scrambledegg81

Recipes 

So there's no real consensus that I've found here so far...

I've yet to cover mine, and after 5 batches, I haven't really noticed the supposed "off-flavors" that light vs. hops can sometimes produce. So what's the story, eh?

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Primary: Zilch
Secondary: Nada
Bottled/Fridge: Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown
Bombers/Growlers/Aging: Firestone Sucaba Barleywine
Kegerator: Just kicked (dammit all!)
Coming Up: Revision of my Belgian Strong

Yooperman

Recipes 

I have a large closet where I keep my carboy and fermentation buckets, so since it's always dark in there, I have never covered the carboy and haven't had any problems as of yet.

AnOldUR

Recipes 

My mini-fridge fermenator only holds one carboy. A carboy will go in there during the early (heat producing) stages uncovered. Then (to free the fermenator up for the next batch) they come out and I dress them in layers to try to hold a steady temperature (day to night fluctuations.)

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Complexity is good. Complicated is bad. —Mosher

Hammy71

Recipes 

Well..I put sometimes only because I think most of us won't fit perfectly into the 3 options. When my brews are in the ferm-chamber... I don't cover, (not alot of light gets into a fridge....). But when the brews are out of the fridge, (usually to make room for another brew or to secondary in the 'man room'), I cover them always. Hell, even when I rack to secondary, keg, bottling bucket, what ever, I cover them with a shirt. Everything I've read, rather on this site or in books, have stated that light exposure to beer is bad. Thats why beer has been put in brown/green bottles for as long as beer has been bottled. So to say there is no consensus..... I think 99% of people cover their carboys when there is light exposure to worry about. Dark closet..no but lighted room like the pic posted above...a no brainer.

Yooper

Recipes 

I have a pretty dark room for my carboys, but I still throw a towel over them. Why not? It's easy, and helps insulate the carboy in case of an overnight temperature drop. All of my wines are always protected from light that way, and I started doing that with my beer, too.

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Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

Edcculus

Recipes 

I put no. I've gone back to buckets, so this isn't a problem. I also ferment in a fermentation chamber that is dark. So no, I don't make an effort to cover my vessels, although no light gets to them.

Brew-boy

Recipes 

My mom sews like crazy so you made me custom carboys covers and covers for my one gallon jugs. I do not want any light getting in there, so far so good.

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Next:Smoked Pilsner.
Primary:Belgian Red, American Stout w/Roeselare
On Tap:Pale Ale, English Bitter
Aging: Imperial Oatmeal Stout on Vanilla beans.

I rather owe you a dollar than cheat you out of it.."Dad"

http://lapeerareabrewers.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LapeerAreaBrewers/

dasein668

Recipes 

I figure a towel is cheap insurance. Also, much of the time I'm running a swamp cooler so the towel is wet and helping keep the temps down.

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Primary: Dubbel
Secondary: Foreign Extra Stout, Cider
Bottles: Nada
Kegs: Bailey's Porch House APA, Winter Wheat (Dunkelweizen), Copper Ale (alt)
On Deck: Bailey's Porch House APA, Vesper Red Rye, Robust Porter

flyangler18

Recipes 

I ferment in the basement, which gets very little ambient light - so I've never had need to cover the vessels (carboy, bucket or BB).

ibrewit

Recipes 

I cover the carboy when I ferment in the kitchen as it is exposed to various light sources. I do not cover when I ferment in the basement as there is very little light down there.