Most breweries shopping in the 200L–700L range have already moved past pilot brewing but aren\’t ready to commit to a full production brewhouse. That middle ground is exactly where tank configuration mistakes get expensive, because the vessel you buy now has to handle fermentation, dry hopping, and carbonation without forcing a second transfer later.

What these tanks actually do

A jacketed unitank combines fermentation and conditioning in one vessel. Cone geometry does the yeast collection, the jacket holds temperature during active fermentation, and the rated pressure lets you carbonate in place before packaging. When a brewery only needs fermentation and plans to move beer into a separate BBT, a single-wall or lightly jacketed fermenter is cheaper and simpler to clean. The choice usually comes down to how many transfers your process can tolerate.

Fabrication and materials

Shells and cones are formed from SUS 304 sheet. Exterior gets a 2B finish; interior is pickled and passivated after welding. Cone seams are TIG welded, then ground and polished to roughly 0.4–0.6 µm Ra on wetted surfaces so yeast and hop residue don\’t lodge in crevices. We switch to 316L when the beer sits in conditioning for months or when local water chemistry is aggressive toward 304. Gaskets are EPDM or silicone, seated in TC ferrules rather than clamped flat.

Cooling, pressure, and cleaning

Dimple or channel jackets on the cone and lower shell run glycol at around 28–30°F. Jacket surface area matters more than jacket volume — undersized jackets cause slow crashes and diacetyl rest problems. Working pressure is typically 1.5–2 bar, hydro-tested to 3 bar, with a sized pressure relief valve and a separate CIP spray ball port. A 1.5\” dry hopping port and racking arm keep oxygen pickup low during transfers.

Sizing notes

Nameplate volume is gross, not net. A 700L tank holds roughly 600L of beer with 15% headspace for krausen. Match tank volume to your actual packaged batch, not to your brewhouse kettle size.

FAQ

Can I carbonate in the fermenter? Yes, if the tank is rated for pressure and you have a carb stone port. Single-wall tanks cannot.

Do I need a cone? Conical bottoms help with yeast dumping and dry hopping. Flat or dished bottoms suit bright beer storage better.

How many tanks should I order? Work backward from fermentation days, not from batch size. A seven-day turnaround needs more tanks than a fourteen-day one.

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.