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The FastFerment conical fermenter takes an unusual design approach, wall-mounted installation and a tear-drop-shaped plastic body, that sets it apart from every other conical on the homebrewing market. I’ve brewed with a FastFerment over multiple batches and the wall-mount concept is genuinely useful in some situations while being a real constraint in others, depending on your brewing space and workflow.
FastFerment design: wall mounting and tear-drop body
The wall-mount concept: The FastFerment hangs from a wall bracket at an elevated height, which provides natural gravity head for draining into a receiving vessel (keg, bottling bucket) below, no stand required and no pump needed for transfer. The mounting bracket attaches to a stud-wall or concrete wall and the fermenter’s integrated hanging point clips onto it. The hanging height puts the fermenter’s collection vessel at approximately table height when the bracket is mounted at standard wall height, providing adequate gravity head for transfer. Wall mounting also keeps the fermenter off floor space entirely, which is a genuine advantage in compact brewing setups where floor space is limited. Tear-drop body: The tear-drop (bulbous top, narrowing cone bottom) shape optimizes the cone angle for yeast collection into the collection vessel at the apex. The shape maximizes the ratio of settlement surface to cone angle, which in principle improves yeast compaction and separation. In practice, the tear-drop shape means the FastFerment must be wall-mounted in a fixed position, it cannot stand upright on a flat surface without the wall bracket. Specifications: 7.9-gallon (30L) capacity in the standard version. Thermometer probe port. Collection vessel (polycarbonate bottle, approximately 600mL) attaches at the cone base. Racking port on the body for transfers. Constructed from BPA-free plastic. Price: approximately $80–100 USD including wall bracket. The wall-mounting limitation: The wall-mounting requirement constrains fermentation temperature management significantly. A chest freezer or refrigerator, the standard homebrewing fermentation temperature control solution, cannot accommodate a wall-mounted fermenter. The FastFerment must ferment at ambient room temperature or be placed inside a purpose-built temperature-controlled chamber large enough for the wall mount to be installed inside. This limitation disqualifies the FastFerment for any brewer who uses a chest freezer for fermentation temperature control (a majority of serious homebrewers).
Performance and where it fits in a brewing setup
Yeast collection and harvesting: The collection vessel performs comparably to the Catalyst’s jar system, yeast settles into the 600mL collection bottle and can be removed for harvesting without disturbing the beer above. The collection bottle capacity is larger than the Catalyst’s jar, accommodating high-flocculating strains’ larger yeast cakes. For yeast-reuse-focused brewers, this is the FastFerment’s best feature. Transfer performance: Gravity transfer from the wall-mounted position is simple and effective, connect a hose to the racking port, open the valve, and beer drains into the vessel below. The elevated mounting position provides sufficient gravity head for transfer into a standard corny keg positioned on the floor below. No siphon required. Cleaning: The tear-drop body must be cleaned in place (on the wall) or removed from the bracket for cleaning, it is not a small vessel that can be carried to a sink. Cleaning requires hot water and PBW flushed through the racking port or poured in from the top opening with the collection bottle removed. The wide top opening allows brush access to the interior. Who should choose FastFerment: Brewers with a dedicated brewing space where a permanent wall bracket installation is practical. Brewers who ferment at ambient room temperature or who have a dedicated temperature-controlled room (not a chest freezer) for fermentation. Brewers who prioritize floor space elimination and gravity transfer simplicity over temperature control flexibility. Who should not choose FastFerment: anyone who uses a chest freezer or refrigerator for fermentation temperature control, this is a fundamental incompatibility that makes the FastFerment impractical for most serious homebrewers.
Common Questions
Can you use a FastFerment without wall mounting it?
Technically yes, but with significant limitations that undermine the system’s design intent. The FastFerment’s tear-drop shape does not allow it to stand upright on a flat surface without support, it requires either the wall bracket or an alternative support structure (some users have fashioned stand adapters or suspended it from ceiling joists). Without the wall mount, the fermenter must be suspended at adequate height above the receiving vessel for gravity transfer, which requires creative rigging rather than the purpose-built bracket solution. Users have reported successful use with the FastFerment resting inside a large bucket or custom cradle stand on a shelf or table elevated above the receiving vessel, which reproduces the height advantage without wall mounting. This approach works but requires stable support that won’t tip when the full fermenter is bumped, which introduces safety risk given the fermenter’s weight when full (approximately 25kg for a full 7.9-gallon batch). The practical assessment: the FastFerment’s design assumes wall mounting and the entire product concept, gravity transfer, hands-free separation, space efficiency, flows from that installation. Using it without wall mounting is possible but introduces workarounds that reduce the system’s elegance and utility. If wall mounting is not an option in your brewing space, a different conical fermenter design (Catalyst, FermZilla, or stainless conical) that allows floor or shelf placement is more appropriate.
