On 6 Apr 2005 04:49:05 -0700, "Joe Sallustio" >
wrote:

>Truitt,
>I always thought they were more for beer makers, since they don't
>necessarily keep the beer in contact with the yeast for a long time
>unless they are lagering.
>
>I though you might get oxygen uptake through the plastic and that
>_might_ be an issue with wines.
>
>What is the longest you like to keep it in the fermenter? (Just
>curious, I use carboys for both wine and beer.)
>
>I think it's an interesting gadget, just don't know a lot about it.
>
>Joe


Joe,

They work great for beer or wine. Oxygen uptake hasn't been a
problem. The plastic on the fermenters is pretty thick. The only
problem I've had is clogged valves from dry hopping or oaking. Now
oak chips and hops get suspended in bags.

The longest I kept wine in a Mini-Brew was 2 months. I still like to
do the final clearing in a carboy so I can see what is going on. I
like to bulk age in carboys so I don't keep the Mini-Brews tied up. I
empty beer into kegs for lagering.

For wine I usually use the fermenters just until fermentation is
complete. The combination of the cylidroconical shape and draining
the lees every few days greatly improves the efficiency of
fermentation. Plus, I don't have to rack to secondary. Sometimes I
go ahead and stabilize/clear in the Mini-Brew, but after a week or two
I empty it into a carboy for final clearing or bulk aging. These are
just my preferences, though. It is possible to keep your wine in the
fermenter until it is ready to bottle. You could even bottle from the
racking valve.

They have a good explanation of the whole process at:

www.minibrew.com

Truitt