Better Bottles/Glass Carboys/Buckets?

I'm getting ready to purchase my first equipment kit and I am curious what kind of Carboy I should go with?

I've read many horror stories of glass breaking and seriously injuring someone as well as being heavy and awkward to carry(I have to go upstairs). I hear buckets are easy to clean but Better bottles let you watch the fermentation. I'm worried about plastic leaching as well as any flavors it might give off. Does anyone have any insight on this? It would be greatly appreciated.

You're fine with either. The bottles and buckets are food grade, so they don't leach. The downside to plastic is that you can't really do any long term aging in it; some oxygen will get through. So, as long as you aren't planning to age in your bucket/carboy for a few months, either is fine. It's fun to watch the fermentation in action, but you need a funnel to pour into the better bottle.

I'm still partial to glass, but that's just me. As long as you're careful, glass won't be a problem.

Dude. In the end it's going to boil down to your decision. Everyone has a different opinion on which fermenter is better and you'll never get a consensus. This chart compares Better bottles and Glass Carboys. As far as plastic buckets go, some are specifically made for fermenting and they work just fine. As far as watching fermentation, one you get past the first few batches or so you are likely to ignore it until it's done.

I am a Better Bottle user. I've never used a glass carboy and sold the one I did have. Plenty of people have had serious injuries due to glass. On the same note, with appropriate safety measures some people have never broke one.

A Better Bottle will never break, but it's just my opinion.

I think this question should be forever banned from the forums. Or stickied so people can eternally argue about it.

It's like what do you like Ford or Chevy both have +'s and -'s

carnevoodoo said:

I think this question should be forever banned from the forums. Or stickied so people can eternally argue about it.

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+100 Oh my...HOW TRUE!!!!

Wow, that was a lot of quick responses. Thanks everyone for your quick input.

Has anyone actually had a beer be...oxygenated(I don't know the phrase for when too much oxygen gets into beer) from better bottles?

I like the idea of glass, I'm just worried about it breaking. Not only the potential injury but having to buy another one if it does.

Dude422 said:

Wow, that was a lot of quick responses. Thanks everyone for your quick input.

Has anyone actually had a beer be...oxygenated(I don't know the phrase for when too much oxygen gets into beer) from better bottles?

I like the idea of glass, I'm just worried about it breaking. Not only the potential injury but having to buy another one if it does.

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No. My Russian Imperial Stout was in secondary for several months in a better bottle with no issues.

The ported better bottles are nice for transfering, racking and bottling purposes. I like the idea that you can transfer from one bottle to another in a totally closed enviroment. There are lots of extras that better bottle makes but they are a little pricey. From what I understand, a milk crate and glass carboy work well for carrying purposes if breaking them is what you're worried about. I know that glass are a little more expensive than better bottles as well.

Brew-boy said:

It's like what do you like Ford or Chevy both have +'s and -'s

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No it isn't. Chevy's clearly better and that's all there is to it!

The ported Better Bottles are a bit nice but not worth the price. The unported Better Bottles are about the same price as glass carboys, if you can still find glass carboys a bit cheap. Glass carboys are going up in price around 50% now, as they are no longer manufactured in Mexico (and must be shipped in from Italy).

I've found virtually no disadvantage in Better Bottles over glass carboys but many advantages. Better Bottles are much lighter and will not shatter. I like that. The only disadvantage is that they are easier to scratch (so be careful cleaning) and you will probably get some suckback in your airlock when you pick them up. C'est la vie, c'est la bière.


TL