4/27 2:30 AM Central: This is selling for just $22.99. Shipping is also free to many US addresses with Prime Membership [Try Prime for Free] or a qualifying order. Prices, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check product page for current info – More About Prices
4/15 6:30 AM Central: These are on selling for just $29.99. That’s the best historical third party Amazon price I found, notwithstanding Lightning Deals or coupons. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. Prices and availability can change quickly. Check product page for current info – More About Prices
This review is by Homebrew Finds Reader Benji S. Benji has been brewing for 10 years. His favorite style is Festbier. He’s an all grain brewer and member of WIZA (Whidbey Island Zymurgy Association). Check him out on Instagram at neon_hop
After well over a year of evaluating, I splurged recently and got a Spike Conical (the CF5). I’ve seen quite a few others going through this debate period, so I wanted to provide a hot take to help others in their own decision making process. So far I’ve assembled and prepped it for my first brews, but haven’t actually used it yet. Most of the points here will be about equipment quality/features rather than practice.
For context; I added on the temp control bundle with heater, leg extensions, casters, extended bracing shelf, and a few other nice to haves. So some of these will cover things that aren’t part of the “core” conical package.
Thank you to HBF Contributor Aaron Nord for this hands on review! Aaron is an advanced award winning brewer, a long time reader and a serial tipster!
Kegland Hop Bong
Keeping oxygen out of a fermenter after the initial yeast pitch is a goal of most fermentations, with a few exceptions being oxygenating a high gravity batch mid-way through fermentation, barrel-aged ales, or spontaneously fermented ales in open foeders. For a homebrewer who wants to brew a beer outside of those exceptions noted, avoiding oxygen introduction after fermentation has begun is paramount to a quality finished beer, a goal which is sometimes a difficult to attain. Notably, adding dry hops, other flavor components (e.g. wood chips or coffee beans), or clarifying agents (e.g. gelatin fining or Biofine) presents a challenge for most homebrewers if they want to avoid oxygen exposure in the fermenting wort.
Limited Time Deal on FermZilla:
FermZilla 27 Liter Conical Fermenter via William’s Brewing
More Info
From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:
The Gen3 FermZilla Tri Conical features a 3” Tri-Clamp fitting to attach the dump valve, and a 2” Tri-Clamp fitting to attach the yeast collection vessel. This makes it easy to disassemble the fermenter for cleaning, and to remove and reattach the yeast collection vessel.
The FermZilla can be used in many ways -use it as a basic gravity fermenter with the ability to dump and harvest yeast, or as a pressure fermenter and or keg with optional Spunding Valve part C71 and Pressure Kit part C77, as a chilled fermenter with an optional Temp Twister and Cooling Kit, and even as a Hop Bong Pressure Kit, with the ability to add dry hops without adding oxygen.
Includes a lid with 35 PSI PRV valve, stainless stand, airlock, 1000 ml collection container with lid, and Tri Clamp fittings to assemble and use the fermenter.
As of this posting, William’s Brewing has a limited number of returned FermZillas on sale for just $94.99. These are unused and have full warranties.
There are workarounds and ways for homebrewers to limit oxygen introduction, conceived upon by crafty brewers over the years. Dry hops for example, can be suspended in a muslin bag above the wort by placing a magnet inside the bag and its mating magnet on the outside of the fermenter. In this way, the hops will be in the fermenter at the beginning of fermentation and can be dropped according to the dry hop schedule by simply removing the outside magnet, all without opening the fermenter. Or, to add clarifying agents without cracking the fermenter lid, a brewer can utilize a plastic bottle with a carbonation cap. This method entails adding the liquid substance to a plastic soda bottle and pressurizing the bottle with CO2 via the carbonation cap, purging it, and repeating the process multiple times to ensure the gas inside the bottle is mostly composed of CO2. Then, by using a ball lock jumper, the pressurized bottle can be connected to a fermenter’s ball lock post, if equipped, and the liquid will enter the fermenter, so long as the pressure in the fermenter is less than that of the bottle.
Although these workarounds exist and cut the mustard for my purposes, I was excited when I found out that Kegland was set to release a product that appeared to be a simpler solution all around. In looking into it further I found that it was advertised to have additional uses, aside from the main feature of enabling hop, flavor, or fining additions to the fermenter while limiting oxygen ingress. This highly anticipated product is called the Hop Bong.
I have been a proud owner of a Kegland FermZilla All Rounder fermenter – Hands on Review – for over two years now and have nothing but good things to say about it. As a manufacturer, Kegland is a homebrewing gear innovator and a leader in the market. They are continuing to come up with novel equipment and tools that span their wide array of product offerings including many for their FermZilla fermenter line. I was excited to see what the Hop Bong could offer as an addition to my All Rounder fermenter.
DR.COMPONENT 1.5″ Sanitary Standard Tri-Clamp Gaskets (Pack of 25), Black EPDM
Highlighted Features
What You Get: 25 PCS packed in one bubble bag
Food Grade Material For high pure transpant clean and Clear Platinum Silicone
Gasket size for 1-1/2 inch Tri-Clover or Tri-Clamp sanitary pipe and tube fittings
Food Grade Material For Platinum Silicone (FDA 177.2600)
Leave message For any other type-schedule 5, Q-line, material-Teflon, Teflon coated, FEP encapsulated, color and size for custom molding and quantity discount price,
【304 Stainless Steel】The 1.5 inch bulkhead fitting is made of 304 stainless steel, anti-rust, high-temperature resistance, high-pressure resistance. The Polishing treatment makes the surface look more refined.
【Welding-Free Design】Only need to drill a 41 mm hole in the kettle, then the 1.5〃TC bulkhead can be installed on the most brew kettle without welding. Add a TC port to your brew kettle easily.
【Food Grade O-Ring】A high-temperature resistant silicone O-ring is included. The O-ring has the perfect thickness and density to properly seal on the curved face of a brew kettle without leaking.
【Applicable Size】This bulkhead compression fitting is suitable for 1.5 inch tri clamp. It is suitable for coke kegs, soda kegs, beer kegs, kettles, etc. as small as 12 inches in diameter.
【Quality Service】We are committed to providing you with high-quality and reliable products. If you have any questions, you can tell us at any time. We will definitely solve it for you!
X-Dry Series Tri-Clamp Chugger Pump (Center Inlet) via MoreBeer
More Info
From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:
Introducing the X-Dry Series Chugger Pumps! These pumps offer the same great quality we’ve come to expect from Chugger, but now feature Run-Dry Protection. Although the Chugger still needs to be primed before each use, the X-Dry Series offers a new level of protection from damage due to cavitation.
The Chugger lineup of pumps represents a great value for an even better price. These pumps are workhorses in the brewery. Featuring a robust flow rate of 7 gpm, and a magnetic drive designed to handle back-pressure, these pumps are a great addition to any brewing setup! The Stainless Steel Chugger showcases their molded Stainless Steel Pump Head. This stainless pump is a steal for the price, and we’ve been more than happy with the quality! Use this to ease transfers between kettles, cool wort via a counterflow chiller, or recirculate icewater for quicker chilling!
The Chugger pump model has 1.5″ tri-clamp inlet and outlet, allowing easy integration with your T.C. kettles or fermenter! We recommend setting these pumps up with a butterfly valve on the outflow side, this way you can throttle down the outgoing flow rate, allowing for more efficient sparges or cooling! The pump head can also be rotated 360° (in 90° intervals) allowing for even more customization!
Features:
Run Dry Carbon Bearing
Stainless Steel Center Inlet Pump Head
Food Grade up to 250° F
1.5″ tri-clamp inlet and outlet
High Flow rate of 7 gpm
Max Head 18.6 ft
115v 55″ cord and plug attached
50/60 Hz, 1.4 amp
1/20 HP, 3500 RPM
Note: When using silicone tubing, we recommend using a slighlty larger barb than the I.D. of the tubing. This is because silicone tubing tends to have greater pliability than most tubing. For example, when using 1/2″ silicone tubing, we recommend our 5/8″ barb (H620), to help ensure a better seal!
Save $45!
MoreBeer is discounting most things, sitewide by up to $45 based on your order size when you use coupon code SAVEMORE. Get $20 off $150, $20 off $200 and $45 off $250. Some exclusions apply. Most items bundle with MoreBeer’s Free Shipping. Under that promo most orders over $59 ship for free. Check MoreBeer for availability and details.
7 Position 1/2″ Butterfly Valve Made from 304 Stainless Steel from MoreBeer
More Info
From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:
Here’s why homebrewers like to use butterfly valves: Regular ball valves can trap wort inside of them. If the wort doesn’t get completely cleaned out it can become infected & turn sour, transmitting that infection to the next wort to travel through the valve. A favorite of homebrewers, sanitary butterfly valves are easily cleaned in place. Because their internal mechanism is not complex, they can also easily be taken apart for a deeper cleaning when desired.
This is a compact design with a 7 position handle, made completely from AISI 304L stainless steel. The handle’s indexing plate can be reversed for either right or left hand use.
Limited Availability Deal of the Day: As of this posting, this on sale as as a MoreBeer Deal of the Day. Shipping is also free to addresses in the contiguous US with most $59 Orders. Availability: This is available today only, while supplies last. Quantities are limited. Check the MoreBeer’s Deal of the Day to check today’s offering.
Product Description – Here– Use coupon code BEERDEAL to get this discount.
DR.COMPONENT 1.5″ Sanitary Standard Tri-Clamp Gaskets (Pack of 25), Black EPDM
Highlighted Features
What You Get: 25 PCS packed in one bubble bag
Food Grade Material For high pure transpant clean and Clear Platinum Silicone
Gasket size for 1-1/2 inch Tri-Clover or Tri-Clamp sanitary pipe and tube fittings
Food Grade Material For Platinum Silicone (FDA 177.2600)
Leave message For any other type-schedule 5, Q-line, material-Teflon, Teflon coated, FEP encapsulated, color and size for custom molding and quantity discount price,
Add a 1.5" TC flange to virtually any vessel!Just drill a 41MM hole and tighen the locknut with 1pcs extra Food grade gasket..
304 Stainless Construction and High heat compatible silicone gaskets.
The front of the flange does not have flats for a wrench. The easiest way to hold the flange for tightening is to clamp any other TC parts on with the gasket and clamp. Once tight, you can insert a long rod or screw driver into the hole of the wingnut.
Works on kettle as small as 12" in diameter.
Weldless design Ideal for FTSs and Brew Bucket flat lid pressurized transfers
From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:
Upgrade your FermZilla Conical or All Rounder with the new 2″ Tri-Clamp Lid from KegLand. Add yeast, hops or even take samples from a wine thief from the top and not have to remove the entire lid.
This particular lid was designed in order to suit a growing number of customers desire to dry hop without exposing the batch to oxygen from opening the lid. By using this lid in conjunction with the FermZilla 2″ Butterfly Valve and Hop Bong Kit, you will be able to purge CO2 into the tube and expel all the oxygen inside it and dump freely into the vessel.
Features:
(2) PCO1881 Male Ports
Recommended for use with Red (Gas In) & Yellow (Bev Out) Ball Lock Caps
PRV Port with Red 35 psi (2.5 BAR) PRV
2″ T.C. Ferrule
Undrilled Ports (for optional accessories):
Thermowell Port (see below for FermZilla Thermowell kit)
(2) Temp Twister Ports
Please Note: Temp Twister will need to be bent on a 20° Angle in order to fit on the curved lid and align vertically in the tank.
Also includes:
2″ Tri-Clamp
2″ T.C. Gasket
2″ T.C. x PCO1881 Male Thread Cap
【304 Stainless Steel】The 1.5 inch bulkhead fitting is made of 304 stainless steel, anti-rust, high-temperature resistance, high-pressure resistance. The Polishing treatment makes the surface look more refined.
【Welding-Free Design】Only need to drill a 41 mm hole in the kettle, then the 1.5〃TC bulkhead can be installed on the most brew kettle without welding. Add a TC port to your brew kettle easily.
【Food Grade O-Ring】A high-temperature resistant silicone O-ring is included. The O-ring has the perfect thickness and density to properly seal on the curved face of a brew kettle without leaking.
【Applicable Size】This bulkhead compression fitting is suitable for 1.5 inch tri clamp. It is suitable for coke kegs, soda kegs, beer kegs, kettles, etc. as small as 12 inches in diameter.
【Quality Service】We are committed to providing you with high-quality and reliable products. If you have any questions, you can tell us at any time. We will definitely solve it for you!
Add a 1.5" TC flange to virtually any vessel!Just drill a 41MM hole and tighen the locknut with 1pcs extra Food grade gasket..
304 Stainless Construction and High heat compatible silicone gaskets.
The front of the flange does not have flats for a wrench. The easiest way to hold the flange for tightening is to clamp any other TC parts on with the gasket and clamp. Once tight, you can insert a long rod or screw driver into the hole of the wingnut.
Works on kettle as small as 12" in diameter.
Weldless design Ideal for FTSs and Brew Bucket flat lid pressurized transfers
