Author: Malcolm Frazer

I have seen them in the magazines, at friends houses, and sitting on display at homebrew conventions beckoning me with their shiny stainless siren calls. Conical fermentors appeal to many brewers’ desire for a glimmering miniature mock-up of a professional brewery, allowing us to feel like a pro from the comfort of our own garages. Unfortunately, they tend to be pretty expensive, certainly more so than a typical fermentation bucket or carboy, and hence deemed out of reach by many, myself included. But let’s face it, conicals are like the supermodels of the homebrewing world, verbally beat up for being too expensive, heavy, and awkward by many of the same people who secretly wish they had one. Sure, this is a bit of a rash generalization stemming from my own experience, but I have to believe at least a slight majority of homebrewers have flirted with the idea of integrating a conical into their brewing routine.

Awhile back, the folks at Ss Brewtech contacted us saying they had something up their sleeves, explaining they would soon be releasing a new version of their popular Chronical fermentor packed with professional grade features but with the homebrewer in mind. Seeking honest feedback on this new product, I agreed to put the Brewmaster Edition Chronical through the paces, here’s what I think.





When I learned I’d be doing this review, prior to receiving the product, I hit the Ss Brewtech website to do some preliminary research. I found the page for the new Brewmaster Edition (BME) Chronical to have a good rundown of the features and really appreciated their document comparing the BME to the standard edition, definitely check this out if you’re in the market.

A week after chatting with the folks from Ss Brewtech, I came home to find the family dog inspecting a couple large boxes sitting on my doorstep.

The Chronicals were shipped in attractive and sturdy containers, the items had no damage, and the included product media was sleek and professional.

I began unboxing the fermentors and quickly realized they had a good number of parts to inventory, which I’ll admit was somewhat intimidating as a lifelong carboy user. As I delved into assembly, I found some aspects of the directions to be less than crystal clear, particularly since what was written didn’t seem to always align perfectly with the illustrative images, such as the alignment of the racking arm during fermentation. No biggie, I was able to figure it out with some online sleuthing. After a dry fit, I performed the required initial cleaning and passivation of the Chronicals, a necessary step to remove residual oils from manufacturing and make the steel resistant to corrosion. The instructions detail this process well. Finally, the BME Chronicals were ready to hold fermenting beer.

One commonly cited drawback to using conical fermentors is the fact their size makes moving them in and out of a temperature controlled fermentation chamber difficult, particularly repurposed chest freezers, many of which don’t fit conical style fermentors. This isn’t an issue for the BME Chronical since it comes with an insulative neoprene jacket and unique chilling coil with the option of adding a Fermentation Temperature Stabilization System (FTSs).

The FTSs is a cleverly designed temperature regulation system that involves pumping a cool liquid, either water or glycol, through the chilling coil housed inside the BME Chronical. Ss Brewtech also offers a heating upgrade kit with a proprietary heating pad that gets wrapped around the unit’s exterior and turns on when the temp drops below a specific set-point. However, if heating is all that’s needed, the FTSs can use the same technology to warm the beer to a set temperature by switching the controller to heat mode and pumping warm liquid through the coils. This is the method I went with during the cold Western Pennsylvania months, repurposing a temp controller and heater I typically use for step mashes.

Fermentation temperature being taken care of by the FTSs, I had only to find a place to store them while in use that would allow easy access to the racking and dump valves. I’m getting older and my back no longer appreciates me lifting stainless fermentors full of beer, so I set them on a plastic table that I plan to replace with a more sturdy bench in the near future.

Time to put these bad boys to use! Having made a few recent changes to my brewery, I chose an Ordinary Bitter recipe I brew often, figuring it would allow me to make on-the-fly adjustments should I run into any issues. When brew day came around, I underestimated the time required to prepare the BME Chronicals for use and ended up dedicating a portion of the time I usually spend goofing off to ensuring the fermentors were assembled properly, clean, and sanitized. Most of the preparation could have been completed early and I’m certain it will become second nature as I become more familiar with the Chronicals. Suffice to say, it took a little more time and effort than filling carboys with sanitizer.

The inaugural brew day went fine, it was time to fill these beauties with freshly chilled wort. Having overlooked the fact my hoses weren’t long enough (doh!), I was forced to bring the Chronicals to my kettle for filling then carefully move them to their resting spots. This was considerably less difficult than I expected, as the Chronicals strike a nice balance of sturdiness and maneuverability. Internal volume markings made filling each Chronical with the same amount of wort a breeze, an important factor for ensuring equality between xBmt batches. Then I pitched the yeast, sealed the lid, and left the work of temperature regulation to the FTSs.

I have to agree with many of the proselytizing posts I’ve read from other conical users– the side sampling port is badass! To check the SG during fermentation or just pull a sample to taste, all I have to do is open and close a valve then give a quick spritz with sanitizing solution, it’s a snap.

Raising the temperature at the end of fermentation for a diacetyl rest and subsequently crash cooling was easy as pie, requiring only a couple presses of a button and changing the source liquid getting pumped through the beer.

I occasionally like to reuse yeast slurry in subsequent batches, a task the BME Chronical makes a no brainer. Simply open the bottom dump valve over a sanitized container, collect the desired amount of yeast, then close the valve and spray it down. I’ve found the cleanest yeast tends to sit atop a layer of trub, so I get rid of that first then collect the creamy goodness. This is also great for brewers who prefer racking to a secondary fermentor to get the beer off the lees, only instead of moving the beer you move the yeast, reducing the risk of oxidation or contamination.

Another great feature of the BME Chronical is that it allows me to easily keg the finished beer using pressure. All I have to do is connect the sanitized fittings, set the psi on my CO2 regulator to just above the zero peg, open a valve, and that’s it, beer starts flowing into my keg. No more siphons! Matt Chrispen from the Accidentalis blog wrote a nice piece about pressurized transfers that I found helpful.

| The Verdict |

Value is obviously in the eye of the beerholder, what one considers to be valuable is largely a function of personal preference and, in many cases, income. However, I like to think value can be more objectively determined based on comparisons to other similar products. With that, Ss Brewtech’s Brewmaster Edition Chronical is a high-end piece of equipment with upgrades that would please any pro-minded brewer for a price commensurate with the quality and features. At $650, they’re not cheap, though the fact it comes with options not found in other similarly priced stainless conicals makes it more attractive to me as a customer. I appreciate that Ss Brewtech offers their standard Chronical for only $395, the biggest difference being the gadgets to control fermentation temperature.

There are a few minor things about my experience with the BME Chronicals that left me wanting for more. First off, I think the assembly instructions could use a little work and the illustrations could be a tad more clear, particularly since it’s likely most customers will be imbibing while building. Another potential drawback to those focused on simplifying their brewing process is that the BME Chronical does require a bit more effort to clean compared to carboys and buckets, and given their size, storage could be an issue for some. But overall, the negatives pale in comparison to all of the incredible features of the BME Chronical I’ve come to appreciate so much!

Finally, it’s important to me to share my experience dealing with Ss Brewtech not just as a reviewer of their product, but a customer. My rating of something is hugely influenced by the people who make it and the service they provide. I can’t speak highly enough about Ss Brewtech as a company. Without knowing I would be reviewing their product, I reached out with questions and received responses immediately that addressed my issues, no lag or short answers indicating I was wasting their time. It came through that they cared, and I appreciate that. I also made additional purchases that were shipped quickly and arrived in good form.

If you’re in the market for a stainless fermentor that will make you feel like a pro, I strongly recommend adding the Ss Brewtech Brewmaster Edition Chronical to your list of options. It’s well designed, has a list of great options, works great, and will last you a lifetime of brewing.

MoreBeer is a proud reseller of Ss Brewtech products, carrying their entire line of brewing products with free shipping. Items can also be purchased direct from Ss Brewtech’s website.

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