need, though only one batch fermenting at a time, either a 10 gallon or two 5 gallons, and I could consider selling off the 1/2 barrel Uni. There's a huge range of budget possibilities.

Assuming starting with glycol chilling capacity for 2 fermenters, crash and all, keeping the Uni which will sort of do 10 gallon batches, here are some options...
Proposal #1 - do nothing other than buy glycol cooling blankets that will function with the carboys I already have. $60 to $80 Pro: very cheap Con: I hate lifting carboys.
Proposal #2 - couple of cheap stainless brew buckets plus aforementioned glycol blankets. $400-$500 total. Pro: stainless, spigot, racking arm, conical bottom Con: weldless fitting, no pressure, etc.
Proposal #3 - couple of Coil-chilled Chronicals - SS Brewtech, Spike Flex, Delta Ferm tank. $800 -$1200 depending on bells and whistles. Pro: Sanitary fittings, yeast dump, can hold pressure, lid for ease of cleaning.Con: mostly cost
Proposal #4 - Bite the bullet for 2 small Unitanks, either coil-chilled or jacketed. $2000, at least. Pro: best all-around equipment - wort to glass in one vessel Con: Price, no lid for ease of cleaning.

Lots of fun to window shop and eventually I'll spend some bucks (hopefully the proceeds from selling the 2 big fermenters will help). What say ye?

Brew Cat · Feb 8, 2025

Although I never had a large scale. I did get a 20 gallon kettle and counter chiller and did some larger batches. Then I would do smaller batches to test new recipes. I realized I did enjoy the Brewing day more. A lot less work doing the things about brewing I don't like when doing the smaller batches (5gal) I may have to brew more times but I enjoy the process more. Anyway I like it simple it's a hobby not a job.

Brewer #395935 · Feb 15, 2025

I got back into brewing a couple years ago after a long hiatus, and I set up my brewery for "old man brewing." That is, I wanted to enjoy brew day with out the lifting, toting, and basic hard work that you can subject yourself to if you're not careful. So, I really agree with the con on #1. Lifting carboys is for the birds.

For me, the obvious solution was a Unitank. I can transfer from the boil kettle, through the chiller to the fermenter and have 85 degree F wort. My glycol chiller takes the wort down to pitching temperature in an hour or two. I can oxygenate it with a carbstone on the racking port, and pitch yeast through a port in the lid. I can ferment under pressure if I want (I haven't explored that world yet), I can harvest yeast, dry hop, cold crash, clarify, carbonate, and do a counter pressure transfer to my kegs. None of it requires much physical labor, and I get professional-quality results.

I don't have a cool jacketed fermenter like yours. Mine is a Spike CF15 with a coil chiller. Spike says you can ferment between 5 and 15.5 gallons in the fermenter, but the smallest batch I've done is 7 gallons. I'm concerned about the reach of the coil when you go smaller. Still, that's a pretty good range for the kind of brewing your talking about.

With regard to your con of "no lid for ease of cleaning," that's not the case with the Spike Unitank. That Unitank has a great big lid that can be removed. My cleaning procedure involves spraying it out with a hose, then filling it with brewery wash and scrubbing, and finally rinsing and sanitizing. It is pretty easy to keep clean. I went with the Tri-Clamp version because it easy to assemble and disassemble for cleaning.

So, I'm hear to help you spend your money

. Having a nice Unitank makes brewing a lot more fun and rewarding. (But you knew that already, didn't you!)

Cheers!

J A · Monday at 12:13 AM

So...this happened:

I did a lot of shopping and found a bunch of stuff on Craigslist that looked promising but spent several days trying to get the seller to respond a second time. I remembered a "for sale" post in one of the local club's FB page and went back to find it. The guy still had some stuff and it turned out to be exactly what I was hoping to find. He was happy to make a deal the same day I contacted him and I ended up with two 7-gallon first-gen Uni's and a full chiller setup plus a big bunch of extra fittings for substantially less than half current prices.