Another potential drawbackto those focused on simplifying their brewing process is that the BME Chronical does require a bit more effort to clean compared to carboys and buckets, and given their size, storage could be an issue for some. Unfortunately it does not work well at lager temperatures unless you have a glycol chiller or serious source of chilled water like a separate refrigerator the system simply absorbs too much heat for lagering with ice alone. Great review, thanks. I just wish they were all tri clamp, I have the regular version without the coil and everything is tri clamp except the thermowell, I would of paid a little extra to have 100% tris, I got my first 1/2 barrow conical from SS Brewtech last July and I think it was one of the best decisions Ive made. Time to put these bad boys to use! It came through that they cared, and I appreciate that.
One of the key features that led to me purchasing a SS Brewtech over another unit was their innovative temperature control system. [Note: Affiliate links were used in this post. I purchased the Brewmaster Series 14 gal (50 l) conical from Great Fermentations (Affiliate link) to pair up with my Blichmann BrewEasy 10 gal (38 l) system. But lets face it,conicals are like thesupermodels of the homebrewing world, verbally beat upfor being too expensive, heavy, and awkward by many of the same peoplewho secretly wish they had one. How-to: Make a lager in less than a month, Brand New 5 gallon ball lock kegs discounted to $75 at Adventures in Homebrewing You can also fit it with a separate gas fitting for pressurized transfer. Looks fantastic Id better start negotiating with Mrs talkingbeers :0) Would love a more detailed chat to you about it in coming months after I get my website activated. That volume includes headspace, so you would buy a 7 gal fermenter for a 5 gal finished batch size, 14 gal for a 10 gal batch and so on. More Beer told me I should have stored the conicle filled with a concentrated solution of sanitizer, which never made sense to me. If I need to pause bottling, I just turn off the flow. 7 Considerations for Making Better Homebrew What do you absolutely love anout it ? Mosaic Of Change IPA by House Of Pendragon, comparing the BME to the standard edition, 7 Considerations for Making Better Homebrew, How-to: Make a lager in less than a month, Brand New 5 gallon ball lock kegs discounted to $75 at Adventures in Homebrewing, ThermoWorks Super-Fast Pocket Thermometer On Sale for $19 $10 discount, exBEERiment | Impact Boiling Spent Grain In Wort Has On A Vienna Lager, https://ssbrewtech.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/207103043-What-are-main-differences-between-Standard-and-BM-Edition-Chronicals-. Im normally a complete cheapskate and scoffed at the idea of spending 200+ dollars on a fermenter Until I had one.
Use them if you want to support the BeerSmith web sites], Tagged as: The only downside over the Brewmaster series is that the valves need to be stripped down to clean and sanitise after every brew.
After a dry fit, I performed the required initial cleaning and passivation of the Chronicals, a necessary step to removeresidual oils from manufacturingand make the steel resistant to corrosion. SS Brewtech does have a small note on one of the instruction sheets regarding the use of a single seal. First off, I think the assembly instructions could use a little work and the illustrations could be a tad more clear,particularly since its likely most customers will be imbibing while building. The jacket worked OK for me but definitely seal the fittings and test it before you put the jacket on. Fortunately the standard tri-clover fittings can be bought from many suppliers. What do you think they could have improved upon ? When I order it Ill put that Malcolm Frazer was the sales representative who helped me with my purchase. These were all stainless and should provide a sanitary connection for pulling trub and yeast or racking. The unit arrived very quickly, and appears to have been drop shipped from SS Brewtech. conical, This was considerably less difficult than I expected, as the Chronicals strike a nice balance of sturdiness and maneuverability. Also, did you find that the neoprene jacket interfered with the effectiveness of the weldless fittings in creating a good seal? However, if heatingis all thats needed,the FTSs can usethe same technology to warm the beer to aset temperature by switching the controller toheat mode and pumping warm liquid through the coils. By designing the Slim Butterfly Valves for the Chronical 2.0, they were able to drastically reduce the system's weight while being equally sanitary and effective at sealing.
I then release gas until I can only just hear it start to flow, and it starts to push beer out. If you enjoy this stuff and feel compelled to support Brulosophy.com, please check out theSupport Uspagefor details on how you can very easily do so. Maybe not the answer you desire, but IT DEPENDS. If your question is added to our FAQ section, it will remain anonymous. I was not as thrilled with the four weldless connections two for the cooling coil, one for the thermowell and one for the sampling valve. Ive got my O-rings installed on the correct sides of the fermenter as noted but i think my tension is off. Build out a chest freezer with the assumption of four taps, or build it with the assumption that a chunk of the space will be used for temperature controlling lagers, or having two separate chambers one converted to a keezer and one as temp control. The standard edition (which costs quite a bit less) does not include these features, though you can still purchase a chilling system for it that is basically a replacement cover with the chilling coil installed. Ss Brewtech has updated their series of Chronical fermenters with the Chronical 2.0. I bought a 14 gal/53 l setup from Great Fermentations (affiliate link) to go with my new 10 gal (38 l) Blichmann BrewEasy electric. Brlosophy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and other affiliated sites. Its not quite as simple as something like the new Blichmann Cornical which converts directly to a serving keg, but the Chronicals pressurized transfer works fine in practice. MoreBeer! All I have to do isconnect the sanitized fittings, set the psi on my CO2 regulatorto just abovethe zero peg, open a valve, and thats it, beer startsflowing into my keg. The Chronical 2.0's lid-mounted cooling coils extend further down into the fermenter, enabling users to ferment partial batch sizes.
Value is obviously in the eye of the beerholder, what oneconsiders to be valuableis largelya function of personal preference and, in many cases, income. Hey Malcom, Ss connicals are amazing. If so, you can easily scrub it off with some star san. Thanks for the advice.
For each fermenter size, SS Brewtech offers two variants: a standard unit and a more expensive Brewmaster series. After cleaning (see below) I also added the butterfly valves, elbow and racking tube. For the Chronical 2.0 Ss Brewtecha new welded 3/4" TC sampling port, and paired that with an all-new sampling valve based on our Pure Flow sanitary technology. When I learned Id be doing this review, prior to receiving the product, I hit the Ss Brewtech website to do some preliminary research. The upper racking valve has a separate racking arm on the inside of the fermenter which lets you collect wort easily during racking while minimizing sediment. However, I like to think valuecan be more objectively determined based on comparisons to other similar products. Great to see you use some more professional equipment! Plastic carboys are easier to move around, but sometimes difficult to clean, glass is easier to clean but it secretly wants to kill you anytime you look at it, plastic buckets once they get an infection will infect everything.
A week after chatting with the folks from Ss Brewtech, I came home to find thefamily dog inspecting a couple large boxes sittingon my doorstep. I like the tri clamp fittings but I dont understand why there are weldless fittings too which can be a source for infection.
So if you didnt have a converted chest freezer or fridge would you say the FTSs is worth it? Hello.
Id make a simple cost sheet, and then a cost benefit analysis. Next week in part 2 of this review, Ill brew some beer up and give you my thoughts after fermenting a few batches using the SS Brewtech Chronical. What went wrong during the year of use if any ?
Ball valves on the basic unit.
Love mine, but you are spot on about lagering temp even with a 10 gallon reservoir of water in a freezer set at 34 F, the freezer couldnt cool the water fast enough to maintain a 55 F lagering temp in a 65 F room. No more siphons! brew, Additionally, the 3/4" TC port has all the sanitary benefits brewers have come to love with traditional 1.5" TC ports, but at a scale thats perfect for the sampling valve.
Im from Albania and I want to buy a 65 liter brewing line.
e.g. Initially I tried putting the O-ring on the inside for each, but that failed for the sampling valve as the nut pushed it out of place. The fermenter itself is identical in both options, but the Brewmaster series includes additional features listed below as part of the base unit. Things of that nature. If you continue to use Brulosophy.com, we'll assume you're cool with this. Being able to sample it from the upper bottling valve is extremely useful, and I always do pressure transfers from floor level now. Theres no need to store the conicals with sanitizer at least for SS BrewTech equipment. Some tips from experience: Your answer hit my issue right on the head. It also has handles welded to the side, but the prospect of lifting the unit full of wort (at 100+ lbs) is probably a two man job.
I have 2 BrewBuckets that I clean with a PBW soak, rinse and then wipe down with a clean rag every time without any pitting, stains or deposits. The first priority with the new design was to continue to elevate every home product we offered to sanitary connections and valves. The old glass or plastic carboy can get the job done. Additionally, the organic shape of the keyed elements of the valve allows the brewer to know exactly what direction the racking arm is facing by the orientation of the valve on the vessel. Even after I sorted it all out, I later had a leak around one of the coil fittings and had to quickly torque it down as wort spilled out on the floor. Note that I purchased the Brewmaster edition (aff link) which has the integrated chilling coil, more expensive butterfly (vs ball) valves, sampling port, insulation jacket and larger 3 triclover port in the top. I havent looked into long term strong yet. This isnt an issue for the BME Chronical since it comes with an insulative neoprene jacket and unique chilling coil with the option of adding aFermentation Temperature Stabilization System (FTSs). Having made a fewrecent changes to my brewery, Ichose an Ordinary Bitter recipeI brew often, figuring it would allow me to make on-the-fly adjustmentsshould I run into any issues. Any advice you could give would be much appreciated! Are you sure this isnt beer stone, a cHaley deposit of chalk? Simply open the bottom dump valve over a sanitized container,collect the desired amount of yeast, then close the valve and spray it down. Fortunately the regular cleaning routing after brewing is a lot less I just use PBW for cleaning and honestly most of the fermentation debris rinses right off. I assume its a cost measure. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunesand youtubeand streaming radio station) for more great tips on homebrewing.
ThermoWorks I do not currently have temp control but received a brew bucket as a Christmas present so thinking of picking up the FTSs so I can finally start brewing true lagers.
ss brewtech, { 10 comments read them below or add one }. The Brewmaster edition also comes with a neoprene jacket which is about the same weight as a medium wetsuit (if you scuba dive) and fits very tightly over the fermenter. Adventures in Homebrewing
But overall, thenegativespale in comparison to all of the incredible features of the BME Chronical Ive come to appreciate so much! The stainless steel chilling coil is right near the center of the fermenter, though its lowest point is a bit above the top of the conical. Brewers Hardware Hi Brad, Long time reader first time caller.
(No scrubbing!). Ss Brewtech also offers a heating upgrade kit witha proprietary heating pad that gets wrapped around the units exterior and turns on when the temp drops below a specific set-point. Awhile back, the folks at Ss Brewtech contacted us saying they had something up theirsleeves,explaining they would soon be releasing a new version of their popular Chronical fermentor packed with professional grade features but with the homebrewer in mind. If you do research on the SS Brewtech units, you may find references to people who had flavor problems because they did not clean the unit properly before using it. You then air-dry it after finishing with the Starsan and the oxygen from the air reacts with the chromium in the stainless steel to form a protective oxide layer over your newly cleaned equipment.
My keezer would not fit one of these even if I tried.
I just got two of those same barrels for my stouts and porters.! Im getting older and my back no longer appreciates melifting stainless fermentors full of beer, so I set them ona plastic table that I plan to replace with a more sturdy bench in the near future. Everytime Ive asked a question theyve replied quickly and thoroughly. Any chance of a revisit on this review with updates on your overall impressions of The Chronical fermenter, now that its been more than a year ? The thermowell is well positioned near the center of the fermenter, so you can monitor and control the temperature within the fermenter, which can be several degrees higher than the surface of the fermenter. In addition, the new racking arm is co-molded with the geometry of the valve body and TC gasket; this ingenious design captures the racking arm and prevents it from coming loose. I appreciate that Ss Brewtech offers their standard Chronical for only $395, the biggest difference being the gadgetsto control fermentation temperature. The cost gave me pause but building two chambers or sacrificing serving space seemed to be a bigger loss, I had forgotten the FTSs had even existed till this product review.
Another great feature of the BME Chronical is that it allows me to easilykeg the finished beer usingpressure. Finally, the BME Chronicals were ready to hold fermenting beer. If you have a thick krausen yeast, ie West Yorkshire, then the top few coils can become caked, especially if you let it sit for a week or more.
It works by monitoring the temperature in the fermenter and running a small submersible pump when needed to pump cold water through the chilling coil. plus to get all your yeast out to reuse is another plus! This week I take a look at the Brewmaster 14 gal (52 l) Chronical from SS BrewTech. The O-ring will seal but only if you have it at just the right tension level and put the seal on the opposite side from the nut. A separate heating pad is also available if you need both heating and chilling.
One of the key features that led to me purchasing a SS Brewtech over another unit was their innovative temperature control system. [Note: Affiliate links were used in this post. I purchased the Brewmaster Series 14 gal (50 l) conical from Great Fermentations (Affiliate link) to pair up with my Blichmann BrewEasy 10 gal (38 l) system. But lets face it,conicals are like thesupermodels of the homebrewing world, verbally beat upfor being too expensive, heavy, and awkward by many of the same peoplewho secretly wish they had one. How-to: Make a lager in less than a month, Brand New 5 gallon ball lock kegs discounted to $75 at Adventures in Homebrewing You can also fit it with a separate gas fitting for pressurized transfer. Looks fantastic Id better start negotiating with Mrs talkingbeers :0) Would love a more detailed chat to you about it in coming months after I get my website activated. That volume includes headspace, so you would buy a 7 gal fermenter for a 5 gal finished batch size, 14 gal for a 10 gal batch and so on. More Beer told me I should have stored the conicle filled with a concentrated solution of sanitizer, which never made sense to me. If I need to pause bottling, I just turn off the flow. 7 Considerations for Making Better Homebrew What do you absolutely love anout it ? Mosaic Of Change IPA by House Of Pendragon, comparing the BME to the standard edition, 7 Considerations for Making Better Homebrew, How-to: Make a lager in less than a month, Brand New 5 gallon ball lock kegs discounted to $75 at Adventures in Homebrewing, ThermoWorks Super-Fast Pocket Thermometer On Sale for $19 $10 discount, exBEERiment | Impact Boiling Spent Grain In Wort Has On A Vienna Lager, https://ssbrewtech.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/207103043-What-are-main-differences-between-Standard-and-BM-Edition-Chronicals-. Im normally a complete cheapskate and scoffed at the idea of spending 200+ dollars on a fermenter Until I had one.
Use them if you want to support the BeerSmith web sites], Tagged as: The only downside over the Brewmaster series is that the valves need to be stripped down to clean and sanitise after every brew.
After a dry fit, I performed the required initial cleaning and passivation of the Chronicals, a necessary step to removeresidual oils from manufacturingand make the steel resistant to corrosion. SS Brewtech does have a small note on one of the instruction sheets regarding the use of a single seal. First off, I think the assembly instructions could use a little work and the illustrations could be a tad more clear,particularly since its likely most customers will be imbibing while building. The jacket worked OK for me but definitely seal the fittings and test it before you put the jacket on. Fortunately the standard tri-clover fittings can be bought from many suppliers. What do you think they could have improved upon ? When I order it Ill put that Malcolm Frazer was the sales representative who helped me with my purchase. These were all stainless and should provide a sanitary connection for pulling trub and yeast or racking. The unit arrived very quickly, and appears to have been drop shipped from SS Brewtech. conical, This was considerably less difficult than I expected, as the Chronicals strike a nice balance of sturdiness and maneuverability. Also, did you find that the neoprene jacket interfered with the effectiveness of the weldless fittings in creating a good seal? However, if heatingis all thats needed,the FTSs can usethe same technology to warm the beer to aset temperature by switching the controller toheat mode and pumping warm liquid through the coils. By designing the Slim Butterfly Valves for the Chronical 2.0, they were able to drastically reduce the system's weight while being equally sanitary and effective at sealing.
I then release gas until I can only just hear it start to flow, and it starts to push beer out. If you enjoy this stuff and feel compelled to support Brulosophy.com, please check out theSupport Uspagefor details on how you can very easily do so. Maybe not the answer you desire, but IT DEPENDS. If your question is added to our FAQ section, it will remain anonymous. I was not as thrilled with the four weldless connections two for the cooling coil, one for the thermowell and one for the sampling valve. Ive got my O-rings installed on the correct sides of the fermenter as noted but i think my tension is off. Build out a chest freezer with the assumption of four taps, or build it with the assumption that a chunk of the space will be used for temperature controlling lagers, or having two separate chambers one converted to a keezer and one as temp control. The standard edition (which costs quite a bit less) does not include these features, though you can still purchase a chilling system for it that is basically a replacement cover with the chilling coil installed. Ss Brewtech has updated their series of Chronical fermenters with the Chronical 2.0. I bought a 14 gal/53 l setup from Great Fermentations (affiliate link) to go with my new 10 gal (38 l) Blichmann BrewEasy electric. Brlosophy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and other affiliated sites. Its not quite as simple as something like the new Blichmann Cornical which converts directly to a serving keg, but the Chronicals pressurized transfer works fine in practice. MoreBeer! All I have to do isconnect the sanitized fittings, set the psi on my CO2 regulatorto just abovethe zero peg, open a valve, and thats it, beer startsflowing into my keg. The Chronical 2.0's lid-mounted cooling coils extend further down into the fermenter, enabling users to ferment partial batch sizes.
Value is obviously in the eye of the beerholder, what oneconsiders to be valuableis largelya function of personal preference and, in many cases, income. Hey Malcom, Ss connicals are amazing. If so, you can easily scrub it off with some star san. Thanks for the advice.
For each fermenter size, SS Brewtech offers two variants: a standard unit and a more expensive Brewmaster series. After cleaning (see below) I also added the butterfly valves, elbow and racking tube. For the Chronical 2.0 Ss Brewtecha new welded 3/4" TC sampling port, and paired that with an all-new sampling valve based on our Pure Flow sanitary technology. When I learned Id be doing this review, prior to receiving the product, I hit the Ss Brewtech website to do some preliminary research. The upper racking valve has a separate racking arm on the inside of the fermenter which lets you collect wort easily during racking while minimizing sediment. However, I like to think valuecan be more objectively determined based on comparisons to other similar products. Great to see you use some more professional equipment! Plastic carboys are easier to move around, but sometimes difficult to clean, glass is easier to clean but it secretly wants to kill you anytime you look at it, plastic buckets once they get an infection will infect everything.
A week after chatting with the folks from Ss Brewtech, I came home to find thefamily dog inspecting a couple large boxes sittingon my doorstep. I like the tri clamp fittings but I dont understand why there are weldless fittings too which can be a source for infection.
So if you didnt have a converted chest freezer or fridge would you say the FTSs is worth it? Hello.
Id make a simple cost sheet, and then a cost benefit analysis. Next week in part 2 of this review, Ill brew some beer up and give you my thoughts after fermenting a few batches using the SS Brewtech Chronical. What went wrong during the year of use if any ?
Ball valves on the basic unit.
Love mine, but you are spot on about lagering temp even with a 10 gallon reservoir of water in a freezer set at 34 F, the freezer couldnt cool the water fast enough to maintain a 55 F lagering temp in a 65 F room. No more siphons! brew, Additionally, the 3/4" TC port has all the sanitary benefits brewers have come to love with traditional 1.5" TC ports, but at a scale thats perfect for the sampling valve.
Im from Albania and I want to buy a 65 liter brewing line.
e.g. Initially I tried putting the O-ring on the inside for each, but that failed for the sampling valve as the nut pushed it out of place. The fermenter itself is identical in both options, but the Brewmaster series includes additional features listed below as part of the base unit. Things of that nature. If you continue to use Brulosophy.com, we'll assume you're cool with this. Being able to sample it from the upper bottling valve is extremely useful, and I always do pressure transfers from floor level now. Theres no need to store the conicals with sanitizer at least for SS BrewTech equipment. Some tips from experience: Your answer hit my issue right on the head. It also has handles welded to the side, but the prospect of lifting the unit full of wort (at 100+ lbs) is probably a two man job.
I have 2 BrewBuckets that I clean with a PBW soak, rinse and then wipe down with a clean rag every time without any pitting, stains or deposits. The first priority with the new design was to continue to elevate every home product we offered to sanitary connections and valves. The old glass or plastic carboy can get the job done. Additionally, the organic shape of the keyed elements of the valve allows the brewer to know exactly what direction the racking arm is facing by the orientation of the valve on the vessel. Even after I sorted it all out, I later had a leak around one of the coil fittings and had to quickly torque it down as wort spilled out on the floor. Note that I purchased the Brewmaster edition (aff link) which has the integrated chilling coil, more expensive butterfly (vs ball) valves, sampling port, insulation jacket and larger 3 triclover port in the top. I havent looked into long term strong yet. This isnt an issue for the BME Chronical since it comes with an insulative neoprene jacket and unique chilling coil with the option of adding aFermentation Temperature Stabilization System (FTSs). Having made a fewrecent changes to my brewery, Ichose an Ordinary Bitter recipeI brew often, figuring it would allow me to make on-the-fly adjustmentsshould I run into any issues. Any advice you could give would be much appreciated! Are you sure this isnt beer stone, a cHaley deposit of chalk? Simply open the bottom dump valve over a sanitized container,collect the desired amount of yeast, then close the valve and spray it down. Fortunately the regular cleaning routing after brewing is a lot less I just use PBW for cleaning and honestly most of the fermentation debris rinses right off. I assume its a cost measure. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunesand youtubeand streaming radio station) for more great tips on homebrewing.
ThermoWorks I do not currently have temp control but received a brew bucket as a Christmas present so thinking of picking up the FTSs so I can finally start brewing true lagers.
ss brewtech, { 10 comments read them below or add one }. The Brewmaster edition also comes with a neoprene jacket which is about the same weight as a medium wetsuit (if you scuba dive) and fits very tightly over the fermenter. Adventures in Homebrewing
But overall, thenegativespale in comparison to all of the incredible features of the BME Chronical Ive come to appreciate so much! The stainless steel chilling coil is right near the center of the fermenter, though its lowest point is a bit above the top of the conical. Brewers Hardware Hi Brad, Long time reader first time caller.
(No scrubbing!). Ss Brewtech also offers a heating upgrade kit witha proprietary heating pad that gets wrapped around the units exterior and turns on when the temp drops below a specific set-point. Awhile back, the folks at Ss Brewtech contacted us saying they had something up theirsleeves,explaining they would soon be releasing a new version of their popular Chronical fermentor packed with professional grade features but with the homebrewer in mind. If you do research on the SS Brewtech units, you may find references to people who had flavor problems because they did not clean the unit properly before using it. You then air-dry it after finishing with the Starsan and the oxygen from the air reacts with the chromium in the stainless steel to form a protective oxide layer over your newly cleaned equipment.
My keezer would not fit one of these even if I tried.
I just got two of those same barrels for my stouts and porters.! Im getting older and my back no longer appreciates melifting stainless fermentors full of beer, so I set them ona plastic table that I plan to replace with a more sturdy bench in the near future. Everytime Ive asked a question theyve replied quickly and thoroughly. Any chance of a revisit on this review with updates on your overall impressions of The Chronical fermenter, now that its been more than a year ? The thermowell is well positioned near the center of the fermenter, so you can monitor and control the temperature within the fermenter, which can be several degrees higher than the surface of the fermenter. In addition, the new racking arm is co-molded with the geometry of the valve body and TC gasket; this ingenious design captures the racking arm and prevents it from coming loose. I appreciate that Ss Brewtech offers their standard Chronical for only $395, the biggest difference being the gadgetsto control fermentation temperature. The cost gave me pause but building two chambers or sacrificing serving space seemed to be a bigger loss, I had forgotten the FTSs had even existed till this product review. Another great feature of the BME Chronical is that it allows me to easilykeg the finished beer usingpressure. Finally, the BME Chronicals were ready to hold fermenting beer. If you have a thick krausen yeast, ie West Yorkshire, then the top few coils can become caked, especially if you let it sit for a week or more.
It works by monitoring the temperature in the fermenter and running a small submersible pump when needed to pump cold water through the chilling coil. plus to get all your yeast out to reuse is another plus! This week I take a look at the Brewmaster 14 gal (52 l) Chronical from SS BrewTech. The O-ring will seal but only if you have it at just the right tension level and put the seal on the opposite side from the nut. A separate heating pad is also available if you need both heating and chilling.