What Should I Upgrade To???

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BeerMad

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Okay, so I'v been brewing for a little while now and although I'm still what I would describe as a novice my equipment is starting to get a little worn and my plastic fermenting vessel has just cracked so I've decided it's time to upgrade. The question is, what's the best reasonably priced equipment to upgrade to? Should I just carry on with a plastic FV or should I move to metal? I quite like the plastic ones with the Little Bottler on it but are they just gimmicks?

I'd be interested to know what people think, don't really want to spend a fortune but if there's something that can improve my brew and make things easier for me then great. I tend to bottle most at the moment so really just FV and maybe some better bottling equipment.

Thanks in advance!
 
Okay, so I'v been brewing for a little while now and although I'm still what I would describe as a novice my equipment is starting to get a little worn and my plastic fermenting vessel has just cracked so I've decided it's time to upgrade. The question is, what's the best reasonably priced equipment to upgrade to? Should I just carry on with a plastic FV or should I move to metal? I quite like the plastic ones with the Little Bottler on it but are they just gimmicks?

I'd be interested to know what people think, don't really want to spend a fortune but if there's something that can improve my brew and make things easier for me then great. I tend to bottle most at the moment so really just FV and maybe some better bottling equipment.

Thanks in advance!

you'd need to go through a lot of plastic FV's to get to the cost of a longer lasting shiny SS FV :(

The little bottler though is a must have. Perhaps that will made the biggest difference. :smile:
 
Thanks, might just go for that, not quite ready to justify spending the big bucks to the Mrs yet!
 
I would keep using plastic FV's if I was you...they work fine for me. I'm quite curious to know how you cracked yours.

The bottle wand I used to use, but not anymore...I ended up hating it. It drips or sometimes nothing comes out when you press it against the bottom of the bottle. I know just put the tap on an angle and the bottle at the inverse of that angle which makes the beer go down the sides, avoiding oxidation.
 
The bottle wand I used to use, but not anymore...I ended up hating it. It drips or sometimes nothing comes out when you press it against the bottom of the bottle.

They can be a bit temperamental, but they're so cheap just bin them and get another. I think one of mine only lasted a few brews but the current one has been going for years, the important thing is to clean them straight after bottling to stop them sticking.
 
They can be a bit temperamental, but they're so cheap just bin them and get another. I think one of mine only lasted a few brews but the current one has been going for years, the important thing is to clean them straight after bottling to stop them sticking.

Yesterday I bottled a black IPA that was ready, using a little bottler attached to the tap on my FV. Damn thing started dripping at best and gushing at worst so I pulled it off and just bottled straight from the tap - it's one of those narrow bore ones that the little bottler just pushes on.
To tell the truth it was actually quicker and easier just using the tap so I think in future I'll just carry on with it.
 
I'm not entirely sure how it cracked, maybe because I hadn't used it for a while but I did clean it before I put it away after the last brew. I had it in the bath soaking in warm sterilising water and when I went to empty it it just split quite badly, about 4 vertical cracks about 5 inches long. Not right the way through but bad enough that it looks as if I were to touch it my finger would go eight the way through it.
I used a wand with that one but think I'll just go for the plastic barrel with a little bottle and hope it doesn't leak.
 

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