2000L Conical Fermenter: What It Actually Does in a Working Brewery

This tank sits between the brewhouse and the brite tank. Your wort comes in at 18–20°C after knockout, and the cone and jacket do the rest: drop yeast, hold fermentation temperature, and let you crop or dump without opening the manway. The agitator is the detail that separates this unit from a standard unitank — it earns its place when you run high-gravity worts, thick fruit additions, or viscous adjuncts that would otherwise stratify and leave you with uneven attenuation.

Build Details That Affect Service Life

We form the shell from 304 stainless in 3–4mm plate depending on diameter; 316L is available where chloride exposure in the cellar is a real concern, such as coastal sites or aggressive CIP chemistry. Interior welds are ground flush and pickled and passivated, then mechanically polished to around 0.4–0.6µm Ra on product-contact surfaces. Exterior gets a #4 brushed finish or mirror polish per request.

Cooling is handled by a dimple or laser-welded jacket on the cone plus 1–2 shell zones, with 3–5°C glycol at roughly 2–3 bar. Insulation is 80–100mm PU with a stainless cladding, which matters more than most buyers expect — an uninsulated tank in a warm cellar will sweat and cost you chiller capacity all summer.

Working pressure is typically 2–3 bar with a tested burst margin well above that. The relief valve setting must match your vessel\’s design pressure, not the compressor\’s capability. We size and stamp accordingly and supply the documentation.

Practical Notes Before You Order

Cone angle is usually 60° for reliable yeast sliding; 90° cones suit dry-hopping and fruit where you want more contact area. Ports should be planned around your actual workflow: racking arm height relative to the cone weld, sample valve reach, CIP spray ball coverage, and where the glycol lines enter the room. We\’ve seen more installation delays from port orientation than from tank capacity.

For CIP, a rotating spray ball in the dome plus a dedicated return line handles the shell; the cone and bottom outlet need flow verification with a dye test after installation.

FAQ

Does the agitator risk shearing yeast? Low-speed paddle rotation during active fermentation is fine; run it at 20–40rpm and stop once you crash cool.

Can I use it as a brite tank? Yes, if pressure rating and carbonation stone port are specified at order. Retrofitting is expensive.

Single batch size? 2000L nominal holds roughly 1600–1700L of finished beer after trub and yeast loss.

Lead time and shipping? Confirm whether the tank ships with legs mounted or knocked down — door widths and cellar stairs decide this.

Tell us your batch size, beer type, number of fermentation tanks and available space. We can recommend the tank volume, cooling area and configuration for your brewery.