Buyer’s Guide – Page 2

As homebrewers, We need fermenters we can trust because they are a crucial segment of a successfully brewed beer. When it comes to options you have, you can choose between plastic, stainless steel, and glass fermenters. In this article, We will discuss the differences between stainless steel, plastic, and glass fermenters and come to a conclusion as to which one is better for homebrewers. So, which type of fermenter is best for homebrewers? Plastic fermenters are the cheapest and simplest choice for beginners followed by glass fermenters, but stainless steel is the best quality fermenter in the long run. Every fermenter can be used to brew the same quality of beer, but there are convenience benefits to each type. That said, let's get straight to the point and explain why I believe that plastic fermenters are better for beginners and when you should consider steel and glass fermenters. Advantages of stainless steel fermenters Find Stainless Steel Fermenter on Amazon Great durability and sturdy build Stainless steel fermenters are the epitome of long-term equipment you are proud of after a decade. There really aren't things that can break and no heat, pressure, explosions, or rain of bullets will destroy it. Glass may shatter, and plastic can diminish in quality due to scratches inside or after a year of heat abuse, but steel will still be there. Easy maintenance and cleaning Stainless steel fermenters are super easy to clean and sediment will hardly stick to their sides, so this will save you some time and energy. Moreover, you don't have to be careful when cleaning it or operating it because there's no way you are going to scratch or break the steel. As you'll see plastics can scratch during cleaning and it can infect your beer as the little germs can find room in those tiny cavities which sanitizer can't reach. Perfect for temperature control Any fermenter will do, but stainless steel fermenters are perfect if you care about min-maxing. Steel will hold the heat better and will also be easier to chill down. Chilling your fermenter (wort) can be an exhausting task and steel will speed up the process. Moreover, some plastics can't hold up to the heat, so even the best plastics will suffer above the boiling point (212° F) which can cause them to deform and change chemical properties (not good for health). Steel on the other hand can take the heat like a joke due to its great resistance. They are sophisticated You are paying for the best, therefore steel fermenters always come with extra stuff like a quality spigot that won't leak, a thermometer to help you monitor the temperature, and similar stuff. Disadvantages of stainless steel fermenters Difficult to transport Truth to be told, steel is heavy and if you have to move your fermenter frequently it can become a real hustle. These fermenters are meant to be installed in one place and kept in there, yet a lot of their weight depends simply on the capacity. As a beginner, you'll prefer a capacity not greater than 6 gallons, but even a 6-gallon steel fermenter will be noticeably heavier than its plastic or glass counterparts. Many models are too big to fit small rooms and fridges Stainless steel fermenters are usually bigger than other fermenters and they require more room. This can be a problem for beginner brewers who do not have the privilege of space. If your only option is to fit a fermenter in a corner in the garage or in a closet, stainless steel fermenters might not be a good option for you. Not to mention that you need a lot of space in a fridge if you want to fit one in. I like to save space as much as I can because even with minimum equipment you'll still need lots of room for bottles. It's important to calculate how much room you need for homebrewing because if you don't plan it in advance it can become overwhelming at one point. Price This is the biggest factor for beginner homebrewers in my opinion. Why would you pay $400 for a fermenter if you are just starting out and would rather get a plastic one for $20? The price is backed up with quality and advantages, but it's overkill for beginners. On the other hand, if you plan to homebrew in the long term and really like the idea of stainless steel fermenters, go ahead and get one, they are not more complex to operate than plastic or glass ones and you'll have the best equipment from day one. Advantages of Plastic fermenters Find Plastic Fermenter on Amazon Cheap Plastic is cheap and it's not a surprise that these fermenters are the most affordable choice for beginner homebrewers. You can find great 6-gallon plastic fermenters at $20, and when you add an airlock, a spigot, or a siphon you have a full deal for less than $40. I've met people who were worried about the initial investment of homebrewing, and it was the breakpoint for them. If you also want to save as much money as possible at the beginning, get a plastic fermenter. They are cheap, but you can create the same quality beer in them just like in stainless steel fermenters. Come in every size (great for testing recipes) The biggest thing I like about plastic and glass fermenters is that they also come in small sizes for super cheap. If you want to develop your own recipe or experiment with methods, it comes in handy to have small experimental batches before you decide to brew in large quantities. You can take 5 small (a gallon) fermenters and make samples. This is the best way to learn and come up with new stuff. As you can see, doing this with stainless steel fermenters would require years or a loan. Simple and compact (can fit everywhere) The plastic fermenter is not fragile so you don't have to worry it will break and can fit in every corner. They are compact and if you have that small extra room in the closet, they can surely fit in. Disadvantages of Plastic fermenters Less durable and harder to clean Plastic is tough enough that it won't break from physical force, but it's possible to scratch it and thus open room for bacteria to house in. You have to be careful when you clean it and avoid using anything sharp because it's quite easy to scratch it and then there's nothing you can do about it. The worst is that those scratches are hardly visible, and even micro punctures in plastics can house germs that will infect your beer. Sanitization in such cases won't be efficient because those nasty germs will be able to hide and avoid it, only to attack your precious wort once the fermentation kicks in. This reason alone is the biggest disadvantage of plastic fermenters that counts as a greater evil than any disadvantage of other fermenter counterparts. Yet, if you are careful when cleaning this doesn't have to happen ever. Carefully wash your fermenter immediately after it's used with hot water and only use a fine cloth if water pressure won't clean it. For this reason, it's best to immediately clean it before sediment gets hard on the walls and to use a pressure washer or regular garden hose. Also bear in mind that if plastic changes color or becomes deformed, it is a sign that it's time to get rid of it. This is something you can expect after a few years, a bit sooner or it may surprise you and last for 5 years. It's difficult to say exactly how long will plastics endure because it also depends on the quality of the manufacturer, but just keep it in mind. Heat resistance is mediocre Depending on the plastics used some fermenters will hold with the boiling wort and some won't. In my opinion, you should forget about super cheap plastic fermenters because even the quality ones are super affordable. Look for types of plastics that are acceptable for food and brewing purposes, because there are toxic plastics and for this reason do not attempt to make your own plastic fermenter with questionable plastics. You do not want toxic chemicals to end up in your wort and if you pour in the hot wort it may happen. A good plastic fermenter will be made from safe plastics that won't release chemicals and will be able to sustain temperature to the boiling point of 212° F. However, anything hotter than that will destroy it, and to be sure, I never pour wort hotter than 176 ° F because once I held boiling wort in the plastic fermenter, it started to deform at the top. Advantages of Glass fermenters Find Glass Fermenter on Amazon You can see through it One of the coolest things and personally my favorite about glass fermenters is that you can monitor the entire fermentation process through the glass. Pictures you can take will be on another level too! There are lots of reactions going on within the fermenter, so watch the yeast grow, spot the bubbles rising, and sediment falling at the bottom, or spot the differences in color over days. It's almost magical, indeed. This feature doesn't exist on plastic and steel fermenters. Good protection and easy-to-clean Glass is great at keeping things safe inside because it's impossible for it to leak air into the wort unless it's cracked. There are also no worries that you will accidentally scratch it because glass is durable. Glass is super easy to clean and it's easy to spot the dirt on it. Disadvantages of Glass fermenters Fragile build Glass is fragile and the last thing you want is broken glass during homebrewing. Glass fermenters can break if you are not careful while transporting them, but they can crack even during siphoning, oxygenating, and other actions. Although this won't happen when you are careful, there are days when we are tired and our focus is diminished, that's when mistakes happen. The broken fermenter is ready for trash because cracks can introduce unwanted oxygen into the wort and it is difficult to fix it. Moreover, just the fact that you can cut yourself on the glass isn't very charming either. Poor compatibility Every glass fermenter has a smaller opening at the top compared to other fermenters. Furthermore, 90% of glass fermenters are shaped like a big, wide bottle which means that it's shaped with a throat at the top. This greatly reduces the room for entry and while this may seem like a good thing because fewer bugs can get in, it can be annoying when you want to introduce ingredients to it. For instance, it's more difficult to do dry-hopping or to pitch yeast through it. Moreover, if you want to put in bigger pieces of fruit, you'll experience issues as well. Doesn't block light A cool feature of being able to see through it is on another hand a terrible feature for yeast and hops. Yeast likes to be left alone out of light, but hops produce a terrible effect in contact with the light. so ensuring the fermenter is far out from sunshine is a must. The transparency will allow the sunlight to reach the yeast even if it's placed out of the direct sunshine attack. So, you'll have to either place it in a dark room or a closet or cover it with a blanket or something that will block the light from getting in (especially sunlight and LED lights) if you don't want to risk spoiling the brew.