I have four stainless steel fermenters. Three are made by SS Brewing Technologies, and have a conical bottom with a valve, dip tube, and thermowell. The last is by Chapman and is a cylindrical shape with a tap near the bottom. They are all good products, but I'm partial to the SS Brewing Technologies fermenters for their conical bottoms (to capture trub and yeast), stackability, and thermowells. Although I purchased it (supposedly) new, one of my SS Brewing Technologies fermenters arrived with a rough white substance on the inside. I suspected that this was beerstone, and was hesitant to use the fermenter for that reason. Beerstone can create pockets for bacteria to thrive in, and it can be difficult or impossible to sanitize that surface well enough to prevent infection. I work too hard on my brews to chance an avoidable infection. Recently, I started reviewing how other home brewers were removing beerstone from their equipment. The recomme...