(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best brewing & fermentation fermenters

>I was a little concerned that the gasses might have a hard time escaping, especially through my mango and peach "smash" -

Yeah, I wouldn't be worried at all. From my other fermenting experience, particularly the dry sauerkraut method where you literally don't add any water and just add salt and crush up the cabbage (or whatever you're putting in) by hand to draw the water IN the cabbage cells out of the cabbage cells (making its own brine), you don't need a ton of space, and you might not get a ton of space. It's all good; the bubbles will find their way out! (If you want to help that along, you can also shake/tap the jar gently to release the bubbles).

Speaking of sauerkraut method, I usually ferment this stuff in a crock, which doesn't have an air lock per se. It's just an unsecured ceramic lid on a ceramic crock. Although the lid kinda works like an airlock, it's definitely not as fancy (and probably cheaper). So airlocks in fermentation definitely aren't necessary (unless you're making beer and want to keep certain bacteria out if your beer isn't supposed to be a sour).

Glad I can help and all this stuff is kind of useful info!

For larger brews of kombucha it gets tough depending on what you prefer to brew in. Some also get very heavy as you go up in gallons. I've been looking into this for a while and it's not a simple decision. You have to decide what way you want to go with your brewing when you get to the point of wanting a higher yield.

The choices you have are brewing grade plastics, brewing grade stainless steel, ceramic, glass, and wood.

Wooden barrels are going to be the one of the most expensive and the hardest to purchase. It costs about 175 dollars for a 5 gallon vinegar/kombucha barrel. Note this is a special barrel and is different from wine barrels in construction. 20 Liter Oak Kombucha Barrel

Stainless is going to be the other more expensive one but costs will vary. Though it seems to be a lot easier to get a large capacity stainless fermenter versus the bigger barrels. These are commonplace from pretty much any brewing equipment seller. 14 Gallon Stainless Steel Fermenter

Glass and Ceramic are rarer in gallon sizes larger than 5-10. I have hear tell of specially made glass/ceramic large containers but they would not be cheap. The largest easily accessible glass container I've found is the 6.5 gallon big mouth bubbler carboy. The largest ceramic container I've found is a 10 gallon preserving crock.

Plastic will be hands down the cheapest and lightest way to go for larger brews. 6.5 Gallon plastic fermenter with lid and Drum Tap

Basically if you go with anything outside of plastic you will be paying from 75-175 for 5+ gallons in a single container. My 1st choice has been to try out the Big Mouth Bubbler and see how I like that but my second is to get into brewing in barrels but that just my choice.

> Do you mind sharing your recipe?

Sure! I used the chowhound recipe: https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/basic-napa-cabbage-kimchi-kimchee-29505

It came out awesome!

I'm thinking about moving it to the refrigerator tonight before bed. I think it's just about right. It took about 5 days to ferment.

I made it in this: https://www.google.comhttps://www.amazon.com/Set-Gallon-Mouth-Fermentation-Chicago/dp/B06W9L21VW although I actually bought it locally.

The woman at the Korean grocery store was a huge help in finding the right stuff.

I use one of these.

Before everyone tells me what a waste of money this is, understand that I had made quite a few batches of kefir before with just a mason jar, coffee filter, rubber band and strainer and let me tell you, this makes it a million times better and easier!

I use the stem and cap that come with the model from this site in a quart sized wide mouth mason jar and just making a half quart works perfectly for me. The whole stem-cage-cap assembly cleans easily in the dishwasher and holds your grains up in the milk, making it ferment more evenly while completely removing the need to strain out grains from each batch.

Every day at the same time, I just take the cap-stem-cage assembly off of one jar and put it on another mason jar half filled with fresh milk, put the fermented batch in the refrigerator or out for a second fermentation, and enjoy!

Yeah either get plastic lids and manually burp whatever you're fermenting or get lids with airlocks that let air out but no air in.

These are the ones I bought when I started and while they're nice it's kinda overkill, if you can find anything plastic that has an airlock for cheaper I'd go with that.

After a quick search I found these and they look okay.

As a quick note, if you plan to make anything that smells strong, I'd advise against the ones I bought; they have rubber parts. I made kimchi using one of the lids and now it's my kimchi lid, because the rubber parts smell like an open jar of kimchi from meters away even after excessive washing and boiling in water for several minutes.

I highly recommend these Kimchi Containers for pickles and well, kimchi. Also check out Fermentation for beginners.. This should get you started. The channel also has many helpful other videos as well. Enjoy the ride!

Just last weekend I actually got two of that exact fridge and converted one to a ferm chamber and the other into a triple-tap CO2/Nitro kegerator. A post + album showing the process and result is likely forthcoming this weekend.

But, I can tell you that I've currently got a 5 gallon DIPA fermenting happily in a 7.8 gallon bucket fermenter inside the one that I made into a ferm chamber! I had to build a wood shelf to even up with the compressor hump (I didn't trust placing that much weight on the glass shelf), but other than that the bucket fits fine with a bit of space to spare overhead...not sure off the top of my head how much space extra though. If you're not interested in going to those buckets, post the exact height/diameter of your particular buckets (lid on) and I'll take a measure when I get home later tonight to see if they'll fit.

I'm not quite sure how it works but it seems like it is accurate. I got it from Amazon from the link below.

Fermenter Adhesive Crystal Strip Thermometer 46-82F (8-28C) (Pack of 2) Ideal for Kombucha, Beer, Wine, Brewing and Fermentation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0719BSPT8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8DOxDbXENCK5B

Here's my tried-and-true recipe that I've been developing for years:

Supplies:

• 1 head Napa cabbage
  
• Pickling salt or non-iodized salt
  
• 1 head garlic, finely grated
  
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
  
• (optional) 1 tsp Sesame oil
  
• (optional) Green onions and/or fresh ginger to taste
  
• Kimchi container or very large glass jar (1 gal)
  
• Glass or ceramic weights
  
• Kitchen scale
  
  Weigh cabbage and measure out 2% of its weight in salt. Cut cabbage into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Add salt and toss to mix. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
  
  Meanwhile, combine garlic, red pepper, and remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
  
  After sitting with salt, the cabbage should be somewhat wilted and wet. Mix again, squeezing and kneading with hands to squeeze out liquid and soften the cabbage. Add garlic/chili/other seasonings and mix thoroughly with cabbage. Place in container or jar and set weights on top of cabbage (I usually can fit 2-3 weights.) The weights will help keep everything under the liquid.
  
  WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP!!
  
  Store container at room temperature away from sunlight for 1-4 weeks. If using a jar, "burp" the jar once a day by loosening the lid to release gas (you will hear a hissing sound.) There will be a lot of gas for the first week, and then it will slow down and you won't need to burp it as often. When kimchi reaches desired sourness, store in refrigerator.
  
  Edit: forgot the scale

I understand! I use the 5L version of this Mortier Pilon fermenter for my cucumber pickles. I call it my pickle aquarium! They have a 2L as well.

However, if you’re doing small batches in jars, definitely grab some of those glass weights —
cheap, and perfect for the job.

I'm very new to kombucha fermentation. So can't say with any authority. I think my wife bought me this kit. The label looks a little different, but everything else looks like what I got.

I got mold in my first batch. Think it was because 1) it was shipped to MN in the winter - scoby went dormant? 2)the starter liquid that came with it was not an ideal amount for a 1 gallon batch and 3) I had trouble keeping it above 66-68 degrees F. On the cold side for kombucha (but my ales have been loving it).

It didn't ferment quickly enough, the ph remained too high for too long and I got mold. So take my experience for what it's worth.

But also, check craigslist. Kombucha people seem to inevitably be with an abundance of scobys and want to give them away or sell them.

I can't even imagine a good way to do that...I don't think I would be going over 1 quart containers for just that reason, lol.

I'm kind of thinking something like this - https://www.amazon.com/FerMonster-Three-Gallon-Fermenter-Carboy/dp/B07BN5FH95 along with a handheld mixer like those used for making smoothies.

Glass carboys are fine. They're just a pain in the butt due to their weight, difficulty to clean, and lack of racking /spigot ports for getting sanitary samples for tasting/taking gravity. Something like the Fermonster (light, easy to hand clean, can add a port, and lid screws on tightly with no leaks) is my choice for entry level brewing until you upgrade to stainless (Chapman Brewing fermenters) down the road.

Fermonster 6 gal Fermenter, Clear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EXH5B3G/

I use a pickle packer to make sure the jar is as full as I can make it. Also in the case of making pickles like this I will prick the cukes first and cover with either brine or just water to make sure any air pockets are gone.

Drinking water that is stored in plastic that gets really hot, like in you know, the desert, is unhealthy because the chemicals leak into the water. Obviously it’s not as unhealthy as dying from dehydration, so if all you can do is cheap plastic containers, do cheap plastic containers.

Now, that said, if you can get large glass containers, this is preferable. Here is one:

Packging Options Direct 45888 3 Gallon Glass Carboy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074V2Y4C8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CkVWCb6PFNKM9

Now, at $42 each that’s pretty expensive so you probably won’t be wanting to line up 20 of them. But if you are looking for one to keep in your vehicle and you know you’ll use it often and not just as a last resort, then this could be a good solution.

As always, what’s “right” is mostly dependent upon what your intent and needs are.

just saw something new on Amazon the other day that would fit your bill , kinda pricey for 1 lid+weights but it should work.

Easy Fermenter XL

https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Fermenter-Simplified-Fermenting-Sauerkraut/dp/B0789PYHY5

You might want to look into E-Jen containers or tsukemono presses. They streamline the fermentation process a lot and require less checking on and "burping" than using mason jars in my experience. The E-Jen containers are really good for storing kimchi and sauerkraut as well as fermenting and come in a much wider variety of fridge-friendly shapes than mason jars.

I used this kit and it's been awesome for half the price. On my third batch now!

https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Kombucha-SCOBY-Starter-Gallon/dp/B0742KSWLD/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1540400091&sr=8-7&keywords=kombucha+starter+kit

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I used water and kosher salt. I did not boil the water, just added the salt and stirred; it dissolved fairly quickly. Vinegar would not work the same. It would not ferment, just get pickled. Just make sure you keep the oxygen away from the pwppers. Either keep the peppers submerged in the brine with some thing pressing them down, or use an airlock like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016FWZDO4/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B016FWZDO4&pd_rd_w=qX3j1&pf_rd_p=c83c55b0-5d97-454a-a592-a891098a9709&pd_rd_wg=FlJJ1&pf_rd_r=5EHSCJT02WVYM8THGF4T&pd_rd_r=f26a80d4-b4b9-4bf6-9d40-750dab356c7c&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyOVgwRlpNSlZHQTQ0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzc0NzM0S1FET1ozQkREVUFSJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxMDEwODAyTEJTSEo1S09GRVNOJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

So this anti-burp thing that ALSO makes sure that no air makes contact with the veggies is a waste of money?
Go Ferment! Wide Mouth Mason Jar Mold Free Anaerobic Fermenting Kit w/Recipe E-book (2 Pack, Grey)
by The Mandeville Shop
Learn more: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B016FWZDO4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_YKSyDbXZNKJ7Y

Not OP, but this looks right:
https://www.amazon.com/Mortier-Pilon-Fermentation-sauerkraut-vegetables/dp/B01FBA7T0W

Anyone got a link for the container?

Nevemind I found it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078WJGNXR/ref=twister_B078TZN6HC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1