Hi Larry this is a great product, and with a few tweaks it could be fantastic. I have had occasional clogging problems around the butterfly valve even when I ferment with an air lock i.e. not under pressure. They are about to release a Mk2 vision with a larger butterfly valve to avoid clogging, a bigger top opening to allow easy cleaning, and stronger stand. Also two sizes will be offered - 27 litres and 50 litres. If any of you are considering buying one of these wait till late 2018 and get the Mk2. I'll be getting one and then using the Mk1 as a keg with natural conditioning.
A couple of thoughts; 1) You should get a pressure controlled compressor. Spending CO2 on cleaning wasteful and a compressor can be used to add oxygen to your beer so you don't have to buy it and also, it's nice if you use a keg for carbonated water since water doesn't spoil in contact with oxygen. 2) I think the collection ball is most useful when you don't ferment under pressure, such as with wines. The floating liquid line makes it more or less pointlest, except for collecting yeast for reuse. I completely agree with you that trubes does no harm to your beer. However, you may want to delay opening the valve until there's some pressure in the keg in order to make sure it doesn't clog. If you're worried about adding the small amount of oxygen, which I wouldn't worry about at all, then you can just fill it with co2 before connecting it.
outstanding vid Larry. I love the casual, easy going style you have and that you don't edit out the gotchas as you learn about them. Nice style, great job.
Also if you can , 24 hours before transferring , put the fermenter in a fridge , temperature at 36 f and the yeast will go down more and the beer more clear , transferring your beer cold create less foam and more easy . Have a second fermenter to reuse the yeast for new beer
Nice review. You can actually use a sodastream bottle on the bottom instead of the trub collector. You can collect more trub this way. Keep the valve open and it will eventually all settled into the bottle.
I just got a 3 gallon conical fermenter. 3G Fast Ferment. I like it and it fits my apartment space. But now I want a bigger fermenter so it looks like I need to clear off some space. These conicals clog up down in the small throat, but, that is part of the game I guess. Cheers. Thanks for the great video.
Loved the walk through the entire process with the mistakes/issues. You did not get to the co2 and fluid Temperature till the very end,Loved your control methods for transferring warm co2 charged liquid. Probably the only way to do it at room temp. I chill my cider first before messing with the keg, and i use 5 liter kegs ( allot of them) just to make handling and storing/transporting easier for my limited space. it also allows making many flavor variations among each one. I think I will get one but put it on wheels. In late fall and winter take outside to chill.
I've heard pressure suppresses yeast activity. I wouldn't allow pressure to build up until after you drop trub, or the krausen begins to drop.Then cap it with your awesome spunting valve and crash cool under pressure when it's done. Nice vid and really cool fermenter.
Cool addition to your home set up, some things you can do differently: - Every time you collect yeast slid a tray under the capsule. - leave floating hydrometer inside the Fermentasaurus, it will roughly give you the gravity at any given point without the need to measure gravity under carb beer. - Add the float and the racking tube after 75% fermentation over. The issue with this new toy and other toys like it is none of this conical fit in small fridge. Cheers
One other thing to think about. I believe carbonation throws off hydrometer readings. I've seen pros degas the sample before taking a reading to get it more accurate. I would imagine if it's floating in there with ~2 vols of CO2 it's going to throw the reading off. Which probably also happened with his hydrometer sample.
Great vid, only concern I have is, according to the instructions I read online, you are meant to be able to use the collection vessel to dry hop! How are you going to do that if your not going to remove the trub vessel under pressure?
An other way to do inexpensive under pressure syphoning is to buy extra korney kegs for primary fermentation, it works well, a keg is simple to cleen, you can throw down boiling water if you need, and 2 second hand korney kegs are cheeper than the fermentasaurus system ! ;)
That's pretty impressive I've always had troubles with sediment during transferring process, that little ball seems like a clever idea to stop sucking yeast or either hops going to the corny keg, I'll definitely do my own version. Cheers Larry and thanks for the video! Big fan of you 🍻
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry In the video you said you could have had the pressure higher. Wouldn't this force the trub down into the catch ball or does it plug that tightly? I'm not a brewer but am looking to get into it, One question I have is you open the valve to the catch ball right away. Shouldn't you keep it closed till its done fermenting so that all the yeast interacts with the beer? And if so wouldn't the higher pressure force the trub down? Next question is in regards to when you pulled the catch ball off. It was a heck of a mess but could you have lowered the overall pressure for say a day before so the carbonation would settle out and then remove the catch ball with less pressure, clean up the ball and then reattach the ball, then increase the pressure back up? These are just some things that went through my mind as I watched your excellent informative videos.
Hi Larry, thank you for that great review video! This helped me a lot to get friends with my Fermentasaurus! Today i transferred the first brew into a KEG, it worked fantastic and i love that device! Greetz from Germany! Jochen
Larry, you are amazing! Thank you for ALL that you do! Please keep it up! I'm still getting caught up on your video library... and your shirt in this video is BANGARANG!
Have you experimented with fermenting above 10 PSI? I've read that at that point the pressure is detrimental to the yeast. Which makes it seem like pressurized fermentation isn't a viable way of fully carbonating beer.
Another great video Larry. I really like this thing - wow, to be able to pressurise is fantastic! And the volume - bigger than the fast ferment which makes it perfect for my batch size. This is now on my wanted list! Thanks!
To make it a little less complicated and easier to perform transfer from fermenter to keg, could you set your Co2 Tank at ~2-3 psi, push to fermenter that pushes to the keg, then just turn your air relief valve on the keg to "open". Since you are pushing Co2, no air can get into the keg. Also, do you think if you relieve the head pressure from the fermenter prior to dumping the trub (replicating transfer from Primary to Secondary), that the 'blast' of trub in the video would be more gravity and possibly prevent the 'stuck' you experienced in the trub jar? The trub jar fitting should be a lot larger in diameter for hoppy beers to prevent getting stuck. Just comments and thoughts. Great videos and great detail Larry. Keep the great content coming.
I was thinking the head pressure and the beer carbonation in the fermenter separately. Just like when you pop the top on a bottle of beer... you lose the head pressure, but not the carbonation. That being said, if you relieved the head pressure in the fermenter, the beer will stay carbonated, then you could push with a lower psi (~2-3 psi of Co2). But if that causes foaming, what you say makes sense. I hope you don't receive these comments as critiques as I am too am learning and thoroughly enjoy your videos as I think they are some of the best instructional/detail videos around. I have been looking at conicals from the ~$700 Stainless Steel to these more recent 'plastic' fermenters as I am tired of racking to secondary (I know you don't do secondaries and I too am leaning more towards that route in the near future), and easier way to transfer from secondary to keg, all the while minimizing risk of contamination. We brew anything from hoppy beers (lots of hops to get stuck in the trub valve) to Stouts with hardly any hops to get stuck.
I agree that you lose some carbonation once you relieve head pressure, but not that quickly (after you pop the top on a beer and pour it in a glass, the beer doesn't go flat immediately because of lack of head pressure). for example. I fill a growler from my Keezer. to transfer to the growler, I reduce the regulator pressure to the keg to about 4 psi, then I purge the head pressure from the keg down to about 4 psi (from around 12 psi). I then put my growler filler onto my beer faucet, and put the other end of the hose into the bottom of my growler, then begin to fill the growler. I let the growler fill to the top, the cap immediately. I then adjust the regulator to return the head pressure in the keg to its original pressure (12 psi). The beer in the growler is not pressurized (or very little) and the beer stays carbonated for days if unopened. Once the growler is opened, you have to drink within a day or it'll start oxidizing and degassing. What I am driving at is, is that over time, the carbonation will come out of suspension, but at a far slower rate, then just purging the head pressure, and that should be enough time to 'push' the beer from the fermenter to the keg.Definitely looking forward to your review of the SS conical from Spike as that is the exact model I have been eyeing up. Edit Comment: Just as it takes a while to carbonate the beer after it has been initially placed into a keg as the Co2 needs to dissolve into the beer, the same holds true for coming out of solution. But I think we've belabored this point enough. Keep up the great videos Larry and looking forward to the next. And again, I am not being critical at all as you do great videos and excellent reviews.
Hey, just a thought. Couldn't you use an air lock until you do the first trub dump and then let is pressurize from the rest of the fermentation? It seems like it was generating enough CO2 to carbonate it that way.
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry I'll be watching for the video. Been thinking about picking up one of these. I really like my Fast Ferment and was wanting to get another one. Now I'm kind of torn between the two.
It looks like there was some sort of expiration date on the unit? Appears the date was 2019? Can you confirm? Looked like it said do not pressurize after 2019? Thanks....great video!
Hi Larry, great video. I bought a Fermentasaurus today because this video really impessed me. I bought a Coopers Lager Diy beer can because the guy at the shop suggested it . I like Pabst Blue Ribbon but I'm not sure that the Coopers Lager was the correct product for the Fermentasaurus. I just wanted to make my first batch as simple as possible after not making my own beer for 30 years. I liked the idea of the trub being deposited into the trub ball. Do you have any suggestions of brew kits I could buy ? I like an american or canadian lager that is light. Any suggestions to a new user of this device ?
About trub removal: Could you first let it ferment through the most active fermentation stage with the normal air lock lid (say 72-144 hours), then remove trub and replace the cap with the pressure kit? That would save you from the mess. In any case, I have to say this fermenter is really compelling!
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Yeah sure thing. Was actually thinking about collecting yeast, in which case you'd have to get the trub out first to get the cleanest possible batch of yeast. Good to know about the 2nd gen. Will definitely wait for that one as I'm not in an actual hurry to purchase one of these babies. :)
Thanks so much! You review has helped me make up my mind in which conical fermenter I'll use for cider. I don't think I'll have have to worry about your trub clogging issue with cider but it looks like they fixed that issue with the version 2, called FermZilla.
Hi Larry great video, I bought myself the Fermzilla but made the same error you did by fermenting at a lower PSI whilst at room temp. I have kegged and began refrigerating the beer but I am unsure how to add carbonation. I brewed your Laargarden and I can't wait to get into it. Thanks!
Awesome! Got mine all put together just waiting to brew again to test this thing out. If you don't mind me asking how much do you have into your spunding valve? I see they have them on morebeer for about 40 bucks
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry overall great video I have been waiting for a great complete review of this fermenter cause I was wanting to buy it as well .... Most videos are of guys buying it and assembling it but not using it.....thanks for the detailed video this just confirmed my purchase
Fermentasaurus looks very good and practical... I maybe purchase one of those in the future. Execellent video and a lot useful knowledge Larry. Greetings from El Salvador Central América.
Very informative Larry. Thanks. Feel kinda dense for loosing so many magnetic stir bars over the years. Mostly to my whisky boiler. You answered my question about getting foam in the beer vessel transfer line. Couldn’t figure that one out. I wasn’t pressurising the receiving vessel at all. Makes sense now.
Enjoyed watching Larry. Well put together and I informative. I like when forgot to add tbe yeast in your excitement, we've all been there. Also when you came out the closet about your lack of trub dumping. Made me laugh. All the best. Happy Brewing.
Nice setup you got. You must be quite busy with all these hobbies you have. I'm finding that wine making is enough for me now, but the beer making looks like something that I might do in the future. How long does homemade beer keep? Thanks.
I have the fermentesaurus and it's a great product. I had foaming problems on my first transfer not realizing that having 2 psi differential helps. I was basically pulling the release valve. Curious to see how beers turn out fermenting at high temps. Be careful cleaning. I soaked mine over night with cleaner, and the following morning the whole thing caved in. Now I have some creases. Might return mine. It still holds pressure, but has a couple of creases.
Is this now your go to fermenter. If so I am assuming you use C02 to put pressure on fermenter, leave trube to the end and transfer with same C02Thank you
Love the video as per usual Larry, very informative. Instead of using the device you made, would the pressure relief valve ensure it doesn’t turn into a bomb?
Really debating to get this or the catalyst fermenter you reviewed but I’m leaving more for this due to the minimal oxygen exposure. How would you dry hop without introducing oxygen? Also I’m going to look at your fermzilla video after beacuse ppl are saying the valve sucks on the fermnetasoures
Hello Larry excuse me my english isn't perfect maybe i dont understand of all. When the first fermentation finish you use sugar for the second and carbonation? Or only pressure? thank you
Have a gravity question for you Larry, how far off will your gravity be with CO2 in solution or do you just let the beer go flat in the test jar and then get your gravity. Thanks again keep your videos coming. Cheers
Thanks for all your videos! Lately I have been reading things about priming sugar. Do you need to use priming sugar in the keg or are you relying on the CO2 to carbonate the beer? This might be a stupid question but I'm just starting out- brewing my first 5gal batch next weekend. Thanks again!
Thank you for this great video. I’m a beginner in brewing beer and find this very usefull. Do you have also advise on using this fermentasaurus with dry hopping?
Instead of fermenting under pressure, how about just having the airlock in for the primary fermentation and then carbonate it after draining the sediment into the receiving bottle?
I thought you would like the fermentasaurus. Looks pretty tall like all conicals, I'm going to have to take some measurements to see if it will fit in my fermentation fridge
I have one and am not using temperature control with it for exactly the reason it's too big to fit in either of my fermenting fridges. That will have to stop soon as Summer approaches here in Oz. I'm keen to hear from others of temp control options (jackets, internal coils, ...)
I'm new to brewing and have done several all in one homebrew kits. Where do I go next? I would love to one day consider myself a brewer like you. Would this fermenter help with the kits mentioned above or would you recommend advancing to making everything from scratch?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY hi Larry, thanks for you advice and rapid response. Could you recommend a basic equipment list I need to purchase and a simple recipe for a craft beer. ATM I'm drinking Montgomery jack's pink grapefruit kit. I would love to out everything together and brew something that tastes as good as this. Many thanks again
Thanks for this vid Larry. Just about to launch off with my first fermentasaurus batch and this vid has helped me no end. I don't yet have the CO2 bottle etc and I was thinking with my first test batch that I could perhaps raise the pressure at the end of the fermentation with the spunding valve ( say to 20psi ), then throw the fermentasaurus in the fridge hoping that I could tap and pour straight from it into a glass. There perhaps wouldn't be enough carbonisation for the entire 23 litres but do you think I would waste much ? Appreciate your comments mate. Thanks again.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thanks Larry. So are you saying that if the fermenasaurus is rated at a max. pressure of 35psi, even if you set your spunding valve at at 30psi for the fermentation, when you fridge it the pressure will still drop too low to get a satisfactory pour. The first glasses will get foam and the last glasses will be flat. Have I got it right ? ( sorry, it gets bloody confusing for a novice)
Hey Larry, are you still using the Fermentasaurus? Haven't seen it in any of your later videos. Just put my first 7.5gal batch in mine yesterday. Rocking at 15psi for now and will probably jack it up to 20+ in a day or two because I'm @ 64 degrees (as per your closing comments). Thanks for this and all your great videos! Cheers!
Thanks for the reply! I'll have to check that video out Larry. Here is a request/video idea: Repeat your Vienna Style lager video but fermenting under pressure at higher temp in the 'saurus. I've been hearing of some good experiences doing lagers under pressure at ale temps...
By the way... I just bought the Fermentasaurus with Pressure Lid Kit from my Local Homebrew Shop after watching your video... I can't wait for my next brew day! I use a Grainfather system...
I bought one from Willliam Brewing but I like your adjustable set up better, would be great to know where to buy that adjustable valve. thanks and appreciate all the great insight!
Nice work on the video as always and on the valve setup. One thing to possibly add in the future may not be a bad idea is a check valve just in case if beer were to flow into the tubing if there were too much volume in fermenter vs the keg. Edit: now that I think about my comment, I don't believe a check valve would work in the setup you have there since you would still need to let gas out through the valve.
Nice wort to keg overview. There definitely is a higher pressure required for beer at higher temperatures. I have some other ideas about this product.. Coming soon😉 Cheers Larry! 🍻
Hello, I like this fermenter a lot and would like to share with other beer fans unfortunately they don't speak English for the most part. I could make a quick translation and hook it up to the video somehow?thanks
Hi Larry, thank you for doing this vid, I'm new to home brewing and love your channel, helping me loads. Can I ask though, what pressure did you set the spunding valve to when fermenting in the fermentasaurus?
Excellent videos! Thanks for these reviews, they are easy to understand for someone who is just getting into brewing. I've made several batches and want to get better every time! You make that easy. Thanks, I'll keep watching.
Hey Larry! I'm keen on maybe buying a Fermentersaurus so thanks for the review! I have a question: Why would you not rack into your keg and then pressurize it instead of trying to balance pressures and then rack it? Cheers for your time.
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry Thanks forgetting back to me so quickly Larry but I think there may be a little bit of confusion about what I was actually asking. I know that the beer was already carbonated but you said you had already pressurised your keg, I was just wondering why you would pressurise the keg before racking the beer into it and not afterwards. Cheers!
Hi Larry this is a great product, and with a few tweaks it could be fantastic. I have had occasional clogging problems around the butterfly valve even when I ferment with an air lock i.e. not under pressure. They are about to release a Mk2 vision with a larger butterfly valve to avoid clogging, a bigger top opening to allow easy cleaning, and stronger stand. Also two sizes will be offered - 27 litres and 50 litres. If any of you are considering buying one of these wait till late 2018 and get the Mk2. I'll be getting one and then using the Mk1 as a keg with natural conditioning.
A couple of thoughts; 1) You should get a pressure controlled compressor. Spending CO2 on cleaning wasteful and a compressor can be used to add oxygen to your beer so you don't have to buy it and also, it's nice if you use a keg for carbonated water since water doesn't spoil in contact with oxygen. 2) I think the collection ball is most useful when you don't ferment under pressure, such as with wines. The floating liquid line makes it more or less pointlest, except for collecting yeast for reuse. I completely agree with you that trubes does no harm to your beer. However, you may want to delay opening the valve until there's some pressure in the keg in order to make sure it doesn't clog. If you're worried about adding the small amount of oxygen, which I wouldn't worry about at all, then you can just fill it with co2 before connecting it.
Best beer vids I’ve seen yet. All your videos are straight forward and to the point.
outstanding vid Larry. I love the casual, easy going style you have and that you don't edit out the gotchas as you learn about them. Nice style, great job.
I love that you don’t edit out the mistakes or problems in your videos. Subbed
Also if you can , 24 hours before transferring , put the fermenter in a fridge , temperature at 36 f and the yeast will go down more and the beer more clear , transferring your beer cold create less foam and more easy . Have a second fermenter to reuse the yeast for new beer
Nice review. You can actually use a sodastream bottle on the bottom instead of the trub collector. You can collect more trub this way. Keep the valve open and it will eventually all settled into the bottle.
I just got a 3 gallon conical fermenter. 3G Fast Ferment. I like it and it fits my apartment space. But now I want a bigger fermenter so it looks like I need to clear off some space. These conicals clog up down in the small throat, but, that is part of the game I guess. Cheers. Thanks for the great video.
Loved the walk through the entire process with the mistakes/issues. You did not get to the co2 and fluid Temperature till the very end,Loved your control methods for transferring warm co2 charged liquid. Probably the only way to do it at room temp. I chill my cider first before messing with the keg, and i use 5 liter kegs ( allot of them) just to make handling and storing/transporting easier for my limited space. it also allows making many flavor variations among each one.
I think I will get one but put it on wheels. In late fall and winter take outside to chill.
I've heard pressure suppresses yeast activity. I wouldn't allow pressure to build up until after you drop trub, or the krausen begins to drop.Then cap it with your awesome spunting valve and crash cool under pressure when it's done. Nice vid and really cool fermenter.
Cool addition to your home set up, some things you can do differently:
- Every time you collect yeast slid a tray under the capsule.
- leave floating hydrometer inside the Fermentasaurus, it will roughly give you the gravity at any given point without the need to measure gravity under carb beer.
- Add the float and the racking tube after 75% fermentation over.
The issue with this new toy and other toys like it is none of this conical fit in small fridge.
Cheers
One other thing to think about. I believe carbonation throws off hydrometer readings. I've seen pros degas the sample before taking a reading to get it more accurate. I would imagine if it's floating in there with ~2 vols of CO2 it's going to throw the reading off. Which probably also happened with his hydrometer sample.
Well, good to know.
Love this blokes honesty. he doesnt talk shit. Great video mate.
The best clip on the subject I’ve seen so far. Well done Larry
Thank you. Glad you liked it!
Great vid, only concern I have is, according to the instructions I read online, you are meant to be able to use the collection vessel to dry hop! How are you going to do that if your not going to remove the trub vessel under pressure?
An other way to do inexpensive under pressure syphoning is to buy extra korney kegs for primary fermentation, it works well, a keg is simple to cleen, you can throw down boiling water if you need, and 2 second hand korney kegs are cheeper than the fermentasaurus system !
;)
That's true. Hopefully kegs takes not mutch space and are easy to find ;)
That's pretty impressive I've always had troubles with sediment during transferring process, that little ball seems like a clever idea to stop sucking yeast or either hops going to the corny keg, I'll definitely do my own version. Cheers Larry and thanks for the video! Big fan of you 🍻
Great video Larry. Your last videos showed just how easy it is to Homebrew and how this hobby has evolved. Thanks
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry In the video you said you could have had the pressure higher. Wouldn't this force the trub down into the catch ball or does it plug that tightly? I'm not a brewer but am looking to get into it, One question I have is you open the valve to the catch ball right away. Shouldn't you keep it closed till its done fermenting so that all the yeast interacts with the beer? And if so wouldn't the higher pressure force the trub down? Next question is in regards to when you pulled the catch ball off. It was a heck of a mess but could you have lowered the overall pressure for say a day before so the carbonation would settle out and then remove the catch ball with less pressure, clean up the ball and then reattach the ball, then increase the pressure back up? These are just some things that went through my mind as I watched your excellent informative videos.
Larry, they make whats called a Frisbee to catch the spillage from the collection ball, or just use a round cake pan. Make life a lot easier.
You're right, Larry, a lot of thought and care went into the design of this conical. The best one I've seen yet.
Hi Larry,
thank you for that great review video! This helped me a lot to get friends with my Fermentasaurus!
Today i transferred the first brew into a KEG, it worked fantastic and i love that device!
Greetz from Germany!
Jochen
Larry, you are amazing! Thank you for ALL that you do! Please keep it up! I'm still getting caught up on your video library... and your shirt in this video is BANGARANG!
Well if Larry likes the Fermentasaurus and EMS Brewing likes Larry's video then I guess my mind is made up on which conical fermenter I'm getting!
Have you experimented with fermenting above 10 PSI? I've read that at that point the pressure is detrimental to the yeast. Which makes it seem like pressurized fermentation isn't a viable way of fully carbonating beer.
Another great video Larry. I really like this thing - wow, to be able to pressurise is fantastic! And the volume - bigger than the fast ferment which makes it perfect for my batch size. This is now on my wanted list! Thanks!
The biggest advancement in home brewing! Pressurizable!
Thanks Larry! Great review. I always like it when a review is start to finish like this.
To make it a little less complicated and easier to perform transfer from fermenter to keg, could you set your Co2 Tank at ~2-3 psi, push to fermenter that pushes to the keg, then just turn your air relief valve on the keg to "open". Since you are pushing Co2, no air can get into the keg. Also, do you think if you relieve the head pressure from the fermenter prior to dumping the trub (replicating transfer from Primary to Secondary), that the 'blast' of trub in the video would be more gravity and possibly prevent the 'stuck' you experienced in the trub jar? The trub jar fitting should be a lot larger in diameter for hoppy beers to prevent getting stuck. Just comments and thoughts. Great videos and great detail Larry. Keep the great content coming.
I was thinking the head pressure and the beer carbonation in the fermenter separately. Just like when you pop the top on a bottle of beer... you lose the head pressure, but not the carbonation. That being said, if you relieved the head pressure in the fermenter, the beer will stay carbonated, then you could push with a lower psi (~2-3 psi of Co2). But if that causes foaming, what you say makes sense. I hope you don't receive these comments as critiques as I am too am learning and thoroughly enjoy your videos as I think they are some of the best instructional/detail videos around. I have been looking at conicals from the ~$700 Stainless Steel to these more recent 'plastic' fermenters as I am tired of racking to secondary (I know you don't do secondaries and I too am leaning more towards that route in the near future), and easier way to transfer from secondary to keg, all the while minimizing risk of contamination. We brew anything from hoppy beers (lots of hops to get stuck in the trub valve) to Stouts with hardly any hops to get stuck.
I agree that you lose some carbonation once you relieve head pressure, but not that quickly (after you pop the top on a beer and pour it in a glass, the beer doesn't go flat immediately because of lack of head pressure). for example. I fill a growler from my Keezer. to transfer to the growler, I reduce the regulator pressure to the keg to about 4 psi, then I purge the head pressure from the keg down to about 4 psi (from around 12 psi). I then put my growler filler onto my beer faucet, and put the other end of the hose into the bottom of my growler, then begin to fill the growler. I let the growler fill to the top, the cap immediately. I then adjust the regulator to return the head pressure in the keg to its original pressure (12 psi). The beer in the growler is not pressurized (or very little) and the beer stays carbonated for days if unopened. Once the growler is opened, you have to drink within a day or it'll start oxidizing and degassing. What I am driving at is, is that over time, the carbonation will come out of suspension, but at a far slower rate, then just purging the head pressure, and that should be enough time to 'push' the beer from the fermenter to the keg.Definitely looking forward to your review of the SS conical from Spike as that is the exact model I have been eyeing up. Edit Comment: Just as it takes a while to carbonate the beer after it has been initially placed into a keg as the Co2 needs to dissolve into the beer, the same holds true for coming out of solution. But I think we've belabored this point enough. Keep up the great videos Larry and looking forward to the next. And again, I am not being critical at all as you do great videos and excellent reviews.
Hey, just a thought. Couldn't you use an air lock until you do the first trub dump and then let is pressurize from the rest of the fermentation? It seems like it was generating enough CO2 to carbonate it that way.
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry I'll be watching for the video. Been thinking about picking up one of these. I really like my Fast Ferment and was wanting to get another one. Now I'm kind of torn between the two.
It looks like there was some sort of expiration date on the unit? Appears the date was 2019? Can you confirm? Looked like it said do not pressurize after 2019? Thanks....great video!
Would love to see a diy tutorial on that great automatic pressure valve dingy. Would really simplify the part gathering process!
You're the man, should have checked. Cheers
Hi Larry, great video. I bought a Fermentasaurus today because this video really impessed me. I bought a Coopers Lager Diy beer can because the guy at the shop suggested it . I like Pabst Blue Ribbon but I'm not sure that the Coopers Lager was the correct product for the Fermentasaurus. I just wanted to make my first batch as simple as possible after not making my own beer for 30 years. I liked the idea of the trub being deposited into the trub ball. Do you have any suggestions of brew kits I could buy ? I like an american or canadian lager that is light. Any suggestions to a new user of this device ?
Why didn’t you release the pressure in the fermenter before emptying the trub ?
About trub removal: Could you first let it ferment through the most active fermentation stage with the normal air lock lid (say 72-144 hours), then remove trub and replace the cap with the pressure kit? That would save you from the mess. In any case, I have to say this fermenter is really compelling!
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Yeah sure thing. Was actually thinking about collecting yeast, in which case you'd have to get the trub out first to get the cleanest possible batch of yeast. Good to know about the 2nd gen. Will definitely wait for that one as I'm not in an actual hurry to purchase one of these babies. :)
Thanks so much! You review has helped me make up my mind in which conical fermenter I'll use for cider. I don't think I'll have have to worry about your trub clogging issue with cider but it looks like they fixed that issue with the version 2, called FermZilla.
Thank you. I am considering going to all grain from extract. Also, what product is your sanitizer? I will be watching your other videos. Cheers.
I use Star San.
Hi Larry great video, I bought myself the Fermzilla but made the same error you did by fermenting at a lower PSI whilst at room temp. I have kegged and began refrigerating the beer but I am unsure how to add carbonation. I brewed your Laargarden and I can't wait to get into it. Thanks!
Would releasing the pressure allow you to remove the trub without foaming? Once replaced, the big tank would repressurize?
Awesome! Got mine all put together just waiting to brew again to test this thing out. If you don't mind me asking how much do you have into your spunding valve? I see they have them on morebeer for about 40 bucks
You can also trim the float ball line so it floats just right above the trub and not into the trub to suck it up
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry overall great video I have been waiting for a great complete review of this fermenter cause I was wanting to buy it as well .... Most videos are of guys buying it and assembling it but not using it.....thanks for the detailed video this just confirmed my purchase
Thank you for the nice video! One thing i'm not certain is about the high temperature. Wouldn't it affect the yeast action?
The purpose of using pressure fermenters is to allow fermentation at higher temperatures than normal for the yeast.
Is this suitable for wine?
Fermentasaurus looks very good and practical... I maybe purchase one of those in the future. Execellent video and a lot useful knowledge Larry. Greetings from El Salvador Central América.
Very informative Larry. Thanks. Feel kinda dense for loosing so many magnetic stir bars over the years. Mostly to my whisky boiler. You answered my question about getting foam in the beer vessel transfer line. Couldn’t figure that one out. I wasn’t pressurising the receiving vessel at all. Makes sense now.
Glad to help
Enjoyed watching Larry. Well put together and I informative. I like when forgot to add tbe yeast in your excitement, we've all been there. Also when you came out the closet about your lack of trub dumping. Made me laugh. All the best. Happy Brewing.
Great video! Found the Fermentasaurus online, but can't locate the port cap you show for CO2 and liquid. Where did you purchase your set up?
Nice setup you got. You must be quite busy with all these hobbies you have. I'm finding that wine making is enough for me now, but the beer making looks like something that I might do in the future. How long does homemade beer keep? Thanks.
I have the fermentesaurus and it's a great product. I had foaming problems on my first transfer not realizing that having 2 psi differential helps. I was basically pulling the release valve. Curious to see how beers turn out fermenting at high temps. Be careful cleaning. I soaked mine over night with cleaner, and the following morning the whole thing caved in. Now I have some creases. Might return mine. It still holds pressure, but has a couple of creases.
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry I used luke warm water under pressure. 10 psi or so.
Larry, I think the hose on the floating ball is to small. What is it like 1/4in dia? How long did it take to transfer?
Thanks Larry!! love the vids. im an avid all grain brewer and just purchased the fermentasaurus also..great buy.
What's the process for dry hopping and doing this under pressure?
Is this now your go to fermenter. If so I am assuming you use C02 to put pressure on fermenter, leave trube to the end and transfer with same C02Thank you
How are you taking an accurate gravity reading if it's carbonated? What did you use to calculate accounting for the co2?
Love the video as per usual Larry, very informative. Instead of using the device you made, would the pressure relief valve ensure it doesn’t turn into a bomb?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY thanks, I didn’t think about the yeast🤦♂️👍
Really debating to get this or the catalyst fermenter you reviewed but I’m leaving more for this due to the minimal oxygen exposure. How would you dry hop without introducing oxygen? Also I’m going to look at your fermzilla video after beacuse ppl are saying the valve sucks on the fermnetasoures
Hi Larry that's a nice bit of kit you've got there.
More pressure to push , we are using 16 psi and let the keg purge Valve open , when beer overflow it s full
Very cool! seems easy enough. The stand doesn't seem ideal though. Reminds me of tomato cages.
Hey Larry, how long does the fermentasaurus last? It looks flimsy.
Have you tried the higher pressure fermentation yet? Looking for the proper pressure for fermentation before I drop $60 on the kit.
I get the Blow-off valve system, "but" the dial unit where and what do you call it
Hi Larry great video as usual. What's the name of that green tray that poured the starsan in and where did you get it.
Thanks
The wall paper tray? Menards.
Hello Larry excuse me my english isn't perfect maybe i dont understand of all. When the first fermentation finish you use sugar for the second and carbonation? Or only pressure? thank you
Thanks, and I’m not into yeast harvesting. I like the size too, fits in my smaller freezer size fermenter. Thanks Larry, and you’re the man.
Fantastic video Lazman! I'm buying one in a couple of days. This has been most helpful.
So, now several months out, what are your thoughts on this? Still positive?
Have a gravity question for you Larry, how far off will your gravity be with CO2 in solution or do you just let the beer go flat in the test jar and then get your gravity. Thanks again keep your videos coming. Cheers
Thanks for all your videos! Lately I have been reading things about priming sugar. Do you need to use priming sugar in the keg or are you relying on the CO2 to carbonate the beer? This might be a stupid question but I'm just starting out- brewing my first 5gal batch next weekend. Thanks again!
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thanks! Keep up the good work. We newbies really appreciate it.
Thank you for this great video. I’m a beginner in brewing beer and find this very usefull. Do you have also advise on using this fermentasaurus with dry hopping?
Use food safe magnets to hold your hop bag near the top and let them fall into the beer when ready yo dry hop.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRYthank you for advice!
Instead of fermenting under pressure, how about just having the airlock in for the primary fermentation and then carbonate it after draining the sediment into the receiving bottle?
You should be putting your yeast starter in the catchment jar and open it letting the wort though..
You deserve a lot more subs and views my man! Awesome video, if you want to top it, maybe pour one of the freshly made beers at the end ;)
I thought you would like the fermentasaurus. Looks pretty tall like all conicals, I'm going to have to take some measurements to see if it will fit in my fermentation fridge
I have one and am not using temperature control with it for exactly the reason it's too big to fit in either of my fermenting fridges. That will have to stop soon as Summer approaches here in Oz. I'm keen to hear from others of temp control options (jackets, internal coils, ...)
I'm new to brewing and have done several all in one homebrew kits. Where do I go next? I would love to one day consider myself a brewer like you. Would this fermenter help with the kits mentioned above or would you recommend advancing to making everything from scratch?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY hi Larry, thanks for you advice and rapid response. Could you recommend a basic equipment list I need to purchase and a simple recipe for a craft beer. ATM I'm drinking Montgomery jack's pink grapefruit kit. I would love to out everything together and brew something that tastes as good as this. Many thanks again
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY excellent, I will have a good watch tonight and get purchasing this week. Thank you so much for your help
I love your brew vids Larry, hope all is well, hope to see some new content from ya soon!
Thanks for this vid Larry. Just about to launch off with my first fermentasaurus batch and this vid has helped me no end. I don't yet have the CO2 bottle etc and I was thinking with my first test batch that I could perhaps raise the pressure at the end of the fermentation with the spunding valve ( say to 20psi ), then throw the fermentasaurus in the fridge hoping that I could tap and pour straight from it into a glass. There perhaps wouldn't be enough carbonisation for the entire 23 litres but do you think I would waste much ? Appreciate your comments mate. Thanks again.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thanks Larry. So are you saying that if the fermenasaurus is rated at a max. pressure of 35psi, even if you set your spunding valve at at 30psi for the fermentation, when you fridge it the pressure will still drop too low to get a satisfactory pour. The first glasses will get foam and the last glasses will be flat. Have I got it right ?
( sorry, it gets bloody confusing for a novice)
Hey Larry, are you still using the Fermentasaurus? Haven't seen it in any of your later videos. Just put my first 7.5gal batch in mine yesterday. Rocking at 15psi for now and will probably jack it up to 20+ in a day or two because I'm @ 64 degrees (as per your closing comments). Thanks for this and all your great videos! Cheers!
Thanks for the reply! I'll have to check that video out Larry. Here is a request/video idea: Repeat your Vienna Style lager video but fermenting under pressure at higher temp in the 'saurus. I've been hearing of some good experiences doing lagers under pressure at ale temps...
When you were cleaning h it how hot was the water. I have one of these and the instructions says to not use water over 50 degrees Celsius.
Larry! I'm very interested in how to you built your "Spunding Valve!" Will you please share the parts list and build with us?
Thanks!
By the way... I just bought the Fermentasaurus with Pressure Lid Kit from my Local Homebrew Shop after watching your video... I can't wait for my next brew day!
I use a Grainfather system...
I bought one from Willliam Brewing but I like your adjustable set up better, would be great to know where to buy that adjustable valve. thanks and appreciate all the great insight!
Nice work on the video as always and on the valve setup. One thing to possibly add in the future may not be a bad idea is a check valve just in case if beer were to flow into the tubing if there were too much volume in fermenter vs the keg.
Edit: now that I think about my comment, I don't believe a check valve would work in the setup you have there since you would still need to let gas out through the valve.
so can I use a counter pressure bottle filler to fill my bottles?
Larry what is the average fermentation time for your ales?From pitch to keg. Also what is your method of keeping the fermentor cool? Thanks
Thanks
Great Job!
Just an advice, working with high pressures I would use protection goggles
Thanks for the video. I know this is old, but why did you purge and let the oxygen out during fermentation?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY this part ua-cam.com/video/y_RQKeFlwfA/v-deo.html. I don't get why you released the pressure there.
Isn't good to keep the Oxygen in?
you just sold me on the damn fermentasaurus.
Hi Larry, great video. How long in total did it take to transfer the beer to the keg?
I was just wondering if you work in the Building Trades, and if so what trade?
Nice wort to keg overview. There definitely is a higher pressure required for beer at higher temperatures. I have some other ideas about this product.. Coming soon😉 Cheers Larry! 🍻
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry yep!!! Working on getting my video out shortly..
Larry - that is a really cool product. Thanks for sharing!
What did you do about light. The clear plastic would have me worried. Great video. Look forward to more.
Could you lower the pressure via relief valve before removing trub in jar?
One way to resolve this is to ferment without pressure, or with 1psi-ish, until you remove the trub, and then allow it to finish under pressure.
Hello, I like this fermenter a lot and would like to share with other beer fans unfortunately they don't speak English for the most part. I could make a quick translation and hook it up to the video somehow?thanks
Hi Larry any thoughts on water chemistry I'm using my water from a private well and it's soft ph of 5.4 do I need to up my ph what do you think thanks
Hi Larry, thank you for doing this vid, I'm new to home brewing and love your channel, helping me loads. Can I ask though, what pressure did you set the spunding valve to when fermenting in the fermentasaurus?
Hey Larry, what do you think about brewing Imperial Russian Stout under pressure and transfering it to carboy for bulk aging?
Supposedly fermented beer under pressure ferments quicker/cleaner and tastes better.
What are your thoughts on fermenting under pressure?
Excellent videos! Thanks for these reviews, they are easy to understand for someone who is just getting into brewing. I've made several batches and want to get better every time! You make that easy. Thanks, I'll keep watching.
Love this review... I'm going to spread your links.
How did you determine what PSI to let this ferment at?
Hey Larry! I'm keen on maybe buying a Fermentersaurus so thanks for the review! I have a question: Why would you not rack into your keg and then pressurize it instead of trying to balance pressures and then rack it? Cheers for your time.
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry Thanks forgetting back to me so quickly Larry but I think there may be a little bit of confusion about what I was actually asking. I know that the beer was already carbonated but you said you had already pressurised your keg, I was just wondering why you would pressurise the keg before racking the beer into it and not afterwards. Cheers!