Tips for Choosing a Fermenter
Posted on March 9, 2021 by xtxwebmaster
In the intricate process that is beer brewing, fermentation is the star of the show. This is the magical moment when the yeast consumes your wort’s sugar, creating the alcohol that makes your beer, beer. It only makes sense to pick the best fermenter possible to set the stage for this significant moment in your beer’s lifecycle. Our tips for choosing a fermenter will help you do just that.
Your Brewery’s Needs
There are multiple types of fermenters out there. And when it comes to choosing a fermenter, you have to consider what exactly your brewery needs. For instance, a microbrewery may have less space and fewer hands than one producing thousands of barrels a year. For these breweries, it may be a better idea to use a unitank to ferment beer since brewers can use them to mature the beer as well.
Temperature Control
For fermentation, high heat can cause yeast to either ferment at a decreased rate or die altogether. Brewers need to keep beer at specific temperatures to carbonate effectively. And if you decide to cold crash the beer—or bring it to near-freezing temperatures to improve the clarity—you will want solid temperature control. The best way to assure the highest level of temperature control is to choose a jacketed fermenter.
Material
Because craft beer brewing involves so much experimentation, brewers are always trying new things at every stage of the process. And that includes what metal fermenters are made from. Copper and aluminum are the popular choices, each with their own benefits and impact on the flavor of the beer. But for a metal that is sturdy and corrosion resistant, nothing beats stainless steel.
But just because stainless steel is the standard doesn’t mean that it’s all made equally. 304-grade or 316-grade stainless steel is the way to go for maximum corrosion resistance. That’s why Cedarstone Industry’s stainless steel brewing equipment always uses one or the other.