FastFerment 7.9 Gallon Conical Fermentor

I'm new to brewing and I love this fermenter. I'm a mechanic and follow the KISS rule, so does the fastferment. Follow the setup instructions and it's foolproof, easy to use and clean, and actually looks very cool. I will probably get a second one to allow a steady flow of different brews for my family and friends.

I have had 2 of these now about 3 years. They make good beer, but i think they are more work than they propose to save. Much more difficult to clean and have had one of the valves break and have to replace. The Screw on parts do not always match up and are difficult to get a proper fit. the temperature well is a real pain as that is where bacteria can hide and have ruined much beer because of it. plan to go back to my 8 gallon buckets. They look great hanging on the wall.

Used once, good so far. Numbers connections make me nervous about leaks though. We'll see how it holds up

I thought the FastFerment looked like a great solution, But after couple of good batches, I had two that I poured down the drain because they were sour — contaminated. I consulted with Midwest's helpers and found out how to disassemble the valve. That made it work again, but taking the valve apart, picking out a half-dozen o-rings and cleaning every little crevice is time-consuming. I think fermenting buckets and plastic bubblers are a lot easier to clean and i haven't had contamination problems with them.

It leaks, the lid gasket doesnt seal well, oxigenates your beer when you open the valve, the threaded 1/2inch fitting breaks easily.

This conical fermenter saves time and effort, as well as money, when you brew a batch. No secondary fermentation means no exposure to bacteria in transfer from primary. The ease in disposing of trub is wonderful and all you really have to worry about is fermentation temp.

I love this thing, I reuse the yeast that is captured in the bottom container for my next project.
the only thing that I don't like is if you don't dissemble the ball valve the trapped product can spoil your next batch.

I use my FastFerment for many of my brews and for the most part it is just fine. Had a small problem with the screw on lid leaking CO2 during fermentation, but found that wrapping the threads in a lot of teflon tape, i was able to keep it a closed unit. The stand is a pretty necessary option as hanging it on a wall does not afford you any flexibility. Cleaning it is mostly fine, but the valve requires some effort. All in all, i recommend especially for the price.

While I want to go over everything possible, I also want you to not be discouraged from reading a lengthy review. Rest assured I will try to give as much helpful information to give you to help you in deciding whether you buy your first FastFerment. Let’s get started at the beginning.
My first FastFerment was purchased in December 2015. Since then I have added a FastFerment for each month of the year (You could say I’m a fan).
I’ve used them non-stop primarily for mead and cider, but I have done 1 beer and have another planned. I would also like to do a wine. They are never empty for more than a month.
It’s been an adventure, and there were definitely bumps and snags, but overall the road has been in the right direction and I would gladly take the same road. Let’s go over a PRO/CON list.

Pros:
No siphon racking
Reduced exposure to contamination
Sediment collector
Saves amazing amounts of time versus
Wall mount utilizes space well
Less overall storage space (instead of 1 bucket/1 carboy)
No lugging around and cleaning carboys
Benefit of a conical, but much cheaper than a stainless conical
Lightweight and easy to clean

Cons:
Lid seal gasket has been through revisions to improve seal. It’s much better now, but improvements could still be made
When first starting, the connections with teak tape can be irksome

Tips and Last thoughts:
Inspect all threads/seams after purchase (carefully cut extra plastic left from molding process). Some parts of plastic can be sharp (especially interior rim), be careful! Hands-down this has and continues to be my best investment for my adventures in fermentation. I wish you your own great and delicious adventures!

I have been all grain brewing for about 10 years (206 batches). I have my system down. I purchased a fast ferment a year ago and have made 12 batches. The results are mixed. 75% of those beers have resulted in "gushers" when I open the bottles. Since I've never had this problem before the only change is the fast ferment.There are no off flavors or smells to these beers so I think it is attenuation. I have left the beer in the fermenter for 21 days and removed the true every 7 days. The batch that I;m brewing today I plan to gently shake every day to roust the yeast. I'm hitting the recipe gravities. Any one else having this problemm?

The unit received was in overall good condition, however the gray plastic fitting that screws onto the lower bulb had a nice crease through it causing leakage. After contacting Fastferment's support dept and seeing that the replacement they sent me was in even worse shape I took it upon myself to sand and polish the crease out. It does not leak anymore. I would advise anyone looking to buy one of these to know that some finishing work is required on the consumer's end in order to make it work sometimes.
I would have given this 4 stars had I not had to email them multiple times in order to get a replacement part, and it still took almost 2 weeks to receive it.

Love my Fast Fermenter. Makes great wine. Clears the wine nicely.

A simple and easy way to brew beer. I have not had any problems with mine as some other people have posted. Use good thread tape and you won't have a problem. Also, as long as you are not an idiot, you will not strip the threads.

I got this conical fermentor as my first big advancement from my beginner homebrew kit. I wanted to start brewing beers that needed secondary fermentation, but I didn't want to get another bucket or carboy due to lack of space. This solves that problem well. It is slightly larger than I expected, but not drastically. I have my first brew in fermenting currently and am very happy with it so far.

I've been homebrewing on and off for the last 8 years and have brewed about 22 batches of beer using standard primary bucket / secondary carboy methods. As a father of 4 children, I try to brew whenever it doesn't interrupt time with family, so time is precious. That's why I like the FastFerment concept. It reduces time by acting as both primary and secondary, makes yeast harvesting easy, and reduces likelihood of contamination and oxidation if you follow good homebrewing and sanitation practices. I like that the internal volume is substantial enough to provide plenty of headspace for active fermentation; the valve is big enough to keep clogging to a minimum (though that can't always be avoided), and the integrated Thermowell is a great plus. Also, this is a much more economical option compared to the SS fermenters at 1/3 the cost (or better). Great idea, and keep up the innovative cost effective design ideas!

Cuts down on work needed to get to the 30 day mark. Need to wrap the threads with that white tape so it does not leak.

Just kegged my first batch using this and Im in love. No more fiddling and worrying with tubing and canes and trub clogs. The collection ball allow me to easily get yeast saved for another batch and keep most of the sentiment controlled. Not sure how those using the stand are liking it but for a nice cool basement the wall mount makes kegging the whole batch take mere minutes. Only thing I can see maybe being a concern is the neck/value clogging for heavy additives or dry hops but using hops socks and similar should alleviate that.

So, I was a bit reluctant to buy this at first given mixed reviews... but after another one of my glass Big Mouth Bubblers cracked when it got tapped while full of liquid... I took the plunge.
There is a lot of info out there on the setup of these things... do yourself a favor Read ALL of the directions and then go watch the setup video on YouTube... My recommendations on setup:
1. use an exacto knife to trim off the excess plastic (very gently) from the molding process on both sides of the threads on the vessel itself.
2. follow their recommendation to screw-unscrew the parts 10x. this really helps to seat the parts prior to assembly with the Teflon tape.
3. Be EXTREMELY careful in threading in the thermowell. I would recommend one hand on the inside to make sure it's mostly straight with respect to the hole itself while you gently screw it in. (this is the one part I had to reseat 4 times to add additional Teflon tape per the instructions). I needed to use a box wrench for the final few turns (you want this snug up against the container but be careful not to go too far or you could end up damaging the vessel itself).
4. Use the Teflon tape per the instructions when assembling the Grey bits onto the vessels. Take your time here and make sure all threads are covered by 3 layers of tape.
5. Prior to leak testing make sure you have purchased the Stand (Unless you plan to have this mounted on a wall (which I have yet to do). (I put the stand in the utility sink to leak test the unit (easier to fill/empty).
6. Also prior to trying to move the vessel when full, do yourself an favor and purchase the $15 strap… I know it seems silly… but Its easy for this to get away from you as it’s pretty smooth without any hand holds and it could easily damage a fiberglass sink (don’t ask me how I know this…); it’s far cheaper to spend $15 for the strap than time/effort/cost to repair/replace a sink if it slips when full because you don’t have a stand (see comment 5.) and are trying to hold/empty it over the sink….
7. If you have ANY issues with it at all, don’t hesitate to reach out to the manufacturer FastBrewing (the manufacturer) directly (I called/emailed them as I had a weird leak issue on the ball valve itself… they promptly remediated this and I had new parts in a couple of days along with an additional silicone seal for the lid!).
In short: Great device for the price (especially when compared to the time/effort (cleaning and transferring) +cost of 2 vessels vs this one)… Plus I’ve got to believe this one is A LOT more durable than glass.
I will update this once I’ve had the opportunity to brew with this (just upgraded my equipment to this fermenter and a grainfather… so we’ll see!.

Works great...debris falls to the bottom as designed and is a great time saver and reduces the possibility of introducing contamination. Only thing to be aware of is making sure silicon seal on the lid stays put on lid while screwing it on the unit. I found by putting some keg lube on the lid thread and top and bottom of the seal aids in keeping the seal attached to the lid and lid to easily thread on unit. Great value and great unit for the lazy man.

Go ahead, price out two carboys... now, price out transfer equipment, time, and potential oxygenation. Getting a FastFerment is a logical step up for any brewer. Sure, there are issues in terms of the lid but overall, you won't find a conical for this price elsewhere. Harvesting yeast is simple, as is removing trub but make sure you hold the valve to not accidently unscrew it in the process of removing the collector ball.

I've had my FastFerment fermenter for a little over a year now. I've brewed several batches with it, of various styles. Overall, I really like it for all it's positive features, but there are a few downsides. My impressions so far:Pros:1. Super easy yeast collection.2. Reduces oxygen exposure due zero racking (when doing a secondary fermentation).3. Racking to kegs is fast and easy.4. Saves time cleaning/sanitizing by reducing the amount of equipment needed.Cons:1. The connecting parts between the collection ball and the bottom valve are troublesome (at least on my unit). I have to tighten them so tight to prevent leaks that they are always really hard to unscrew.2. The collection ball has a frail threaded top. Mine sheared off after a while, leaving the threaded part in the plastic part that connects to the valve. I've since replaced it, and know now to treat it extremely gently.3. It's the nature of all plastic fermenters, but it's worth mentioning, it does retain odors and colors from previous batches. Not necessarily enough to ruin a subsequent batch, but it does happen.

For a brewer that is on a tight budget, the Fast-Ferment Conical is probably the best way to get the benefit of a conical without the cost of the Stainless Steel units. Easy to use, clean and move, it, also, allows you to increase your batch size to fully fill a 5 gallon keg or barrel.

I have done only two batches in the Fastferment, so I guess I am still learning. After reading many reviews, I took a small triangular file and cleaned up the mold flashing on the top threads. The fermentor came with 2 silicone gaskets, which I stack, and get a good lid seal. However one usually falls into the wort when removing the cap. I wish there was a good www to stick them together so that wouldn't happen. My only other comment is with regard to the trub clogging the bottom of the conical. Part of this is my fault because I get too much trub into the fermentor. Next time I think I will delay pitching the yeast for a day, and empty the collection ball two or three times before it gets a chance to pack down, then when I think that I have most of the trub I'll close the valve and pitch the yeast. All in all a good tool at a reasonable price, just needs a little experimenting. Bob

I bought the fast fermentor, rack and bottle filler. The fast fermentor does make 2 stage fermenting easier and saves time. I am not sure if it helped the taste of the beer I brewed. The rack holds the fermentor well. I would advice anyone using the stand to do the fermenting and racking at the same location. When I moved the fermentor and rack from the floor to a counter top the rack came apart and it's rather awkward to move even with the carrying strap. The bottle filler takes awhile to learn to control as apposed to a spigot.

I have done 2 batches of beer in my FastFerment Fermentor now. It works great.

This definitely speed up my process. However a bit of prep work is required since I cant just mount this in my office, my wife would had killed me. So I had to either buy a overpriced one or built a stand. I choose the lather. The price is great for a conical. It works as promised and is much easier than buckets and carboys.

This is great product once you get get it dialed in. First be sure to check the threads at the top opening. There may be some remaining rough edges from the molding process that need to be trimmed with a razor blade to ensure a good seal. I took the advice of one of the reviewers and used a little bit of silicone to get a good seal on the thermowell. Be sure to use plenty of teflon tape on the bottom opening and the yeast collection ball. The remaining connections have gaskets and don't require any tape. Do a leak test with water prior to fermenting anything. I purchased a stand which works out really well. The best part about it is the ability to secondary without transferring as well as making it easy to collect and store yeast for repeated usage. I'm going to go with 4.5 stars.

I have been using carboys and buckets my entire homebrewing career and professional career for small scale batches. This is the first time that I branched out and I was pleasantly surprises by the ease of use. I bought the FastFerment with the stand and the spigot. I was happy I did because I didn't have a wall to mount the ferementer on and I like to take a lot samples to measure the progression of my beer. I measured the gravity every day for the first week and the spigot was extremely useful for this. The position of the spigot that they mention in the instructions was the perfect height above the yeast cake. When I was ready for the secondary fermentation, I opened the valve to the ball and transferred the yeast cake just like I would when I was working in a brewery with 60 bbl tanks. I discarded the first 100 mL of yeast and then saved the next 100 mL for reuse. The yeast did take a while to flow into the ball, but I lost very little beer during the transfer. Also, I would like to comment on the seals of each part. I wasn't sure how well of a seal I would get with all the accessories, so I was extra careful checking for leaks before adding my beer. However in the first try of assembling the fermenter, there were no leaks. It was beautiful. As soon as I purchase some upgrades for some of my other equipment, I will be buying another FastFerment!

The Good:Assembly was quite easy, I followed all the recommendations from owners manual and the videos on the manufacturer's web site. After breaking in all the threads, I used a generous amount of Teflon tape on the union and Thermowell. I must have done it right since I didn't have any leaks during the leak test. The not so good:The lid is hard to get on straight. Twisting the lid on is easy enough, in fact the easy twist may be part of the problem. The threads are not well matched to the conical. Unlike the union (or any bolt) where once you start it correctly it will follow the threads until tight. The lid can "click" between good engagement and cross threaded. It can even happen after the lid is partially screwed on. I brewed a Ferocious IPA and put it into the fermenter but didn't see any bubbles the first day. The next morning the liquid level was the same on both sides of the S-Bubble. Looking closely I noticed the lid looked to be on crooked. I found the gap between the bottom of the lid and the conical was larger on one side compared to the other. I unscrewed the lid until it clicked a couple of times to ensure the thread were engaged correctly. I carefully screwed the lid back on trying to keep it straight. After about one and half revolutions it "clicked" to where the lid was no longer level. I continued screwing the lid on while holding pressure to try and get it back straight. After another 3/4 turn, it clicked again and was now level. I was able to get the lid on straight where the gap between the lid and fermenter was equal all the way around. Within a couple of minutes the airlock started bubbling vigorously.Conclusion:So far I'm very impressed with this product. I'd give it 5 stars if the lid were redesigned. It looks pretty cool in my brew room, and I can't wait until the first batch comes out.

Easy set up, well engineered product. I also purchased the strap and stand, both good investments. This has saved time and hassle for brew day and beyond. No more siphoning!

My daughter bought this for me as a gift. Only the third batch of beer I have made, but by far the easiest. It sure beats the siphoning and trying to keep the tube from sucking up sediment. I am probably going to by 1 or maybe 2 more so I can keep things moving. Now I will have to get into kegging... too many bottles.

I bought the FastFerment setup to move up some from the usual fermentation methods and make yeast harvesting easier. I was not disappointed. It's easy to use, clean and very affordable.

As advertised. Very affordable, very easy to use and cuts down your work/time significantly. I own two, one for beer and one for wine. I have been brewing for more than 10 years. I recommend this highly!

Great product. Works well for harvesting yeast. A lot easier than racking beer into a secondary vessel.

This conical fermenter will save time and $$, eliminating cleaning and sanitizing of carboys and equipment and eliminating the fear of breaking glass carboys during handling. I will be buying a few more in the future.

I've had this fermentor for 4+ months and have fermented 5 batches in this fermentor. Despite "breaking the threads in" as instructed, sanding down an obvious defective lip, and using a role of teflon tape each time, the lid will not seal. Too bad because there is much to like about this design.

Have not used it yet.

Lighter than glass, more head space vs. typical carboys for big beers that would typically require a blow-off, easy to clean, no transfer required for secondary, easy to mount and keg/bottle. Am going to buy another and brew 10g batches. And wait, you can harvest your yeast too!

I like it. You do have to use teflon tape on everything and I had to clean up some of the threads after that it sealed up. One thing to note is to make sure you take apart everything to clean. I found some nasties in the threads in a couple of places.

Like the title says it's my first conical. I've only used it to secondary and clarify a batch of mead. It worked great. Make sure to use the teflon tape and check that it's sealed. Easy to do while sanitizing (as you always do...). You get plenty tape, don't be shy. I'm going to spring for a few rubber gaskets as the one that comes with is suitable for your first use but won't last long. This plastic fermenter is more durable than other plastic fermenters I've used before. There's no crazy plastic smell either. It would be worth twice the money. I'm putting another one on my wishlist tonight..

As a novice Home Brewer, this has made my life so much simpler! I look forward to getting a few more!

I bought two of these as I got tired of carrying around carboys and wanted an easier way to collect yeast. I picked up a couple at the in-store location this past fall during a promotion. These things are sweet! I have ran 4 batches through one and just started my second batch in the other. Harvesting yeast is very simple! I usually collect the trub on the second day (from all grain brews) and replace the collection ball. I let it ferment out and than I collect the year. On one brew I had a full collection ball of yeast! From that one collection I filled 3 pint jars of yeast (with a little water of course).I have left a wine sit in the fast ferment for almost 4 months and thought it might do damage to the vessel. I sprayed it and it was clean, light brushing with the soft side of a sponge and it was ready for another batch. The other feature I like is how easy it is to fill a keg. Attach the sanitized hose, bring in a keg, open valve, and in about 2 minutes you have an empty vessel and a full keg of beer. I set my kegs on a small step stool so that the hose touches the bottom (and decreasing oxidation).I have been tempted to get the base as well as carrying strap but I have had good luck setting the fermenter in a 5 gallon bucket (with the collection ball off) and moving it with the bucket. Once I go down my steps I just lift it onto the mounting brackets.Highly recommend....now only if they made a 13 gallon version....

I am in the process of using the FastFerment for the first time. So far, it has been great! Secondary fermentation is a dream and takes away all the hassle. Highly recommended!!

unhappy returned item. the top will not seal, trube and yeast collects to the inside of the fermenter sides, instead of going into the collection ball. truly disappointed in this product.

These work great, you just have to take care of them. Once dialed in they are very cost effective!

I've fermented in buckets and glass carboys since I started. I both two of these and wish I had bought them earlier! Great product that works exactly as they claim!

Perfect size, good workmanship, I got second one!

I have had issues with sanitation while racking between primary and secondary in the past. The collection ball method has simplified that process and do not worry as much about possible infections associated with transfers. Thanks Fast Ferment!!

Just starting out and this is much easier than the way my friends use carboys. Makes learning less frustrating.

Had this for over a year, the lid seals very well with teflon tape on all threads! Overcome blowouts by using the base of airlock with 1.25" blowoff hose inside it connected to plastic contain attached to the wall mounts. Straps keep falling, add a bungy cord to secure. The 6.5 gallon bucket works just as well as the accessory stand!