Is a Carboy Cover or Shirt Needed to Keep Light Away?

From what i read it seems as though it is important to keep the carboy away from light while it is fermenting. If it is in a place where light may get to it, is there something that i should be covering it with?

I saw a shirt over a carboy in my local homebrew store, but is that a special shirt? Or is it just a regular ol shirt? Can i cover it with anything else that I may have at home?

I do not have a basement and my rooms all have natural light shining into them.

Thanks for your help

i just use one of my old black concert t-shirts with a rubber band around the neck

I have a huge closet. I mean, I could easily stick a 20 gallon fermenter in there and still have 3 carboys running behind my shirts, and just kind of wander around it.

Not that I have a 20 gallon fermenter.

Yes you will skunk that beer if you are letting it sit around exposed to the sunlight.

Basic Brewingâ„¢ : Home Brewing Beer Podcast and DVD - September 14, 2007 - Skunking Beer

I use SWMBO's shirts on 3 gallon carboys...and mine on 5 and 6 gallon versions.

Try to at least keep it out of any place where direct light will shine on it, with or without a shirt or anything else. The light and temp variations won't help. If you don't have a room or closet that's completely dark, the shirt will help. We stack some ripped up cardboard boxes around our carboys, since they're in a place where they'd get a bit of indirect light, just to be sure!

great. i will be sure to keep it away as much as possible (which should be fine on its own) and I will also use a black shirt on it as well.

Thanks a bunch!

BerserkerBrew said:

i just use one of my old black concert t-shirts with a rubber band around the neck

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If you don't want your carboy wearing your best TOOL/ACDC shirt :rockin: , try this.
We use the cardboard piece that it ships with. It fits perfect and probably blocks more light that a t-tshirt. They are also located on a shelf that doesn't get much light.

I just wrap mine with a (new) black plastic trash bag.

i set mine in the 48qt cube ice chest and slip some foam over the top i cut for lids. i fill it with water put the temp probe in there and monitor for heat and add ice bottles as needed.

NNatic said:

From what i read it seems as though it is important to keep the carboy away from light while it is fermenting.

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It's important to keep light away from it not just when beer is fermenting, but at any time after that as well. Brown bottles are best at keeping out the wave lengths of light that are responsible for skunking beer. Clear glass bottles are the worst, with blue a close second.

twobrosbrewin said:

If you don't want your carboy wearing your best TOOL/ACDC shirt :rockin: , try this.
We use the cardboard piece that it ships with. It fits perfect and probably blocks more light that a t-tshirt. They are also located on a shelf that doesn't get much light.

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nothing wrong with that! my Pale Ale right now is wearing a Black Sabbath Reunion Tour t-shirt from 1999. It keeps my brew METAL!:rockin::rockin:

Eh, just a t-shirt, the room it's in is north-facing but with lots of indirect light. If it's a light beer, I'll use a darker shirt, but it's basically what's sitting around. Never had a skunking problem.

My lambic is wearing a rather nice casual button-down. I figured if it's got to wear the same shirt for three years it may as well look good.

If you have any old hoodies laying around, they work perfect. They are thicker, so they keep more light out than a T-shirt, and you can pull the draw-string tight around the neck of the carboy.

How important is it for the fermentor to be out of indirect light (as in light coming through window curtains)?

Endovelico said:

How important is it for the fermentor to be out of indirect light (as in light coming through window curtains)?

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You could just throw a blanket or old bath towel over it.

Right. The important thing is to keep as much light as possible from effecting the hop extracts in the beer and causing them to skunk.

Black draw-string trash bags work great, as you can put the carboy into the bag before putting it in a milk crate (you DO use milk crates for carrying carboys, right?), and drawstring it around the neck, but still take the occasional peek.

HotbreakHotel said:

I just wrap mine with a (new) black plastic trash bag.

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+1 for the black trash bag. It's nice to find a cheap solution to a problem when you're dealing with this hobby.

All of my carboys wear black hoodies. They keep out the light, and I usually pull the hood over airlock just in case. You can buy plain hoodies at arts and crafts shops for $8. Well worth it. I also like them because they tend to regulate the temps better than a T.

Plus it freaks people out when they walk into the brewing room and see 3-4 hoodies lined up there.

I use a smokers jacket. It keeps my carboy cool in so many ways.

Now THAT, eschatz... That is one classy carboy. You need to get him some Playboy bunnies to keep him company, and maybe some matching slippers?

All 3 of you could sit around in smoking jackets, and talk Pacific Rim economy.
"Oh oh stop it, stop it. Look here you can't be a bloody fiscal hermit crab every time the N-K goes self correction! Asia's economy has nowhere to go but up."
"Interesting."
"Indeed."

NNatic,

I use brown paper grocery bags over my carboys. Cut a 3 inch diameter hole in the center of the bottom of the bag for the neck and airlock. Slips on and off easy, keeps the light out, write the beer details on the bag. Stores flat and is reusable. What could be better?

I use an old black Arogant Basterd t-shirt.

Chriso said:

Now THAT, eschatz... That is one classy carboy. You need to get him some Playboy bunnies to keep him company, and maybe some matching slippers?

All 3 of you could sit around in smoking jackets, and talk Pacific Rim economy.
"Oh oh stop it, stop it. Look here you can't be a bloody fiscal hermit crab every time the N-K goes self correction! Asia's economy has nowhere to go but up."
"Interesting."
"Indeed."

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Family Guy?

Yeah, I give my beer the royal treatment... Maybe I need some monogrammed smokers jackets. CB1, CB2,... (CarBoy 1..) Maybe I should make a Hugh Hefeweizen... :rockin:

I just upend the cardboard box my Ale Pails came in over it. The box has enough clearence for the carboy & airlock.