Ss Brewtech Brew Bucket Review

For a long time, I would brew one batch of beer at a time but as I was approaching the BBQ season, I was brewing at least 4 batches a month, this meant that I needed to add some extra fermenters to my collection. 

I spent some time researching my options and I decided that I wanted to upgrade to stainless steal fermenters and more specifically, SsBrewtech’s 7 gallon Brewmaster Bucket. 

Picking a new bit of gear when brewing can be a very exciting but daunting process if you’re relatively new to brewing. Let me walk you through the process I took when selecting the new fermenter whilst giving you my opinion of the product. 

Here were some of my initial requirements for my new fermenter: 

• Take up limited space
• Easy to clean
• Limited exposer to oxygen after fermentation
• Increased temperature information throughout fermentation
• Some sort of Conical bottom
• Easy to move around
• Well priced 

After a little research, I stumbled upon Ssbrewtech and their wide range of fermenters (they have a lot of other gear, Kettle review coming soon). I was impressed with the variety on offer, their pricing, design and that you could stack multiple brew buckets to take up less space. Whilst all these are great, having the ability to add extra fermenters without taking any extra space combined with the low price was very appealing. 

Hands on review

Upon receiving the fermenter, it was pretty easy to setup. The instructions were very clear and in a matter of minutes it was all setup and ready for the pre-clean and passivation. When it came to putting and brew into the bucket, it went ahead without any issue. The LCD thermometer came in really handy when it *came to pitching the yeast. Throughout the fermentation, I was able to quickly draw off a few samples thanks to the front facing ball valve to get some gravity readings. 

Everything was going well until this point. When it came to racking off, I had a little issue although it’s worth highlighting that it wasn’t really down to the product. SSbrewtech says: 

“The ball valve is designed to rotate during wort transfer, which allows the racking arm to extend into the conical bottom, thus enabling you to transfer the maximum amount of beer possible. However, bear in mind that the ball valve should always be rotated clockwise, as this will prevent the valve’s locknut from loosening.”

Let’s just say that I wish that I read that before turning the ball valve anti-clockwise. I probably lost a few glasses of beer but I can say with a lot of pride that I haven’t lost any beer since. 

After racking off the beer, the only task required was to clean the bucket and remove the remaining trub, which I might add was a breeze. 

Conclusion

So, excluding the blip (totally my fault, note to self.. read the instructions), I’ve been really impressed with the product throughout fermentation and beyond. When you consider the design, durability, the many size options (3.5, 7 & 14 gallons) and the add-ons you can get (e.g, the FTS heating and cooling system), you can’t beat it especially when you consider the price. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is new to brewing, looking to increase their number of fermenters and anyone looking to improve their beer. 

If you would like to find out more about the Ssbrewtech bucket range, head over to their website for more information.