Yes, another plastic tank question

[thirdwheel]

I know there have been discussions about plastic tanks and I've pretty much read all the previous threads on here about the pros and cons.
I am starting up a small 2bbl brewpub in a rural town, and like most people my budget is pretty low which is why I'm considering cheaper alternatives to stainless. The biggest arguements I've heard against plastic is not being able to withstand temperatures over 120-140 degrees for cleaning, plus not being able to control fermentation temperatures effectively.

Here is what I am considering:

This tank... http://www.tank-depot.com/productdet...rt=A-INFD85-30
With glycol running through this cooling plate mounted to the lid... http://morewinepro.com/view_product/...0.6in._x_24_in.

Any other fittings (blowoff, etc) would be mounted to the lid so the tank itself would not be altered in any way. The 2" threaded outlet at the bottom would be reduced to 1 1/2"mpt to 1 1/2"tc and everything would be tc beyond that.
After each brew, disassemble tank components, clean and reassemble. Being such a small operation I don't see why it wouldn't be feasible.

Thoughts???

[v2comp]

it is, just dont let them sit with dried on krausen longer than necessary after transferring and I wouldnt use iodophor to sanitize unless you want a nice permanent brown tint to the plastic.
one more thing, whether or not you put casters on the stand legs, I wouldnt advise moving around these things with beer in them, especially if they are over 90 gallons..........BIG MESS waiting to happen

[Jephro]

Stick with Stainless

my $0.02. Even one of the first upgrades Homebrewers make is from plastic to glass for fermentation. Why, well for many reasons, but first on the list is the fact that plastic scratches and harbors bacteria. But on the other hand if its a matter of being able to open or not... maybe plastic in the short-term will get you by.

PPA has been on the market how long, and we are just now beginning to understand its long term effects on humans. Who knows maybe 100 years from now, as Beaux put it "if we make it past 2012" we will find out Stainless Steel has been poisoning us somehow.

But if you plan to stay in business, go with SS. Chances are you will end up having to replace the plastic anyway. SS prices are just going to go up in that time anyway. Look into used SS Dairy and Pharmaceutical tanks that may suit you needs, there is all kind of stuff out there mothballed in warehouses.

[thirdwheel]

I am thinking of this as a short term solution. The cost would be $750 for a complete plastic vs. $3000 for a new 2bbl stainless steel (we are planning for 2 fermenters). Maybe 12 months down the line we can upgrade if business takes off.

[Jephro]

a little more food for thought...

http://www.probrewer.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=17048

There you go, a Stainless Steel 250 Gallon Dairy Tank....

I worked for a pub that used Freon Jacketed Dairy Tanks for ales and lagers, we usually only filled them 50-75%. Made some great beer(and they still do), harvesting yeast was a bit tricky but we managed to do it. Doesn't say if that's a Freon or Glycol Jacket.

[ParishBrewingCo]

I use 8 of those poly tanks to ferment in. The fermenters are kept in a room with a window A/C unit keeping them at desired temp, or close to it. I put them on casters and roll them around. They go into the cold room after fermentation is done to crash yeast. I actually have 4 60 gal for single batches and 4 100 gallon for the double batches.

[jzgradman]

Re: plastics

I run a small cidery in Philadelphia, and we use plastic tanks. The ones I get are from FlexTank USA http://www.flextankusa.com/ , they come in a variety of sizes. Some of them allow more oxygen in for maturation purposes - not sure how you feel about that. In my opinion, the yeast is going to take it all up anyways, so you don't really have to worry until you separate the beer from the yeast.

Hope that helps,
Jonathan Gradman
Cidermaster, Gradman Brothers Holdings LLC

[toddbrew]

tanks...

..or you could invest $200 and some time to buy this 500 gallon stainless dairy tank which is listed on CL in your home state!

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/grd/1724844370.html

You have to look around for equipment like this; people are getting rid of all kinds of stuff.

Good Luck with the brewery.

TB