What This Tank Is Actually Built For

A 7BBL conical fermenter is the volume most brewpubs settle on when 3-4 bbl batches stop filling the taproom demand but a 15BBL system is still too much capital. This unit is a jacketed, insulated unitank: fermentation and conditioning happen in the same vessel, so you skip transferring to a separate bright tank before carbonation.

Material and Fabrication Details

We build from SUS304 (1.4301) as standard, typically in 3mm plate for the shell and 4mm for the cone. When customers ferment high-acid sours or kettle sours with extended contact time, or run beverage lines with aggressive CIP chemistry, we quote 316L instead. Neither grade costs much different in the tank itself; the difference matters in the long run.

Inside welds are ground and polished to meet a surface roughness under 0.6µm. Where the shell meets the cone and the manway flange, we do full penetration welds and then pickling and passivation, not just a quick acid wipe. Every jacket and inner vessel gets a hydro test at 1.5x working pressure before it leaves the shop. The outer shell is dimple jacket, TIG welded, insulated with polyurethane foam, and clad in a 1.5mm stainless jacket so the tank does not sweat at 2°C.

Temperature and Cooling

Two independent jackets — one on the cone, one on the side — let you drop temperature during active fermentation and hold a stable cone temperature during crash cooling. For a 7BBL tank at 32°F, plan for roughly 2-3 tons of glycol chiller capacity if the tank is one of four on the same loop. Oversizing the jacket is not free; too much cooling surface on the side can freeze yeast against the wall.

Pressure, Valves, and Cleaning

Working pressure is 15 psi nominal, tested to 30 psi. The top-mounted pressure relief valve must be sized to the tank, not to the regulator setting — undersized relief valves are the most common field failure we see. Standard configuration includes a racking arm, sample valve, CIP spray ball, dry hop port, and a 1.5in bottom outlet. CIP works through the spray ball at 2-3 bar; a rotating ball cuts cleaning time significantly versus a static one.

Specifications

FAQ

Can one tank serve both fermentation and lagering? Yes for ales. Lagers benefit from a separate maturation tank if you run a tight rotation schedule.

Do I need a cone? A 60° cone is standard for yeast harvest and drainage. Steeper cones cost more and offer little benefit below 10BBL.

How many tanks for my batch schedule? Multiply your weekly batches by fermentation days, then divide by 7. Add one tank as a spare for cleaning and lagering.

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.