Review on 🍺 CraftABrew BE-CAT Catalyst Fermentation System - 6.5 Gallon Conical Fermenter for Home Beer Brewing & Wine Making by Ken Reed

Made 2 beers with this fermentation system and all is good. 1) For $200, I wish the stand was more durable. 2) The cone angle is too small. Yeast and whistles come across. It's fine until you switch to a keg. As you decant, you create a vortex that helps collect unwanted yeast and yeast. However, once you've attached the transfer funnel, opening the valve will slowly break the feel of the conical shape, adding to the frustration. 3) Cleaning the trap glass is good, but you'll need to do this a few times before you really get rid of the bulk. Yeast. This is especially true when making large beers. Made a 1.067 OG stout and emptied the included can 4 times. This means that if you start with 5.5 gallons, you'll be lucky enough to have 5 by the time you're done. 4) Which brings me to my next point: I wish I had a 7+ gallon capacity. This would allow me to make enough to "stand up" and fill a 5 gallon keg and a few bottles. 5) The lid fits and works well, but the cork needs more surface area to grip. I blew the cork several times, even with a blowgun. Maybe it would help if the cap was domed which would give more room for the head? 6) The bottom valve works very well and is very nicely designed. I was worried it would leak but it was perfect. Conclusion: If these areas were eliminated, I would buy another one, but at 200€ the current design is not worth it. Update: I was contacted by the manufacturer who helped with their advice. However, I stand by my assessment that the Catalyst needs a design update as I sold mine after only a few batches due to my frustration. Thanks Kyle