Conical fermenters in the 2,000–5,000 L range sit in an awkward middle ground: too large for pilot batches, small enough that a badly designed jacket shows up fast as a stuck fermentation. We build these vessels for wineries and brewpubs that need repeatable temperature control without an industrial footprint.

Geometry first

The cone angle drives everything downstream. A 60° cone drains yeast cleanly and lets you crop from the bottom port instead of racking. Steeper cones at 75–90° handle high-solids must and heavy dry-hopping better, but they add height — check ceiling clearance before you commit, not after the tank lands. On 5,000 L units we usually run a 60° cone with a 1.5 in. bottom outlet and a separate 2 in. manway on the cone.

Materials and fabrication

Body and cone in SUS304 cover most winery work. SUS316L earns its upcharge with high-acid musts, coastal air, or CIP chemicals carrying chlorides. Dimple plate jackets are spot-welded to the shell, then the vessel is hydro-tested at 1.5× design pressure. Interior welds get ground flush, pickled, and polished to 0.4–0.6 µm Ra on product contact surfaces. Exterior runs a 2B mill finish, or No.4 polish when the tank faces customers in a tasting room.

Jacket working pressure is normally 3 bar. The vessel itself runs 0.2–0.5 bar under a sanitary pressure/vacuum relief valve. Never skip the vacuum breaker — a cold crash with a closed CIP valve has collapsed more tanks than any other single mistake.

Typical specification

Questions we get before quoting

Is one jacket enough? For 2,000 L, usually yes. At 5,000 L in a warm room, split the shell into two cooling zones or you will chase temperature during active fermentation.

Can it take pressure? These are atmospheric tanks, not unitanks. If you need 1–2 bar for carbonation, tell us at inquiry stage — the shell thickness and relief sizing change.

How is cleaning handled? A fixed spray ball on the top dish plus a drain at the cone tip covers most CIP cycles; we position the ball so it reaches the cone, which is where residue collects.

Send your batch size, wine or beer type, tank count, and the space you have — ceiling height included. We will come back with volume, cone angle, jacket area, and port layout that fit your cellar.