Your Carboy is Trying to Kill You

I actually had something similar happen, but with the new Big Mouth Bubbler. It had shattered en route and yet maintained it's shape due to the packing. I sliced open my ring finger through two knuckles. Fortunately, I had a suture kit in the house and sewed myself up (one-handed!). I will give out a shout to Northern Brewer, though. They not only replaced the bubbler for free, they threw in a $25 gift certificate as a big "sorry for your gaping hand wound."

Another option is stop carrying around wet carboys without a carrying device...?

This is why I'm refraining from glass anymore... I had one break simply by picking it up - the bottom just came right off.

@drthrob
Really? i'm surprised you didn't ask for the plastic version of the big mouth bubbler as a replacement. I guess some people dont learn... even the hard way.

@ChugachBrewing or get rid of the carboy and ferment in a sanke keg. I see zero benefit of carboys-plastic, glass, wide mouth... Whatever. They're all the same; a bad design for the purpose. I have a 14.5 gal conical fermenter. I still feel a sanke keg is the best thing considering price, easability of use, space restraint, portability, stackability...etc. That's why I aquired 6 quarter slim kegs. Those are my fermenters, and I couldn't be happier. I can brew 6.5 gal in one with no problem (lets me split a batch between two 3 gal kegs) And regardless of what others claim. They're easy to clean. A soak with PBW and a carboy brush. Use a small flashlight to look inside. Spotless every time... Zero infections *knock on wood* thus far, and you can pressure ferment/transfer. Once the novelty of a clear fermenter wears off (ooh look it's moving!) get a keg, save a limb.

LOL. Malicious little bastards, those carboys...
I have nothing against those who like to use glass carboys as fermenters. They certainly have a lot of advantages. But nope, not for me. I'm too clumsy to be trusted with a fermenter that's apparently hell-bent on bringing about my demise from the start.

Suture self

Good info, but I really don't need to see this whenever I open up the main HBT page.

@insanim8er... I've been fermenting in sanke kegs for years. I even have two 50L kegs that I can ferment larger batches in. I've long since gotten rid of the glass carboys I once owned (bought when I started brewing/fermenting). I transfer via CO2 push, so I don't even have to move the kegs to transfer. I've also bottled meads directly from 1/6 bbl fermenters via my beer gun.

Glass carboys are nearly completely obsolete if not entirely. I still have several which are seldom used and then only for long term aging in milk crates. I use a couple of 30 L Speidel fermenters mostly now.

Install PET fermenters. Enjoy not bleeding. Until you drop your pint glass, at least.

@Txbrew Hope you get better soon. Hand wounds are the worst, hopefully there was no nerve damage.
@Golddiggie doesn't that transfer a lot of trub over to your serving keg as well?

@JayDubWill that wasn't him. He's just ponting out the thread and used photos from it. And I force transfer from my sanke fermenter to my serving keg. I'll blow off the yeast/trub then attach the coupler. I rack most of the beer out of the sanke and it's clear. It's by far more efficient than using a cane. Most the time when I clean the sanke, it's only trub on the bottom with very little liquid. When the serving keg is empty, and I clean it, there's a thin yeast layer on the bottom.

I remember when one of my buckets shattered and I nearly lost a finger. Oh wait, no I don't.
But I do remember when the airlock I don't use on my bucket backed up and sprayed wort all over my ceiling. Wait, no I don't...
I know what you're going to say about plastic if you're in a carboy thread (and it's bunk for normal fermentation periods), but really--just because you shelled out $40/ea for those carboys doesn't mean you're stuck with them. The mistake isn't permanent. They resell just fine! Maybe you can use them for extended aging, or make some wine.

@krackin I love the Speidels.

I've used glass carboys since I started brewing in 1996. After seeing this I will be converting to plastic! Thanks.

@JayDubWill Nope... I have dip tubes cut down to leave a specific amount behind. For the tall 1/4 bbl kegs, that's about 3 quarts. I also let my yeast flocculate fully, so they're all in the bottom, in a nice compact cake. What little is in suspension is taken care of while the kegs are cooling in the fridge (I use the two week at temperature and pressure method).
I have some 25L kegs that are primarily beer aging vessels. Since I normally get about 6 gallons of finished beer per batch, they work out really well. Just fill, purge the head space (easy with the CO2 fittings) seal and leave alone. Or I can add elements as needed/wanted.
Wasn't difficult, for me at least, to get to this point. A little modification early on (to the kegs) made it easier. I plan to make caps for the kegs that make it so that you don't need to do anything to the keg itself to use this method. Helpful since I have two 1/4 bbl kegs to setup, plus a few 1/6 bbl kegs I've not had gas base fittings installed in.

@insanim8er I have 21 - 15 gallon sanke kegs. I use them all the time. However when I want less beer, carboys are a cheap way to go.

I am a bit of a newbie and have been brewing in buckets, but the lids always leaked so I was looking to "upgrade" to a carboy. Thanks to posts here about the horrors of glass, I got a Better Bottle and love it. Cleanup is a snap and it's so easy to carry, even easier than a bucket.

Broke one ONCE. Very lucky I didn't cut my toes off. Plastic ever since

@Panache The leak is fine. Ignore the leak. Airlocks (to the extent they're useful at all) are not for judging fermentation activity. A loose lid is as effective as a tight airlock in active primary.

Plastic BMBs best investment I've made recently. Love them. Don't even touch my glass anymore except for long term aging. That's pretty much it. Too heavy, too fragile.
Even then, I still long term age anything that doesn't have any more additions in a keg. Seriously considering a stainless dry hopper for my kegs.
Can't wait to get a dang conical though. Stainless trumps all in my opinion. Put it on casters and away you go...

@bford I just retired my fleet of glass carboys for speidels. Best decision I ever made.

You can also cut a hole for a corny lid in a 1/2 bbl sanke fermenter, if you have a grinder and a dremel for smoothing the edges. Best part besides non breakable is it doesn't hold the heat so temperature readings are closer to wort temp.