Fermenting beer, wine and cider – vessels, tanks and temperature control

During fermentation the yeast turns sugar into alcohol and CO2, and much of the flavour of your beer, wine or cider is decided here. This page gathers all the fermentation equipment Brewshop carries for homebrewers: fermenters and tanks, airlocks and stoppers, gear for pressure fermentation and yeast starters, temperature control and glycol chillers.

Subcategories

Fermenters and tanks – fermenting buckets, Speidel fermenters, glass carboys, PET pressure fermenters and stainless tanks.
Fermentation accessories – airlocks, silicone stoppers, spunding valves, auto-siphons, Bouncer filters and yeast starter equipment.
Fermentation temperature control – Inkbird controllers, heating mats, the Fercubator fermentation chamber and digital hydrometers.
Glycol chillers – cooling for jacketed tanks from Grainfather, Quantor and Lindr.
Cider equipment – fruit mills, fruit presses and cider kits.

What you need for your first fermentation

For a typical 20–25 litre batch, a 33 litre fermenting bucket with tap and lid, an airlock with cap and a rubber grommet for the airlock, which fits the hole in standard fermenters, is all you need. A stick-on thermometer reading +4 to +28 °C shows the temperature of the brew, not just the room.

Getting better control of fermentation

Temperature: The Inkbird WIFI ITC-308 controls both cooling and heating, such as a fridge and a heating mat, and can be adjusted from your phone.
Pressure: With a pressure fermenter and a Spundy spunding valve you can ferment under pressure and carbonate the beer in the tank.
Measurement: The Tilt hydrometer and thermometer floats in the brew and sends gravity and temperature to your phone, so you can see when fermentation is finished.

Fermentation FAQ

Why is my airlock not bubbling?

Often the gas escapes elsewhere, for example around the lid or grommet, even though fermentation is running normally. Measure the gravity with a hydrometer. If it is dropping, fermentation is under way.

What temperature should beer ferment at?

It depends on the yeast, and the recommended range is printed on the yeast packet. Lager yeast ferments colder than ale yeast. Above all, keep the temperature stable, as yeast produces off-flavours when stressed by heat or swings.

How do I know fermentation is finished?

Fermentation is finished when the gravity holds steady for several days in a row. A digital hydrometer like the Tilt tracks this continuously, so you do not need to take samples.

Is the equipment different for beer, wine and cider?

The basics are the same: a fermenter, an airlock and thorough cleaning. For cider you also need a fruit mill and fruit press, and there is dedicated equipment for winemaking.