FASTFERMENT FFT 7.9 Gallon Conical Fermenter - BPA Free Food Grade Homebrew Kit for Beer, Wine & Hard Cider Making | Primary Fermenter Carboy with Wall Mount | Perfect for Home Brewing, Craft Beer Production & Winemaking Hobby

Like many, I was looking for an alternative to the standard buckets and carboys for my beer and wine making. The idea of the Fast Ferment was sound and I started investigating. At first I was a little discouraged reading all the comments about leaks and clogging. Eventually I learned that supposedly the company had increased the size of the union valve and neck. This should address the clogging issues. I also planned to just hang any hops, fruit or other ingredients in a muslin sack from a stainless hook installed in the lid if I needed to add any of these items during fermentation or secondary. I figured that would also aid in clogging.As for the leaking, most reviewers noted that once they cleaned up the plastic flash around the threads things were much better and there were no issues. I am fairly handy and figured this wouldn't be much of an issue for me to correct.Finally after some time, I decided to order the product. Once it arrived I removed all the parts and laid everything out. I wasted no time following the instructions and installed and removed all the threaded parts numerous times to "break in" the threads and remove this flash. I did it at least double the recommended amount with very little success. There was still a large amount of flash and the threads did not operate smoothly. Therefore I proceeded to use a de-burring tool to remove the plastic flash from all molded threads. A person could use an Exacto or utility knife as an alternative as long as they only use light pressure and do not gouge into the threads. I then used some sandpaper to ensure all the flash was gone and the threads were very smooth and uniform. I like many, found the top of the conical where the lid attaches and seals to also have a raised flash or edge that prevented the lid from sealing. While completely sealing a vessel is not all that important for fermentation due to the CO2 pressure, it is important for secondary processes and after all, that is the main idea behind this product. Being sealed well is also good to help with monitoring the bubbles in the air lock. With a sanding block and a few minutes, I was able to create a very even and smooth surface on the top of the conical. Now the lid seals very well once installed snuggly by hand.The instructions mention to use 4 wraps of Teflon tape on various threaded fittings. They go on to mention you may need to add more to get a good seal. I would tend to agree that much more will be needed, especially if you do not clean the threads well. The thermowell is especially sensitive to this. I first applied 5 wraps of tape to it and installed it only to find it bottomed out in the hole before ever becoming tight. If not careful, a person could ruin the vessel here by continuing to tighten this. I then removed it and found I needed 10 wraps of tape to get the correct fitment. Ironically, these are some of the only threads that DO NOT have flash.... Finally I added a spigot as well for hydrometer samples. With the valve closed I "pressure tested" the fermenter by blowing into the airlock hole. PERFECT!!! It took some work and more than what the instructions outlined but I now had an air-tight vessel. I blew as hard as I could and not one bit of leakage. As soon as I pulled away from the airlock, the air came rushing back out the hole at me.Once I completed the remainder of the assembly and built a frame or stand to hold the fermenter, (I use an old freezer as a ferment chamber and mounting the arms to the inside of it is not an option) I filled it with water and left it for two days. Not one leak or issue.If you are on the fence deciding whether you need this or not, here is a breakdown of what I see as pros and cons as well as how it compares to other methods.Pros:- Reasonably priced - Similar cost to a good glass carboy, bucket, lid and basic siphon.- You can secondary in the same vessel - Many feel you don't need to secondary beer now a days, but if you do, this does make it easier to simply remove the collection ball and trub without having to transfer. I don't secondary ale beer anymore unless adding things like hops, fruit or similar. Lagers will still get a secondary of course. Wine also gets a secondary.- Thermowell - Get accurate temp readings and use with temperature controllers in applications like mine inside a freezer/chamber.- Yeast harvest is probably the biggest one - You can wash and harvest yeast from a bucket system also but this is cleaner and easier. Not to mention I can pull my yeast cake much sooner and maintain its health instead of waiting until I siphon the beer or wine off of it from a bucket.- You can bottle or keg right from the fermenter. I still prefer a bottling bucket though since bottling from this unit requires you to open the lid, pour the priming solution in and then stir it up. I fear this is more oxygen introduction than properly filling a bottling bucket from bottom up.Cons:- Needs extra work to get the best performance- It is plastic and if you use it as a secondary, especially for wine, you must be careful not to scratch or damage it during de-gassing which gives bacteria a place to grow.- More difficult to clean than a bucket but easier than a carboy. A bottle brush works well for the valve and conical neck. Collection ball is difficult to clean. Kind of awkward to clean anywhere other than a bath tub.- In order to fully clean, you must disassemble the union valve which voids any warranty and be careful upon reassembly to ensure proper function.- Takes up more space in my freezer. If I have something going in this, then I can't condition, lager or ferment anything else.- If you use it for primary and secondary your primary is occupied during secondary/conditioning phase, meaning you can't brew anything else or keep a good rotation going without a second unit.- If you do get a clog or leak, it's going to be a big deal and most likely result in a big mess or a contaminated batch as you insert rods and "things" inside to clear the clog.- Very awkward to move around or do anything with it once you fill it. This means you need to bring your brew kettle/pot to it or try to maneuver it into the final fermentation position after you fill it.In conclusion, I think this is a very good product once you put a little extra effort into it. But then again, what about this hobby doesn't require a little extra effort? I mean, it would be a lot easier to just go to the store and buy beer or wine right??? I give it 4 stars instead of 5 since it does require some extra work to get ready and a product purchased new should be ready to go. Personally, unless I don’t plan to brew anything else anytime soon, I use it as a primary only. Ales go into a bottling bucket, lagers into carboys for conditioning and wine into carboys for clarifying. This way I can keep other things fermenting while those are finishing. If I don’t have any other brews planned, then I will leave things in this fermenter until ready to bottle or keg as the reduced racking is nice. The biggest benefit for me with this product is harvesting the yeast sooner and maintaining is viability.Happy brewing!!!I have 2 Fastferment conical 7.9gal fermenters, and I have been using them for about a year. This is the least expensive conical out there, and literally has the most features available regardless of price.SAMPLING PORTeasily take samples for gravity readings and tasting without any danger of contamination and without having to use a wine thief (sampling port kit costs $14 on Amazon but once you've got one and have the drill bit, you can add generic sampling ports to subsequent Fastferments for much less)THERMOWELLA Metal - to metal connection goes straight into your wort giving an accurate reading without any danger of contamination. Thermowell is included but the thermometer will set you back $18 on Amazon.BALL COLLECTION VALVEThis is the main advantage of conicals in general - great for dumping trub and harvesting yeast (also means no need for a secondary fermenter - just dump the trub and you're in secondary). One vessel means no racking and a lot of saved time!). This also means you can bottle straight out of the fermenter (again, no racking to a bottling bucket = saved time and reduced opportunity for oxidization)WALL MOUNTThis is awesome for limited space users and this is truly unique feature. Wall brackets included.MILKY COLOR PLASTICThis means you can't see the fun swirling movement during fermentation, but it also protects your fermentation from sunlight. I still wouldn't leave it in direct sunlight but it doesn't need to be in a dark closet.GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICEFastferment's team is unbeatable. I stupidly drilled my sampling port too low and wrecked a vessel. Fastferment sent me a new vessel for just the cost of shipping. They did not need to do that and it goes to show how hard they work to do right by their customers.ONLINE VIDEOSFastferment has made plenty of online videos to help with setup and useWith all that said, there are some cons:SCREW TOP LIDI have gone through 6 lids to find 2 that will seal to the point where my airlock will bubble correctly. The lid seals adaquately to prevent infection, but most of them are not an exact enough fit to get the airlock to bubble. This is just an annoyance since it is fun to see the airlock bubbling. Don't worry though - fermentation is still happening and luckily you can take samples via the sampling port which is the true way to check on your fermentation's progress anyway. There is a thick layer of C02 sitting on your wort protecting it from oxidization, and I do not think any nasties are getting in past the screw top even though the seal is not 100% airtight.TEFLON TAPESetup is a little tricky because you need to use LOTS of PTFE teflon tape to make sure nothing leaks. The videos cover this very well, and if you follow them you won't have a problem. I recommend on going ahead and getting yourself some extra teflon tape right off the bat. That way you will be able to use lots and lots the first time you set up the fermenter without worrying about exhausting the 1 roll that the Fastferment comes with.EASILY SCRATCHABLEThis just means you have to be careful cleaning the inside. I just fill mine with a PBW solution for a few hours, dump it out through the bottom valve, and then just rinse. No problems so far. BPA is just not as hardy as PTE or stainless, so you have to be extra careful with it.COOLING JACKET IS NOT GREATI did go ahead and buy the Fastferment cooling jacket and I didn't love it. It works for getting the temperature down, but requires 2x a day frozen bottle changes and I don't think it reduces the temp as much as advertised. I'm still experimenting with cooling but the best option would probably be a stand-up freezer with a temp controller. I haven't gone that way yet due to space but I may in the end. Currently I'm working with a Brewjacket immersion pro which is good for getting above or below ambient temp by 15 degrees but not by the 35 degrees advertised.INCLUDED BOTTLING TUBE IS NOT GREATThe fastferment comes with a too-short bottling tube and a clamp for controlling flow. I upgraded to a 1/2' silicon tube and a 1/2" racking cane and it works like a charm. Bottling out of this thing is so quick and easy once you get your setup right!Overall I am super happy with the Fastferment and would recommend it to anyone. Eventually when I have the $$, I would like to upgrade to one of the ridiculously nice stainless fermenters on the market. For now though, the Fastferment is a great system that is meeting all my needs and allowing me to spend my brewing equipment money on other aspects such as temperature control, yeast management, and all grain brewing equipment.You can't stop it leaking. I spent 3 hours fettling the threads with a fine needle file. No matter how much ptfe tape you wrap around it it will spring a leak. The last leak was from the valve union which is terminal. Extremely poorly manufactured, to the point of arrogance that you would not let it leave the factory and let it go to a customer in that condition. I am an engineer and would be sacked! Very disappointed.Using a conical fermenter is an excellent method for brewing and there are a few manufacturers who make them in various shapes and sizes. The FastFerment is made from a translucent plastic, which the manufacturers state prevents light from affecting the beer. It also means you can't really see if your brew is clear or cloudy before decanting it from the fermenter. If you buy the temperature jacket then light won't be a problem anyway. For me, a translucent fermenter is a disadvantage. The reason I gave the FastFermenter one star is due to the badly manufactured lid and poor customer support. The threads on the top of the fermenter are reasonably substantial but the threads on the lid are thin and practically useless. After screwing on the lid I can pop it off with thumb pressure. I contacted the manufacturer about this and let them know that I had spent a lot of money on every accessory sold for the fermenter. Their response was that I should go and find someone who can sell me another lid. The lids are probably injection moulded, so will a new lid have been manufactured differently??? My guess would be no. I am very disappointed that the FastFerment customer support is so indifferent. They have created a product that could be good but IT'S AS USEFUL AS AN OPEN TOP BUCKET. If bugs can get in through the lid then your brew will always, like this fermenter, be crap. Do not waste your money buying this fermenter.I’ve just finished my first brew in my new fast ferment. What a treat! I put it together easily using loads of the PTFE tape supplied and had no leaks whatsoever.I didn’t purchase the stand, but made Good use of Covid-19 lockdown time and a load of leftover plywood to build cabinet to house it (I insulated the cabinet to control temp).Being able to remove the sediment via the catching bottle without opening the vessel was brilliant, and apart from that I didn’t have to disturb my brew from the time I transferred it from my boiler, until I was bottling. This totally eliminates any risk of contamination if you’ve sanitised it well before adding the wort. I sampled the beer at that time I bottled it and it really is pub quality with no off taste.Bottling also so easy by using the length of tube supplied with one of those gadgets which fills from the bottom of the bottle and shuts off when you lift it out.Cleaning was also quick and easy.The only thing that is missing is a sampling tap so I have now bought one and will fit it before my next brew.I can see why a lot of people complain about the length of hose that comes with it. Seems to be neither here nor there as it’s only about 2 foot. When I first saw it, my first thought was ‘ why bother including it?’ But as it happens it worked out well for my set upI would say that It’s a little expensive for what it is. If you’re making your own beer to save money it would take you a long time to recoup the cost, but if your main thing is the hobby itself, then it’s definitely a great addition to your set up.Love this! Used it once to make rhubarb champagne (I work a lot away so time is tight) and the just popping the ball off at end of first ferment clean reinstall. Wow only took minuets. But this mating ritual seems like many others mating rituals to produce offspring! As next time I came home the ups stalk had delivered one more! Luckily I had the ingredients to two lagers at home needing something to fill. So I cleaned out the fastforment after bottling the champagne. I must say with great ease! Then cleaned and assembled the new one also went like a dream. The next morning the ingredients woke me early! After about 2 hours the fastferments where filled with nearly no mess! There was a little case of I didn’t adjust one of the ball valves correctly so my sock got a little wet. But you learn faster from your mistakes. Anyway they are now both in their controlled environment. @12.3 degrees on secondary ferment. The harvest balls have been removed cleaned and mated ( just realized I was going to dry hop in one but forgot, next time). I just hope the ups stalk hasn’t come with more by the time I get home. Mind you there where a lot of apples in the garden............ maybe it time for some cider.Now there are two things I have concerns about.1. I haven’t found a good way of heating these yet and as it soon to be hitting -c at night I see the need for this soon2. Mountain in fermentation fridge (but I think I crack that oneOnly one thing I think could make the sexier! Really shiny stainless so we don’t have to hide them in a dark cornerRight just took delivery today and the setup is pretty easy, however make sure you put plenty of the plumbers tape on (supplied).so as there are no leaks. Make sure you test fill to do a complete leak test. You need the stand so make sure you buy it along with. Got a shiraz now brewing in it. Just waiting on it starting. However the only problem I had was the airlock was not complete ,even though it was sealed it was missing a part so could not use it. I've ordered a new set £3.00 ,on Amazon.so no big deal. Must say it looks good. And I realy like the idea of the sediment settling into the bottle below. The only other thing was the valve is a bit tight to turn, thought I was going to break it but it's just tight. Also the cleaning of it was easy ,I used the leak test to sanitize it all then rinsed out .no need to try and empty a full fermenter just open the valve and it was done. So far I think it's a great item but only time will tell. Don't think I will hang on wall I think far to heavy for that. And would not like to lose my brew.