Thanks for the review. We really appreciate it. FYI - the reason why our three piece airlock is hazy is that we use polypropylene which is slightly hazy rather than polystyrene. The clear ones that are made from polystyrene and we moved away from polystyrene because it's much easier to crack and damage and also it's not as resistant to various chemicals often used in beer brewing.
Sorry I've been crazy busy between work and doing home brewing videos including product reviews but I just realized what you were saying about the "three piece airlock is hazy" and you are exactly right as I buy the older designed (clear ones) in bulk as they age they do eventually crack overtime. I didn't realize that someone had addressed this issue but now I see your solution using a Polypropylene solution is a great idea.
@kegland so does the co2 line hook up to the post that also has the dip tube attached? Would be nice if there were instructions. I didn't find any on the website
@@Rubio_Eric The posts are universal so air or liquid will connect but you want the spunding valve connected tot he one that doesn't have the floating dip tube connected. Basically you decide which one is liquid and which one is gas. I would suggest before transferring the finished beer to push just a quick burst of CO2 through the side with the dip tube to ensure nothing is caked on it or like to maximize a clean flow.
Been considering the All Rounder & watched this video a few months ago. After watching your video I pulled the trigger & ordered one & love it! Easy to use EASY to clean. Done a couple pressure fermentation & love that capability. Thanks for your great content
Very Happy to hear this as I only recommend things I personally use. I purchased a second one about a year after this video and have been considering two more for some time, as I can have up to four beers fermenting at one time. Sadly, I bought two Fermonsters, which are nice, but I regret not just buying two more Fermzilla all-rounders. I've been using my original 2 with a glycol chilling system under pressure about two-thirds of the time. I just need to pull the trigger and buy two more.
@BitterRealityBrewing I did notice my Tilt2 reading seemed to be "Off" when pressure fermenting. It was just a few points but enough that I thought I was doing something wrong. They did mention under pressure it will readings will be "slightly off" Thanks for great content
@@prodanman Yep, I've mentioned that in some videos. You'll find both pressure and excess foam created by the yeast during fermentation can really impact it. I recommend reducing pressure and knocking the Tilt around a little to get a better reading, but it will still be off by a couple points unless there is no pressure. Not a big deal, as you will start figuring out just how off it is. I did pull the trigger and got an Easy Dens, which I love, but it was expensive.
Thank you so much!! This without doubt the best video on TH-cam about the Fermzilla AR (Kegland needs to put this on their website). Two extra tips: Before you first use it, you can put some water plus CO2 into it and submerged the top in water to test for leaks. But make sure you don't over-tighten any of the plastic fittings or that could make even bigger leaks. Secondly, if you have a fermentation fridge (under-counter or mini-fridge) you can ditch the metal stand and just use a piece of plastic pipe (say 8 inches wide and maybe the same in height) to balance it inside and just about avoid the compressor in the frdige.
Thank you and that is great info. I could see do the leak test at the top part but I can tell you I had a leak and Brain on Short Circuit Brewers and both of ours were not the All Rouder's fault. His was with his spunding valve and my first fermentation was due to a disconnect. My 2nd fermentation I used a different disconnect and didn't have any issues. If anything this equipment with my All Rounder is CRAZY TIGHT... I do like your idea of a short piece of very wide pipe being used as a stand as that is a great idea.
looking to get back into home-brew after a few years "off" - was doing a plastic pail in the house (no temperature control - around 72-75 inside temp, or pressure). It will now be outside in the garage where I have a large fridge. Seems I may be able to take out shelves and put a thermostat control that turns the fridge on/off to keep a temperature range... (I'll need to research how doable that is - ruining fridge compressor?) What's the major difference or upgrade from this to their conical? Do you still do a tube and push the beer out the top? and the bottom is just for yeast harvesting? If I'm not into yeast harvesting, and that's the big add - seems price point this is better...
I must have watched 15 videos of people who like the sound of their own voice and tell you very little more than a 12 year old could figure out if left in a room with the fermenter for 5 minutes. Granted it was a long video but needs to be to cover everything, top marks for the dimensions, always critical for any home brewer when fermenting in fridges, freezers, chambers etc. Over all well done, some great tips. I was hesitant but after watching your video the decision is made. Will be placing my order today. Thankyou.
Thank you for the kind words. I just ordered some extra items, including a cooling coil, as I'll be testing my two Fermzilla All-Rounders using pressure with a glycol chiller by the end of the month. I just love the ability to ferment with or without pressure in the same fermenter. (plus, the large opening makes cleaning up a lot easier.)
I am using the Tilt Pro which has more weight and I haven´t had some kinda measurement problems like you said. OK, I have the Allrounder brand new and only had two batches in there, but until now it worked fine for me with the pro.
I have 5 or 6 Tilts (can't remember total at the moment) but sadly I don't own a Tilt Pro and kind of wish I did as I'll be doing some extreme Hydrometer testing in the near future that I feel hasn't been covered enough.
Mate thank you. This video is way underrated and incredibly helpful. I have had questions from Kegland's information and you have cleared it up, so thanks again!
Thank you and I actually learned something new about my all rounder just over a week ago. Do NOT put really hot water (not crazy hot) in it and then close it up...I did this to help clean it really good and was shaking it around but then let it sit while I went to the bathroom and when I came back out it had a decent sized dent in it as the water was cooling and it was contracting. I immediately released the inverted pressure and pushed the dent back out. It left a tiny mark in the hard plastic but had I let it sit a bit longer I could have possibly damaged it. Lesson learned.
Frankly, this video was 100% of what I want from a review and it addresses all matters I've been trying to find online. Already subscribed and about to binge-watch your previous videos
Awesome and Thank you for the kind words. If you see the floating dip tube I upset some people as I was a little gumpy in that video and not feeling good but I have some upcoming videos about the same topic showing what each company has done to address the issues that they were aware of.
I'm considering buying the Fermzilla All Rounder. I'm currently using a glass carboy and am getting concerned about transferring the beer to my keg using a closed loop pressure transfer. There are other disadvantages using glass one being I have to open it up to take a finishing gravity and insert a raking cane for the transfer. This brings me to my question, how do you collect a wort sample to take a gravity reading without opening the lid? Thanks for the great video you answered several of my questions about this product.
I have a bunch of old Glass carboys that I haven't used in a few years now as I love these Fermzilla All Rounders. I'm actually looking to buy 2 more soon. As for taking samples, if you ferment under pressure, you can easily pull a sample. If you don't, you can always apply a little bit of CO2 pressure just to push some beer into the floating diptube to pull a sample and then repurge.
I just purchased the straps and jackets for my two AllRounders and you are right what were they thinking (or not thinking) about the length. I'm just going to cut them and heat the ends so they don't fray and maybe have my daughter fold the end over and sew it.
Yeah, supposedly the straps are universal, so they will work on the really big fermzilla fermenters also but yeah it is crazy how much extra length. I might eventually cut mine and could easily make three identical belts to hold up my pants with a little hardware added of course. 😂
Great video. I have some ideas/things that worked for me. Hope you don’t mind! 15:29 I add about 10psi if the kegland version is ‘stuck’. It pops right off. 20:25 they are as long for the 60l version of the all rounder. Cut it generously and burn the end with a lighter. It will be perfect. 22:59 put the carbonated sample through a paper coffee filter. 5 min ur done. 28:29 I dry hop putting gas to the dip tube when I’m 5 points above target. I turn on co2 slightly to keep a layer and open the lid. I then purge 3-4 times. 32:50 I have one. It’s great for o2 free transfer to kegs at 2psi when no pressure needed during fermentation. The dip tube goes next to the dimple so no issue.
Thank you for the detailed feedback as it is always appreciated. 15:29 I've heard of the adding compressed air to pop the top if it is stuck, although the last person said 15 psi...he might have just been in a hurry. 😂 Plus there are some homebrewers that feel CO2 is as expensive as gold in their neck of the woods, which mine is a bit expensive but not crazy. 20:25 As for the straps, that was one of the first things someone told me. That they are universal for all of the KegLand pressure fermenters which makes since but ...when you first go to put them on and without thinking of them being universal aka "one size fits all", you think ...This is CRAZY long for such a small fermenter. 22:59 So let me make sure I understand you correctly. Simply running the sample through a coffee filter will kill the carbonation completely? Makes sense but simply never thought of it or tried it of course. 28:29 I'm with you on the dry hopping method but I have a lot of viewers that are extremely paranoid on accidentally introducing O2. You could obviously also just put the hops in a keg or another all rounder that has been purged and transfer the beer to that receptacle/container. 32:50 Question for you, how long does it take you to do a transfer if you only do a 2 psi difference. Example I have my all rounder at 12 psi and my keg at 10 psi that I am transferring to. I've been doing this to avoid loss of carbonation by reducing the amount of CO2 that falls out of suspension but it can easily take almost an hour to complete the transfer compared to moving it at a wider difference in psi.
@@BitterRealityBrewing dry hopping: you can also get the kegland pco 1881-1881 valve. I’m not a fan of transfer as I purge by filling with sanitizer and then push out with co2. It’s easier and cheaper to keep one container. Flat bottom:Transfer with 2psi difference plus gravity is 15 to 20 min for me.
Like you post - good place to chat. I put the jacket on my All Rounder and loved it at first but....1) seems like the zipper was put on the wrong way. Shouldn't it go from bottom up so it's easier to get the cap through the top opening? 2) looks like they saved a dime by not including a cord lock on the bottom cinch cord. Now I'll have to buy a 10 pack for around $5.
Thank you and great insight, thanks for sharing. I think someone was thinking like a regular jacket but I fully see what you are saying as it would have been nice if it went the other way instead. Also I have a like jacket from another fermentation system and it does include a locking piece of plastic for the rip cord but it would appear Kegland didn't think of this. Maybe in 2.0 they will add a lock to the rip cord. There must be an easy way to add a locking system to the existing rip cord. I'll have to play with it a bit but if you come up with a simply solution before I do, please share as I am usually very creative with these types of things but lately I've been working a lot so it is hard to be creative when you are tired.
Nice review. I've had mine for about 6 months now and I like it. Like you I wish it had some built in levels so you can have it perfect horizontally to measure the amount of wort. Not sure if you mentioned it, but when the lid gets stuck I usually connect my co2 to it and put a bit of pressure in the fermenter... comes off a bit easier then. Have you cut your silicone tube anything? The "original" length of it seems a bit too long, it probably could be cut quite a bit.
Thank you and no I haven't cut the hose yet but will nip it down a bit as I want to ensure it can work in the fermenter and in a keg without be dedicated to one.
Technically yes, but you would want the counter-pressure bottle filler and an inline off dial from Keland. The better option would be to put your bottling sugar into a keg or another empty all-rounder, purge the O2, move the beer on to the sugar, let it dissolve and then move it to the bottles. I; 'll be doing a video on that in the near future,.
Excellent review brother! I've ordered this exact model from MoreBeer, with the pressure kit and strap, and should be here this weekend. Can't wait to ferment my next beer with it and see how well it works, cheers 🍻
If it’s not been mentioned already the keg overflow where the ball floats to the top is meant to have a spring inside. It’s a conical spring allowing the ball to float to the top and stop the beer overflowing.
Yep but sometimes the liquid comes through so fast (if over 5 gallons) that the ball and spring get knocked to the side a bit and the liquid will shoot through anyways so I watch it like a hawk. It really needs to be sitting inside a more narrow diameter tube to avoid that issue but it is still a very useful tool.
@@iMac1971 Thank you for the compliment. I am strongly considering ordering a few more as I can afford them. I'd like to move to all plastic with half being pressure fermenters and half being just wide mouth fermenters with spigots.
@@iMac1971 I had to look that up but I have seen that before and it is really nice but your right it is a bit pricey. With any cool toy, I ask myself what do I like about it, what do I not like about it (before buy it of course), is there anything comparable (and pros and cons of that comparable product) and is that where I want my brewing dollars to go at this point in my brewing journey. If you can check all those boxes with no major negative then go for it but if not, hold off. The pros are obvious but as for the negatives in my book would be that I can't see the fermentation (I'm a visual person), again I can't see inside when I'm moving fermented beer which for me would be a huge issue as I want to tilt the thing to get as much of the beer as possible before the float hits the trub and without being able to see it would be more of a surprise when it hit the trub. Plus my keezer could never use it as a serving keg as it is too big and fat and would take up more space then I'm willing to allow for as it would take the space of 2 to 3 kegs in my keezer. Other than that I do like it.
Thank you and I'm sorry on the question, I'm a little confused. If you aren't doing pressure fermentation you can move the beer to bottles and use carb caps but if you are simply doing pressure fermentation the yeast eating the sugars in the wort (converting it to beer) is all you will need to produce the carbonation. Let me know if that did or didn't answer the question for you?
I was going to get one of these for more beer but the package is out of stock… I have the floating dip to and a spending valve… Can I use some spare keg posts as I don’t want to purchase their pressure pack as I have the dip tube already
@@paulbilodeau8569 I'm pretty sure the keg posts won't fit. You can get like connectors off Amazon or from other online suppliers if your LHBS doesn't carry something that will work.
I feel it is a great product as it is very versatile from pressure, non-pressure, easy to do no O2 transfers, easy to clean, and can be converted to leverage glycol chilling for fermentation. Overall it is a very impressive product.
Transferring into keg with my All-Rounder. I purge a keg and then pressurize it to same as all rounder. Then use one line between the two liquid out post. Lightly purge some co2 from the keg to get the liquid to flow from fermenter to keg. I then attach a second line to the two gas post. With the keg on the floor and fermenter on a table you get a sealed transfer under pressure using gravity.
Great info although I'm thinking your pressure is probably doing more work than the gravity based on the way I am understanding what you are describing if I am picturing it correctly. Although I used a bit of CO2 towards the end on the All Rounder during may last transfer, overall I feel I got a LOT of FREE CO2 from the fermentation as CO2 in my neck of the woods if a bit expensive.
@@BitterRealityBrewing instead of using my co2 tank to push the beer into my keg, I use gravity. The second line on the gas post allow for the gas to leave the keg and into the fermenter while the beer leaves the fermenter into the keg. Additionally I use the co2 production of the fermenter to flush the keg that I intend to use for that batch. Main goal if this is to avoid filling my co2 bottles as often. If need I can email you a picture of what I did. If I can find them.
@@nccountryboy76 I get it now! So essentially you our pushing CO2 into a keg from the fermenter and when you are ready to move the brew you simply allow gravity to the work while transferring the excess CO2 in the keg back to the fermenter. I might have to try this off camera to see if I can get the hang of it but it sounds very brilliant. How do you get the transfer started even with gravity I'd think it would need to be given a push? Do you put the keg on the floor and then maybe hit the fermenter with a little extra CO2 or simply just allow it to be a bit lower in the keg?
@@BitterRealityBrewing After I connected the liquid before I connect second line, I release a bit of gas from the keg. Just enough for the pressure in the fermenter to push the liquid. Then I connect te gas line. Keg on the floor, fermenter on a shelf or table.
Yep, I did that towards the very end of the video. I wonder why they promote it the other way unless it is simply more stable the other way due to a wider base.
Really up to personal preference as most of the Inkbirds will work without issues but I will warn you that you might need to spray a bit of Star San down the tube or a drip of olive oil to lube things up. I just personally went and tested it as it has been a while since I purchased mine and haven't used it yet but I was able to get the temp probe all the way to the bottom with a bit of Star San down the tube. - This is the WiFi one that I tested but the cheaper non-wifi should work too - amzn.to/3uBgwLS Also you have this version that allows you to swap out the probe for the longer one but not sure if the longer one is any thicker which would be an issue - amzn.to/3aA5YG2 Replacement probe but not sure on the width - amzn.to/3Ipy0kh
My All Rounder is still my favorite fermenter. I've recently started using both of mine with a glycol system but purchased the lids, so I can swap between glycol setup and regular fermenter.
Thanks for the great video. I got one like 2 month ago and have not tried it yet. I cannot get it to seal properly. It now seals 99.5% after new carb caps, a bunch och new o-rings and more. Will probably try it out next weekend despite the small gas leak.
WOW! I have problems imagining that many problems as I thought I was going to have to go to the gym just so I could open mine, it was that crazy tight and has been every time I seal it up. The first time I tried to do a pressure fermentation my disconnect kept leaking as many of them do when they are top heavy from a spunding valve and lean. I should have tried keg grease as that usually fixes it. Try a little bit of keg grease around the seals to see if that helps as I've heard it was commonly used when they first started coming out with fermenters like this. Good luck and let me know what the final solution is.
I would be honored. I actually just ordered a 2nd one last Friday as I love to experiment and feel two would help me with future experiments both pressure and non-pressure related.
Thank you but some people just frustrate me more than others. I consider myself a pretty laid back and passive person (from how people describe me) but I have issues with some people like most of us do to some degree.
A great review. These things look absolutely fantastic, except I have a nagging doubt brought on by my many years of using a very similar plastic system "the Rotokeg".. Now I'm upgrading I see comments below about the very same problem that now makes me want to abandon my Rotokegs - that is I have never been happy with the ability of them to hold pressure. The results have always been erratic no matter what I have tried over the years. There were hints when I bought my Rotokegs - "try and get a softer rubber gasket", "apply lots of grease etc. Now I see similar comments from users below on the Fermzillas... Maybe though, another channel I watched is right? This guy reckoned users are not fully reading the manual and overtightening fittings, which are best left not too tight, maybe not greasing components before fitting?, what do you think? At the moment I'm really leaning towards the video "Fermenting in a Keg" which uses a commercial keg and a ball and tube. They are really not that expensive now, and I'm going to expect the commercial one will be less of a problem.
Fermenting in a keg is safer. My issue with not overtightening which I had also been told is that if I don't it seems to leak. I recently bought a pair of SS ball lock caps as the plastic ones seem to strip out easily and if I don't tight the h3ll out of them, they leak.
As I live in Melbourne I buy directly from kegland and this line along with the same in 60 litre is such a high seller they are constantly out of stock... I have one and am looking for 2 more... they are an awesome fermenter series...
Well the U.S. has caught on and they appear to be out of stock everywhere here too! 😀😂😀 Once I get moved to where ever the hell I'll be living for a year while our new house is built I might by a flat one as they are in stock to do a comparison but overall I do really like the All Rounder. Although I see the high profit for KegLand in dealing with plastic over SS (especially when shipping all over the world) and I like the fancy SS ones by other companies, I feel KegLand is making some great products that home brewers can actually afford compared to all the fancy SS stuff I really can't afford. They are also very innovative in regards to most of their products which I love to see.
@@davec4955 Yep, someone else told me. I wish I could edit this but I'll mention it in an upcoming video I'm working on. I am wondering how much pressure I could apply to the other one before the bottom started to push out as it shows 2 psi which I bet it could easily handle 5 psi but after that it might start pushing it.
@@BitterRealityBrewing also going back to removing the lid, I've tried the levering up method but it makes me cringe 😬 I prefer to use a little gas pressure and with the retaining ring still in place but loosened a little. You don't want it to blow off in your face 😉 it's just a balancing act but very easy ! Great video !!
@@davec4955 I actually use to apply pressure (between 2 to 5 psi) to the large glass carboys to push the beer out in a type of closed fermentation but the top seal was a small nightmare to keep sealed and occasionally it would POP and sometimes scared my wife who was in the same room, not paying attention to what I was doing.
I was looking at getting one of these with the idea of also using it as a keg. Would it be ok if my beer sits on the trub while I drain the keg for a few weeks?
There are some who say you could get a soapy taste over time but it could be a myth from my understanding. (Something I could do a video on, testing that). If there is a little bit I doubt it will impact your beer and like I mentioned if it sits on a lot of trub it might be o.k. too as I'm not sure about the "soapy" thing being real or a myth. I'm thinking it if was cold enough it probably wouldn't matter.
I've never used a d-coupler keg setup but from everything I've researched you should be able to transfer into the liquid side while allowing the pre-purged keg to release CO2 out of the air side just like a normal corny keg.
Thank you and for dry hopping with pressure using earth magnets. I did learn one thing recently that I wish I could have had in this video. Never add hot water and then seal it up as when it cools it starts to create such negative pressure that it started to collapse on me but luckily I was able to catch it before it damaged the fermenter.
😂🍻I read this yesterday and it still makes me laugh. Adjusting the bottom metal ring isn't a big deal but thinking about what you said, I realized, I've probably adjusted that metal ring well over 100 (maybe close to 1000) times! This is crazy to think about. Thank you for making me smile as I fully understand the duct tape without question as it would have saved me a ton of "Adjusting" time. Cheers! 🍻
@@BitterRealityBrewing I got myself a cheap £30 clone of one of those. Not bad. Not exactly accurate, but that's not the point of them. Shows very clearly when it's done. 24hours flat.
@@BitterRealityBrewing Another tip, not tried. Attach a peice of bathroom chain to the bottom of the Tilt device. Put it in the keg. As your keg drains the chain will collect on the base releaving wieight off the tilt causing it to lie flatter as the keg level drops.
Ok just tried your link, I have been waiting for the regular Fermzilla, but watched your video and said hey this is great this all I need all excited. And bam out of stock. Ugh again.
I did mention they were selling like the hottest pair of Nike shoes. I really want another setup but am holding off to give you all a chance to snag one...just kidding I do want another setup but I'm moving and if I ordered anything large like that my wife would kill me until we know were we are moving while our new house gets built. Good Luck as it appears these things are hotter than Anvil Foundry systems which are also always on back order.
I know about the tare. I didn't realize the 1 L = 1 Kg, but that sounds about right as a full 5 gallon keg is about 54 lbs, liquid plus the keg itself.
Thank you, as this video is over 3 years old, but this is still my favorite fermenter, and I actually just bought a 3rd one just a couple days ago. I've been trying many fermenters over the years, and I'm actually looking to buy a 4th, maybe after the holidays, to be my 4 primary fermenters for the majority of all brews.
Thank you and I'll let everyone know once I buy the flat version as I am pretty sure I'll be buying on of those too but after I move the first of two moves. (have a house built).
Did I mention I am moving? Well the wife announced over a month ago she was moving and I was getting a 500 sq ft area to build my own min-home brewery area but the house needed to be built. So we are selling our house in mid May to maximize value (people are fighting over houses here in Jacksonville, FL - 20+ offers on nice houses like ours) and then we will rent for 1 year ..(somewhere) and hopefully our new house will be done in the oldest part of downtown Jacksonville, FL called Springfield where I will will have a 500 sq ft garage that I am allowed to customize and use the majority of that space for Bitter Reality Brewing...!!! So I am very excited but it will be very stressful from now until then.
@@BitterRealityBrewing yes, I recall that you mentioned along the lines that you will be moving. But I didn't realize it will be so soon. Jeez. Your lab there looks now so empty, and I also noticed that the video quality changed somehow to a brighter light? I hope that you somehow will be able to keep up with your videos while having all the stressful things ahead of you... Best of luck from Germany
@@braufritze8673 Yeah time flies. I think you still owe me a photo of the jams as I talked about that for a while. I have lots of plans to keep the videos coming and hope to find a house with a garage or backyard to keep things moving forward as it may be a bit painful on my side for a year but it will be well worth it in the end as I have tons of cool videos planned for when I have lots of space and more brewing equipment. Funny thing is the lights didn't change at all, it was the lack of things to absorb the lighting to the point it was crazy bright in the video and I had to do my best to clean it up a bit. I may try to reshoot some other videos I haven't posted to see if I can do better with maybe less lighting.
That is a good idea although someone did share how to do a closed transfer using the pressure fermenter and a keg without adding more CO2 which was a pretty cool way of saving on CO2 as that stuff is a bit expensive in my neck of the woods.
@@BitterRealityBrewing Thanks. I was primarily asking using a plastic bucket because I think it can be done at a significantly lower lost having seen a summary of your videos and fittings
@@tman9338 I've actually never used a bucket except for racking for bottling and the one that comes from Brewferm. I was told early on that they were easy to scratch, didn't always seal well, and needed to be replaced more frequently which I believe none of those are really as bad as the person made them sound but it scared me away from using buckets as fermenters early on.
@@BitterRealityBrewing I see. I’ve gone full circle- bucket- glass- Corney-bucket- no problem making great 20G Beers in 4 Home Depot food grade buckets-next challenge is closed transfer to reduce oxidation and extend shelf life/flavor. Thanks for responding.
Yeah I realized that as someone else had pointed it out the day of the video release. I am very temped to buy one to see just how much pressure it can hold as I would suspect it probably can hold up to 4 or 5 psi like most non-pressure rated items but the problem is the inverted dome could pop out which wouldn't be a good thing.
Any tips to prevent pressure leaking? I've just tried my new fermzilla on a fresh batch. Gone down .015 gravity points in 2 days but there's no reading on the spunding valve, which I've left completely closed. The lid is on tight and the connectors and PRV are also screwed in properly.
My first one leaked too but two things I've learned. One those red ball lock caps are hard to tell when they are tight as I had to tight the hell out of mine to fix my leak and on my recent brew from this last weekend I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I wasn't generating pressure but when I pulled the relief I realized I was. I took the SS Disconnect off and on 3 times before I finally shoved the H3ll out of it in a downward motion and I didn't hear the typical clamping sound which troubles me but my pressure shot up to 24 psi on the spunding valve which I had closed all the way. I am now at 15 psi and VERY slowly allowing the pressure to go down a few psi each day until I get back down to 10 psi. On the good side it is fermenting a LOT faster compared to the same identical beer next to it in a non-pressure fermenter. I'm doing some more experimenting which will be out on video in the coming weeks. From what I've learned from this last batch of pressure fermented brew, I will be moving the SS ball lock caps to match my SS ball lock disconnects. I figured plastic on plastic would be fine but I'm not impressed as of this brew so I will swap them for the SS on my next pressure fermentation to see how they go. I don't think the plastic is bad but these caps just seem like a soft plastic and might be easily damaged from putting them on and off so tightly. Summary for your leak: 1. Make sure the main top is on as snug as possible as it does seem to tighten a little before being able to tighten up a lot more. 2. Check the plastic caps to ensure they are as tight as humanly possible (shouldn't need to do this but sadly I have) 3. Replace your ball lock disconnect with another one just incase and add a little kegging grease to ensure a good seal. 4. You could also add pressure and spray the seals with some very soapy dishwater soap to see if you can find the leak. Good luck and let me know what you discover in regards to the leak.
@@BitterRealityBrewing Thanks! I tried step 4 and found the leak - it was indeed one of the connectors. I use the stainless steel ones and had to take a wrench to it. After that I swear I could still hear a high-pitched hissing sound for a few hours but it eventually got to 10psi and stayed there overnight. During the day today it dropped back to 8psi so I just tightened the spunding valve a bit.
@@xuedalong I wonder how many people "set and forget" without checking on it later and if it ever gets to enough pressure to explode? There is a video out on TH-cam about this on another model and it took some crazy pressure to get it to begin ripping apart.
Another area that I had a leak on one of my AllRounders was the o-ring lid seal to bottle. When new I pressurized the fermenter with air and some water and looked for leaks. Ended up there was excessive lid casting "flashing" (where the mold halves meet) and I trimmed it with a utility knife and no more leaks.
Great suggestion. I was remembering the levels I used when using survey equipment which had a single bubble level on the very top and 3 points to adjust from.
Yep, I am pretty sure I mentioned that in the video but I flip it regularly based on what I am doing. I usually go for the upside down, unless I just cleaned and have it the all rounder up side down to drip dry, then I go for height of course.
Yep, I like using my 3 levels as I used to work (in IT of all things) with professional grade survey equipment and most of those use a 3 level (bubble) system for leveling. The iPhone (work provided) also has a bubble level like the Android but it is a bit hidden in the features. (I know where to look and have used it many times.)
Once the fermenter is level could you not place a few horizontal lines around the circumference with a magic makers at the usual volumes, 9.5l, 21l, 23l etc. E.G fill the fermenter to 21 liters, level the fermenter then draw a line around the fermenter at the water level. Next brew simple fill the fermenter close to the desired line then align the liquid and the line so they are parallel then top up to the line. I will be trying this once mine arrives.
@@mAdBiLLy275 You could do that very easily. The key is to add pre-measured liquid first, and use a level in a triangle to ensure it is perfectly level before making your lines. Really easy to do.
Thanks for the review. We really appreciate it.
FYI - the reason why our three piece airlock is hazy is that we use polypropylene which is slightly hazy rather than polystyrene. The clear ones that are made from polystyrene and we moved away from polystyrene because it's much easier to crack and damage and also it's not as resistant to various chemicals often used in beer brewing.
Great info to know. Its an excellent product but do you know when inventory will be back to normal in the U.S.?
Sorry I've been crazy busy between work and doing home brewing videos including product reviews but I just realized what you were saying about the "three piece airlock is hazy" and you are exactly right as I buy the older designed (clear ones) in bulk as they age they do eventually crack overtime. I didn't realize that someone had addressed this issue but now I see your solution using a Polypropylene solution is a great idea.
@kegland so does the co2 line hook up to the post that also has the dip tube attached? Would be nice if there were instructions. I didn't find any on the website
@@Rubio_Eric The posts are universal so air or liquid will connect but you want the spunding valve connected tot he one that doesn't have the floating dip tube connected. Basically you decide which one is liquid and which one is gas. I would suggest before transferring the finished beer to push just a quick burst of CO2 through the side with the dip tube to ensure nothing is caked on it or like to maximize a clean flow.
@@BitterRealityBrewing appreciate it boss.
Been considering the All Rounder & watched this video a few months ago. After watching your video I pulled the trigger & ordered one & love it! Easy to use EASY to clean. Done a couple pressure fermentation & love that capability. Thanks for your great content
Very Happy to hear this as I only recommend things I personally use. I purchased a second one about a year after this video and have been considering two more for some time, as I can have up to four beers fermenting at one time. Sadly, I bought two Fermonsters, which are nice, but I regret not just buying two more Fermzilla all-rounders. I've been using my original 2 with a glycol chilling system under pressure about two-thirds of the time. I just need to pull the trigger and buy two more.
@BitterRealityBrewing I did notice my Tilt2 reading seemed to be "Off" when pressure fermenting. It was just a few points but enough that I thought I was doing something wrong. They did mention under pressure it will readings will be "slightly off"
Thanks for great content
@@prodanman Yep, I've mentioned that in some videos. You'll find both pressure and excess foam created by the yeast during fermentation can really impact it. I recommend reducing pressure and knocking the Tilt around a little to get a better reading, but it will still be off by a couple points unless there is no pressure. Not a big deal, as you will start figuring out just how off it is. I did pull the trigger and got an Easy Dens, which I love, but it was expensive.
Thank you so much!! This without doubt the best video on TH-cam about the Fermzilla AR (Kegland needs to put this on their website). Two extra tips: Before you first use it, you can put some water plus CO2 into it and submerged the top in water to test for leaks. But make sure you don't over-tighten any of the plastic fittings or that could make even bigger leaks. Secondly, if you have a fermentation fridge (under-counter or mini-fridge) you can ditch the metal stand and just use a piece of plastic pipe (say 8 inches wide and maybe the same in height) to balance it inside and just about avoid the compressor in the frdige.
Thank you and that is great info. I could see do the leak test at the top part but I can tell you I had a leak and Brain on Short Circuit Brewers and both of ours were not the All Rouder's fault. His was with his spunding valve and my first fermentation was due to a disconnect. My 2nd fermentation I used a different disconnect and didn't have any issues. If anything this equipment with my All Rounder is CRAZY TIGHT... I do like your idea of a short piece of very wide pipe being used as a stand as that is a great idea.
looking to get back into home-brew after a few years "off" - was doing a plastic pail in the house (no temperature control - around 72-75 inside temp, or pressure). It will now be outside in the garage where I have a large fridge. Seems I may be able to take out shelves and put a thermostat control that turns the fridge on/off to keep a temperature range... (I'll need to research how doable that is - ruining fridge compressor?)
What's the major difference or upgrade from this to their conical? Do you still do a tube and push the beer out the top? and the bottom is just for yeast harvesting? If I'm not into yeast harvesting, and that's the big add - seems price point this is better...
I must have watched 15 videos of people who like the sound of their own voice and tell you very little more than a 12 year old could figure out if left in a room with the fermenter for 5 minutes. Granted it was a long video but needs to be to cover everything, top marks for the dimensions, always critical for any home brewer when fermenting in fridges, freezers, chambers etc. Over all well done, some great tips. I was hesitant but after watching your video the decision is made. Will be placing my order today. Thankyou.
Thank you for the kind words. I just ordered some extra items, including a cooling coil, as I'll be testing my two Fermzilla All-Rounders using pressure with a glycol chiller by the end of the month. I just love the ability to ferment with or without pressure in the same fermenter. (plus, the large opening makes cleaning up a lot easier.)
I am using the Tilt Pro which has more weight and I haven´t had some kinda measurement problems like you said. OK, I have the Allrounder brand new and only had two batches in there, but until now it worked fine for me with the pro.
I have 5 or 6 Tilts (can't remember total at the moment) but sadly I don't own a Tilt Pro and kind of wish I did as I'll be doing some extreme Hydrometer testing in the near future that I feel hasn't been covered enough.
Mate thank you. This video is way underrated and incredibly helpful. I have had questions from Kegland's information and you have cleared it up, so thanks again!
Thank you and I actually learned something new about my all rounder just over a week ago. Do NOT put really hot water (not crazy hot) in it and then close it up...I did this to help clean it really good and was shaking it around but then let it sit while I went to the bathroom and when I came back out it had a decent sized dent in it as the water was cooling and it was contracting. I immediately released the inverted pressure and pushed the dent back out. It left a tiny mark in the hard plastic but had I let it sit a bit longer I could have possibly damaged it. Lesson learned.
Frankly, this video was 100% of what I want from a review and it addresses all matters I've been trying to find online. Already subscribed and about to binge-watch your previous videos
Awesome and Thank you for the kind words. If you see the floating dip tube I upset some people as I was a little gumpy in that video and not feeling good but I have some upcoming videos about the same topic showing what each company has done to address the issues that they were aware of.
@@BitterRealityBrewing this is most helpful. Will keep an eye out for the video.
I'm considering buying the Fermzilla All Rounder. I'm currently using a glass carboy and am getting concerned about transferring the beer to my keg using a closed loop pressure transfer. There are other disadvantages using glass one being I have to open it up to take a finishing gravity and insert a raking cane for the transfer. This brings me to my question, how do you collect a wort sample to take a gravity reading without opening the lid?
Thanks for the great video you answered several of my questions about this product.
I have a bunch of old Glass carboys that I haven't used in a few years now as I love these Fermzilla All Rounders. I'm actually looking to buy 2 more soon. As for taking samples, if you ferment under pressure, you can easily pull a sample. If you don't, you can always apply a little bit of CO2 pressure just to push some beer into the floating diptube to pull a sample and then repurge.
I just purchased the straps and jackets for my two AllRounders and you are right what were they thinking (or not thinking) about the length. I'm just going to cut them and heat the ends so they don't fray and maybe have my daughter fold the end over and sew it.
Yeah, supposedly the straps are universal, so they will work on the really big fermzilla fermenters also but yeah it is crazy how much extra length. I might eventually cut mine and could easily make three identical belts to hold up my pants with a little hardware added of course. 😂
Great video. I have some ideas/things that worked for me. Hope you don’t mind!
15:29 I add about 10psi if the kegland version is ‘stuck’. It pops right off.
20:25 they are as long for the 60l version of the all rounder. Cut it generously and burn the end with a lighter. It will be perfect.
22:59 put the carbonated sample through a paper coffee filter. 5 min ur done.
28:29 I dry hop putting gas to the dip tube when I’m 5 points above target. I turn on co2 slightly to keep a layer and open the lid. I then purge 3-4 times.
32:50 I have one. It’s great for o2 free transfer to kegs at 2psi when no pressure needed during fermentation. The dip tube goes next to the dimple so no issue.
Thank you for the detailed feedback as it is always appreciated.
15:29 I've heard of the adding compressed air to pop the top if it is stuck, although the last person said 15 psi...he might have just been in a hurry. 😂 Plus there are some homebrewers that feel CO2 is as expensive as gold in their neck of the woods, which mine is a bit expensive but not crazy.
20:25 As for the straps, that was one of the first things someone told me. That they are universal for all of the KegLand pressure fermenters which makes since but ...when you first go to put them on and without thinking of them being universal aka "one size fits all", you think ...This is CRAZY long for such a small fermenter.
22:59 So let me make sure I understand you correctly. Simply running the sample through a coffee filter will kill the carbonation completely? Makes sense but simply never thought of it or tried it of course.
28:29 I'm with you on the dry hopping method but I have a lot of viewers that are extremely paranoid on accidentally introducing O2. You could obviously also just put the hops in a keg or another all rounder that has been purged and transfer the beer to that receptacle/container.
32:50 Question for you, how long does it take you to do a transfer if you only do a 2 psi difference. Example I have my all rounder at 12 psi and my keg at 10 psi that I am transferring to. I've been doing this to avoid loss of carbonation by reducing the amount of CO2 that falls out of suspension but it can easily take almost an hour to complete the transfer compared to moving it at a wider difference in psi.
@@BitterRealityBrewing dry hopping: you can also get the kegland pco 1881-1881 valve. I’m not a fan of transfer as I purge by filling with sanitizer and then push out with co2. It’s easier and cheaper to keep one container.
Flat bottom:Transfer with 2psi difference plus gravity is 15 to 20 min for me.
@@paskrell Good points. Have a great holiday!
@@BitterRealityBrewing Same to you
Like you post - good place to chat. I put the jacket on my All Rounder and loved it at first but....1) seems like the zipper was put on the wrong way. Shouldn't it go from bottom up so it's easier to get the cap through the top opening? 2) looks like they saved a dime by not including a cord lock on the bottom cinch cord. Now I'll have to buy a 10 pack for around $5.
Thank you and great insight, thanks for sharing. I think someone was thinking like a regular jacket but I fully see what you are saying as it would have been nice if it went the other way instead. Also I have a like jacket from another fermentation system and it does include a locking piece of plastic for the rip cord but it would appear Kegland didn't think of this. Maybe in 2.0 they will add a lock to the rip cord. There must be an easy way to add a locking system to the existing rip cord. I'll have to play with it a bit but if you come up with a simply solution before I do, please share as I am usually very creative with these types of things but lately I've been working a lot so it is hard to be creative when you are tired.
Nice review. I've had mine for about 6 months now and I like it. Like you I wish it had some built in levels so you can have it perfect horizontally to measure the amount of wort. Not sure if you mentioned it, but when the lid gets stuck I usually connect my co2 to it and put a bit of pressure in the fermenter... comes off a bit easier then. Have you cut your silicone tube anything? The "original" length of it seems a bit too long, it probably could be cut quite a bit.
Thank you and no I haven't cut the hose yet but will nip it down a bit as I want to ensure it can work in the fermenter and in a keg without be dedicated to one.
Getting mine in the mail tomorrow. Looking forward to trying it out. Thinking about doing a Hefeweizen
Excellent!! Where did you score one as I keep seeing everyone should have them back in stock in mid July but haven't seen them pop up anywhere.
@@BitterRealityBrewing Williams brewing
Hi. Could I use the pressure kit also for bottling the beer? I am a beginner so I have no kegs yet
Technically yes, but you would want the counter-pressure bottle filler and an inline off dial from Keland. The better option would be to put your bottling sugar into a keg or another empty all-rounder, purge the O2, move the beer on to the sugar, let it dissolve and then move it to the bottles. I; 'll be doing a video on that in the near future,.
Excellent review brother! I've ordered this exact model from MoreBeer, with the pressure kit and strap, and should be here this weekend. Can't wait to ferment my next beer with it and see how well it works, cheers 🍻
Thank you for the kind words. You'll be impressed with the fermenter as it does an amazing job.
If it’s not been mentioned already the keg overflow where the ball floats to the top is meant to have a spring inside. It’s a conical spring allowing the ball to float to the top and stop the beer overflowing.
Yep but sometimes the liquid comes through so fast (if over 5 gallons) that the ball and spring get knocked to the side a bit and the liquid will shoot through anyways so I watch it like a hawk. It really needs to be sitting inside a more narrow diameter tube to avoid that issue but it is still a very useful tool.
@@BitterRealityBrewing great video though. I’ve had all rounder for a year and still learnt a few things
@@iMac1971 Thank you for the compliment. I am strongly considering ordering a few more as I can afford them. I'd like to move to all plastic with half being pressure fermenters and half being just wide mouth fermenters with spigots.
@@BitterRealityBrewing I am debating the kegmentor but pricey for what it is.
@@iMac1971 I had to look that up but I have seen that before and it is really nice but your right it is a bit pricey. With any cool toy, I ask myself what do I like about it, what do I not like about it (before buy it of course), is there anything comparable (and pros and cons of that comparable product) and is that where I want my brewing dollars to go at this point in my brewing journey. If you can check all those boxes with no major negative then go for it but if not, hold off.
The pros are obvious but as for the negatives in my book would be that I can't see the fermentation (I'm a visual person), again I can't see inside when I'm moving fermented beer which for me would be a huge issue as I want to tilt the thing to get as much of the beer as possible before the float hits the trub and without being able to see it would be more of a surprise when it hit the trub. Plus my keezer could never use it as a serving keg as it is too big and fat and would take up more space then I'm willing to allow for as it would take the space of 2 to 3 kegs in my keezer. Other than that I do like it.
Great review. Will carbanation caps work on the lid for pressure fermentation?
Thank you and I'm sorry on the question, I'm a little confused. If you aren't doing pressure fermentation you can move the beer to bottles and use carb caps but if you are simply doing pressure fermentation the yeast eating the sugars in the wort (converting it to beer) is all you will need to produce the carbonation. Let me know if that did or didn't answer the question for you?
I was going to get one of these for more beer but the package is out of stock… I have the floating dip to and a spending valve… Can I use some spare keg posts as I don’t want to purchase their pressure pack as I have the dip tube already
@@paulbilodeau8569 I'm pretty sure the keg posts won't fit. You can get like connectors off Amazon or from other online suppliers if your LHBS doesn't carry something that will work.
Great review.
I just want to confirm: is it a big deal?
I feel it is a great product as it is very versatile from pressure, non-pressure, easy to do no O2 transfers, easy to clean, and can be converted to leverage glycol chilling for fermentation. Overall it is a very impressive product.
Transferring into keg with my All-Rounder. I purge a keg and then pressurize it to same as all rounder. Then use one line between the two liquid out post. Lightly purge some co2 from the keg to get the liquid to flow from fermenter to keg. I then attach a second line to the two gas post. With the keg on the floor and fermenter on a table you get a sealed transfer under pressure using gravity.
Great info although I'm thinking your pressure is probably doing more work than the gravity based on the way I am understanding what you are describing if I am picturing it correctly. Although I used a bit of CO2 towards the end on the All Rounder during may last transfer, overall I feel I got a LOT of FREE CO2 from the fermentation as CO2 in my neck of the woods if a bit expensive.
@@BitterRealityBrewing instead of using my co2 tank to push the beer into my keg, I use gravity. The second line on the gas post allow for the gas to leave the keg and into the fermenter while the beer leaves the fermenter into the keg. Additionally I use the co2 production of the fermenter to flush the keg that I intend to use for that batch. Main goal if this is to avoid filling my co2 bottles as often. If need I can email you a picture of what I did. If I can find them.
@@nccountryboy76 I get it now! So essentially you our pushing CO2 into a keg from the fermenter and when you are ready to move the brew you simply allow gravity to the work while transferring the excess CO2 in the keg back to the fermenter. I might have to try this off camera to see if I can get the hang of it but it sounds very brilliant. How do you get the transfer started even with gravity I'd think it would need to be given a push? Do you put the keg on the floor and then maybe hit the fermenter with a little extra CO2 or simply just allow it to be a bit lower in the keg?
@@BitterRealityBrewing After I connected the liquid before I connect second line, I release a bit of gas from the keg. Just enough for the pressure in the fermenter to push the liquid. Then I connect te gas line. Keg on the floor, fermenter on a shelf or table.
@@nccountryboy76 Got it. Pull, instead of push. 😀
You can also turn the stand its on, so the bigger circle is up and will save some hight.
Yep, I did that towards the very end of the video. I wonder why they promote it the other way unless it is simply more stable the other way due to a wider base.
I want to add a Thermowell to my all rounder. Which type device should I use to to insert in yo the Thermowell. Thanks
Really up to personal preference as most of the Inkbirds will work without issues but I will warn you that you might need to spray a bit of Star San down the tube or a drip of olive oil to lube things up. I just personally went and tested it as it has been a while since I purchased mine and haven't used it yet but I was able to get the temp probe all the way to the bottom with a bit of Star San down the tube. - This is the WiFi one that I tested but the cheaper non-wifi should work too - amzn.to/3uBgwLS
Also you have this version that allows you to swap out the probe for the longer one but not sure if the longer one is any thicker which would be an issue - amzn.to/3aA5YG2
Replacement probe but not sure on the width - amzn.to/3Ipy0kh
I'd watched this video previously, and now I've just bought a 60L model. Time for a re-watch.
My All Rounder is still my favorite fermenter. I've recently started using both of mine with a glycol system but purchased the lids, so I can swap between glycol setup and regular fermenter.
Thanks for the great video.
I got one like 2 month ago and have not tried it yet. I cannot get it to seal properly. It now seals 99.5% after new carb caps, a bunch och new o-rings and more. Will probably try it out next weekend despite the small gas leak.
WOW! I have problems imagining that many problems as I thought I was going to have to go to the gym just so I could open mine, it was that crazy tight and has been every time I seal it up. The first time I tried to do a pressure fermentation my disconnect kept leaking as many of them do when they are top heavy from a spunding valve and lean. I should have tried keg grease as that usually fixes it. Try a little bit of keg grease around the seals to see if that helps as I've heard it was commonly used when they first started coming out with fermenters like this. Good luck and let me know what the final solution is.
@@BitterRealityBrewing Thanks! I'll try it out and keep you posted. :)
Try seal lube
Great review bud. Would you mind if we pop it up on the KegLand Australia FermZilla All Rounder product pages?
I would be honored. I actually just ordered a 2nd one last Friday as I love to experiment and feel two would help me with future experiments both pressure and non-pressure related.
The harness has extra length so it can fit on the 60L fermenter; it's about double the height.
Someone else had mentioned that and it makes sense as maybe it is cheaper for them to make a one size fits all.
Thanks for this info, very helpful - I'm sold on this unit! Can you link me to the tool you bought from amazon to untighten the lid?
Sorry, I thought I had put that in here - amzn.to/3u1cqe0 - the 150 mm works perfectly.
I love the way when you describing “the commonsense” or the lack there of, you get almost angry ..... 🤣🤣🥰😎
Thank you but some people just frustrate me more than others. I consider myself a pretty laid back and passive person (from how people describe me) but I have issues with some people like most of us do to some degree.
A great review. These things look absolutely fantastic, except I have a nagging doubt brought on by my many years of using a very similar plastic system "the Rotokeg".. Now I'm upgrading I see comments below about the very same problem that now makes me want to abandon my Rotokegs - that is I have never been happy with the ability of them to hold pressure. The results have always been erratic no matter what I have tried over the years. There were hints when I bought my Rotokegs - "try and get a softer rubber gasket", "apply lots of grease etc. Now I see similar comments from users below on the Fermzillas... Maybe though, another channel I watched is right? This guy reckoned users are not fully reading the manual and overtightening fittings, which are best left not too tight, maybe not greasing components before fitting?, what do you think? At the moment I'm really leaning towards the video "Fermenting in a Keg" which uses a commercial keg and a ball and tube. They are really not that expensive now, and I'm going to expect the commercial one will be less of a problem.
Fermenting in a keg is safer. My issue with not overtightening which I had also been told is that if I don't it seems to leak. I recently bought a pair of SS ball lock caps as the plastic ones seem to strip out easily and if I don't tight the h3ll out of them, they leak.
You can flip the stand over and it's shorter.
Yep I show and mentioned that towards the end of the video plus show you can flip it over to drain after cleaning.
As I live in Melbourne I buy directly from kegland and this line along with the same in 60 litre is such a high seller they are constantly out of stock... I have one and am looking for 2 more... they are an awesome fermenter series...
Well the U.S. has caught on and they appear to be out of stock everywhere here too! 😀😂😀 Once I get moved to where ever the hell I'll be living for a year while our new house is built I might by a flat one as they are in stock to do a comparison but overall I do really like the All Rounder. Although I see the high profit for KegLand in dealing with plastic over SS (especially when shipping all over the world) and I like the fancy SS ones by other companies, I feel KegLand is making some great products that home brewers can actually afford compared to all the fancy SS stuff I really can't afford. They are also very innovative in regards to most of their products which I love to see.
@@BitterRealityBrewing the flat bottom one is not ok for pressure fermentation !!!
@@davec4955 Yep, someone else told me. I wish I could edit this but I'll mention it in an upcoming video I'm working on. I am wondering how much pressure I could apply to the other one before the bottom started to push out as it shows 2 psi which I bet it could easily handle 5 psi but after that it might start pushing it.
@@BitterRealityBrewing also going back to removing the lid, I've tried the levering up method but it makes me cringe 😬 I prefer to use a little gas pressure and with the retaining ring still in place but loosened a little. You don't want it to blow off in your face 😉 it's just a balancing act but very easy !
Great video !!
@@davec4955 I actually use to apply pressure (between 2 to 5 psi) to the large glass carboys to push the beer out in a type of closed fermentation but the top seal was a small nightmare to keep sealed and occasionally it would POP and sometimes scared my wife who was in the same room, not paying attention to what I was doing.
I was looking at getting one of these with the idea of also using it as a keg. Would it be ok if my beer sits on the trub while I drain the keg for a few weeks?
There are some who say you could get a soapy taste over time but it could be a myth from my understanding. (Something I could do a video on, testing that). If there is a little bit I doubt it will impact your beer and like I mentioned if it sits on a lot of trub it might be o.k. too as I'm not sure about the "soapy" thing being real or a myth. I'm thinking it if was cold enough it probably wouldn't matter.
Would the straps be that long because they also sell a 60 liter version that is considerably taller?
I didn't think of that, which makes a lot of sense but I still wish they were a bit shorter and may eventually cut them down a bit.
One strap set does both 60 and 30 litre all rounders..😁😎
@@michaelcooney7687 Can't imagine ever using a 60 liter but I get it and still might pull out some scissors or my favorite...the razors.
Is it possible to xfer to a d-coupler keg instead of a corny?
I've never used a d-coupler keg setup but from everything I've researched you should be able to transfer into the liquid side while allowing the pre-purged keg to release CO2 out of the air side just like a normal corny keg.
The only thing you forgot mentioning is dry hopping in this system, pressurized and not pressurized. Great video!
Thank you and for dry hopping with pressure using earth magnets. I did learn one thing recently that I wish I could have had in this video. Never add hot water and then seal it up as when it cools it starts to create such negative pressure that it started to collapse on me but luckily I was able to catch it before it damaged the fermenter.
i have this fermenter for atleast a year, and out of the box i just duct taped the stand to the fermenter
😂🍻I read this yesterday and it still makes me laugh. Adjusting the bottom metal ring isn't a big deal but thinking about what you said, I realized, I've probably adjusted that metal ring well over 100 (maybe close to 1000) times! This is crazy to think about. Thank you for making me smile as I fully understand the duct tape without question as it would have saved me a ton of "Adjusting" time. Cheers! 🍻
The temp strips. Idea: Buy 3 and put the horizontal at different levels.
That would be cheaper than my Tilt Hydrometers for temp monitoring.
@@BitterRealityBrewing I got myself a cheap £30 clone of one of those. Not bad. Not exactly accurate, but that's not the point of them. Shows very clearly when it's done. 24hours flat.
@@BitterRealityBrewing Another tip, not tried. Attach a peice of bathroom chain to the bottom of the Tilt device. Put it in the keg. As your keg drains the chain will collect on the base releaving wieight off the tilt causing it to lie flatter as the keg level drops.
Great review! thanks
Thank you and thank you for the support.
Ok just tried your link, I have been waiting for the regular Fermzilla, but watched your video and said hey this is great this all I need all excited. And bam out of stock. Ugh again.
I did mention they were selling like the hottest pair of Nike shoes. I really want another setup but am holding off to give you all a chance to snag one...just kidding I do want another setup but I'm moving and if I ordered anything large like that my wife would kill me until we know were we are moving while our new house gets built. Good Luck as it appears these things are hotter than Anvil Foundry systems which are also always on back order.
Pro measure tip, you can TARE the weight on a scale then set it to kg, 1kg =1L
I know about the tare. I didn't realize the 1 L = 1 Kg, but that sounds about right as a full 5 gallon keg is about 54 lbs, liquid plus the keg itself.
I like to use grams to measure mL too for measuring liquid yeast, line cleaner and star San etc👌
This is fantastic thanks.
Thank you, as this video is over 3 years old, but this is still my favorite fermenter, and I actually just bought a 3rd one just a couple days ago. I've been trying many fermenters over the years, and I'm actually looking to buy a 4th, maybe after the holidays, to be my 4 primary fermenters for the majority of all brews.
Saved for future reference. Great job!
Thank you and I'll let everyone know once I buy the flat version as I am pretty sure I'll be buying on of those too but after I move the first of two moves. (have a house built).
Hey Mike what happened to your storage shelf?
Did I mention I am moving? Well the wife announced over a month ago she was moving and I was getting a 500 sq ft area to build my own min-home brewery area but the house needed to be built. So we are selling our house in mid May to maximize value (people are fighting over houses here in Jacksonville, FL - 20+ offers on nice houses like ours) and then we will rent for 1 year ..(somewhere) and hopefully our new house will be done in the oldest part of downtown Jacksonville, FL called Springfield where I will will have a 500 sq ft garage that I am allowed to customize and use the majority of that space for Bitter Reality Brewing...!!! So I am very excited but it will be very stressful from now until then.
@@BitterRealityBrewing yes, I recall that you mentioned along the lines that you will be moving. But I didn't realize it will be so soon. Jeez. Your lab there looks now so empty, and I also noticed that the video quality changed somehow to a brighter light? I hope that you somehow will be able to keep up with your videos while having all the stressful things ahead of you... Best of luck from Germany
@@braufritze8673 Yeah time flies. I think you still owe me a photo of the jams as I talked about that for a while. I have lots of plans to keep the videos coming and hope to find a house with a garage or backyard to keep things moving forward as it may be a bit painful on my side for a year but it will be well worth it in the end as I have tons of cool videos planned for when I have lots of space and more brewing equipment. Funny thing is the lights didn't change at all, it was the lack of things to absorb the lighting to the point it was crazy bright in the video and I had to do my best to clean it up a bit. I may try to reshoot some other videos I haven't posted to see if I can do better with maybe less lighting.
Have u thought Of doing a “poor mans” closed transfer video using a $4 plastic bucket with the best fittings?? You got a lot of cool keg fittings.
That is a good idea although someone did share how to do a closed transfer using the pressure fermenter and a keg without adding more CO2 which was a pretty cool way of saving on CO2 as that stuff is a bit expensive in my neck of the woods.
@@BitterRealityBrewing Thanks. I was primarily asking using a plastic bucket because I think it can be done at a significantly lower lost having seen a summary of your videos and fittings
@@tman9338 I've actually never used a bucket except for racking for bottling and the one that comes from Brewferm. I was told early on that they were easy to scratch, didn't always seal well, and needed to be replaced more frequently which I believe none of those are really as bad as the person made them sound but it scared me away from using buckets as fermenters early on.
@@BitterRealityBrewing I see. I’ve gone full circle- bucket- glass- Corney-bucket- no problem making great 20G Beers in 4 Home Depot food grade buckets-next challenge is closed transfer to reduce oxidation and extend shelf life/flavor. Thanks for responding.
FYI-When they scratch they become sanitation/grain/utility buckets again
The flat bottom fermzilla isn’t pressure rated though I don’t think
Yeah I realized that as someone else had pointed it out the day of the video release. I am very temped to buy one to see just how much pressure it can hold as I would suspect it probably can hold up to 4 or 5 psi like most non-pressure rated items but the problem is the inverted dome could pop out which wouldn't be a good thing.
Excellent review. Thank you!!!!
Thank you!
Any tips to prevent pressure leaking? I've just tried my new fermzilla on a fresh batch. Gone down .015 gravity points in 2 days but there's no reading on the spunding valve, which I've left completely closed. The lid is on tight and the connectors and PRV are also screwed in properly.
My first one leaked too but two things I've learned. One those red ball lock caps are hard to tell when they are tight as I had to tight the hell out of mine to fix my leak and on my recent brew from this last weekend I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I wasn't generating pressure but when I pulled the relief I realized I was. I took the SS Disconnect off and on 3 times before I finally shoved the H3ll out of it in a downward motion and I didn't hear the typical clamping sound which troubles me but my pressure shot up to 24 psi on the spunding valve which I had closed all the way. I am now at 15 psi and VERY slowly allowing the pressure to go down a few psi each day until I get back down to 10 psi. On the good side it is fermenting a LOT faster compared to the same identical beer next to it in a non-pressure fermenter. I'm doing some more experimenting which will be out on video in the coming weeks.
From what I've learned from this last batch of pressure fermented brew, I will be moving the SS ball lock caps to match my SS ball lock disconnects. I figured plastic on plastic would be fine but I'm not impressed as of this brew so I will swap them for the SS on my next pressure fermentation to see how they go. I don't think the plastic is bad but these caps just seem like a soft plastic and might be easily damaged from putting them on and off so tightly.
Summary for your leak:
1. Make sure the main top is on as snug as possible as it does seem to tighten a little before being able to tighten up a lot more.
2. Check the plastic caps to ensure they are as tight as humanly possible (shouldn't need to do this but sadly I have)
3. Replace your ball lock disconnect with another one just incase and add a little kegging grease to ensure a good seal.
4. You could also add pressure and spray the seals with some very soapy dishwater soap to see if you can find the leak.
Good luck and let me know what you discover in regards to the leak.
@@BitterRealityBrewing Thanks! I tried step 4 and found the leak - it was indeed one of the connectors. I use the stainless steel ones and had to take a wrench to it. After that I swear I could still hear a high-pitched hissing sound for a few hours but it eventually got to 10psi and stayed there overnight. During the day today it dropped back to 8psi so I just tightened the spunding valve a bit.
@@xuedalong I wonder how many people "set and forget" without checking on it later and if it ever gets to enough pressure to explode? There is a video out on TH-cam about this on another model and it took some crazy pressure to get it to begin ripping apart.
Another area that I had a leak on one of my AllRounders was the o-ring lid seal to bottle. When new I pressurized the fermenter with air and some water and looked for leaks. Ended up there was excessive lid casting "flashing" (where the mold halves meet) and I trimmed it with a utility knife and no more leaks.
instead of 3 x spirit levels, use a Caravan level
Great suggestion. I was remembering the levels I used when using survey equipment which had a single bubble level on the very top and 3 points to adjust from.
And, if you turn the stand upside down, ( as many of us do), you'll save some more height!
Yep, I am pretty sure I mentioned that in the video but I flip it regularly based on what I am doing. I usually go for the upside down, unless I just cleaned and have it the all rounder up side down to drip dry, then I go for height of course.
Nice review. Not a big deal.
Thank you.
something to be aware of : not a big deal. Sorry I had to say it ❤️
Missed the part to be aware of. If it is breaking down over time, I'm aware and will be doing a video on how to test that.
If you have an android phone, search for bubble level and scroll down a page. It's built into the phone.
Yep, I like using my 3 levels as I used to work (in IT of all things) with professional grade survey equipment and most of those use a 3 level (bubble) system for leveling. The iPhone (work provided) also has a bubble level like the Android but it is a bit hidden in the features. (I know where to look and have used it many times.)
Once the fermenter is level could you not place a few horizontal lines around the circumference with a magic makers at the usual volumes, 9.5l, 21l, 23l etc. E.G fill the fermenter to 21 liters, level the fermenter then draw a line around the fermenter at the water level. Next brew simple fill the fermenter close to the desired line then align the liquid and the line so they are parallel then top up to the line. I will be trying this once mine arrives.
@@mAdBiLLy275 You could do that very easily. The key is to add pre-measured liquid first, and use a level in a triangle to ensure it is perfectly level before making your lines. Really easy to do.