Advice on second fermenter

I am tempted to look at getting a second fermentation vessel to go with my 6g Better Bottle and I wanted some advice. I'm new but I've been around long enough to know that this touches on some age old debates (bucket vs carboy, primary vs secondary, glass vs plastic) and I don't want to get into that if possible. But I would like to hear from others who have had experience with several different vessels and what they would recommend after using different types. To let you know my point of view, here are my thoughts:

• A bucket would be nice since buckets should be easy to clean and can be stacked with my bottling bucket to save space
• A glass carboy has a high cool factor with me just because it's glass, and it would be nice to get something in the 6.5g range, but I think I'd hate the weight and storage is an issue
• A 5g Better Bottle might be useful as a secondary so I can just reuse my primary and I get the benefits of a light plastic vessel but storage is an issue again
• Getting a 6 or 6.5 vessel would be more universally useful since it can be used as a primary as opposed to a 5g vessel that can't handle a primary volume

It all depends on where you plan to go with your brewing in the near future, IMO. If you plan on some big beers like barleywine that needs to age for a year or so, personally I use glass for that. But since you are only on your second fermenter (I'm up to about 10 now), I would think another 6/6.5 vessel would be in order. Your preference whether bucket or glass/BB. I have 1 6g BB just for Apfelwein, 2 6.5 carboys for primary, and a number of other 5 & 6 carboys for secondary or primary for smaller brews. I'm also starting to collect smaller vessels, 3g and 1g for small batches of mead and other specialty brews. Once the madness sets in the storage issue gets smaller and smaller...

After the coolness of watching my first couple of batches ferment in a glass carboy, I switched to the easier-to-carry/cheaper/stackable/in-stock-at-my-LHBS buckets. I'm using the carboy for secondarying an old ale now. Buckets might be cheap and ugly, but they get the job done. And they are cheap, so buy two and brew more!

Buckets make wonderful primarys and for those rare occasions you need a secondary, glass or PET is great.

I prefer a bucket for primary as they are easier to clean and a glass carboy or bettlebottle for secondary so i can see the clarity of the beer before bottling/kegging

consider something that fits well in your fridge/beer fridge. this lets you crash cool or control fermentation with a temp controller.

My better half bought me a starter kit for a present and (while nice) it caused some troubles. Had I done the purchase I think I would have gone with the 6.5g bucket for primary and THEN look to a BB carboy for a secondary. I could use the 6g BB carboy as a secondary but seems silly when they make a 5g that would be better suited. Also seems a bit silly to get a 6.5g bucket when I have the 6g BB carboy. At any rate, I'll figure something out.

Thanks everyone.

You'll most likely end up with a good mix of each. As you get into doing lots of batches, you'll suddenly say "man, i think I want this huge beer to be in 5 gallon glass for 5 months"...or "man, i really want a 6 gallon better bottle to watch my primary better"...etc.

You actually said it best in "At any rate, I'll figure something out"

The right tool for the right job...

I like buckets myself. I have just added another one to my inventory, and I plan to retire my 5-gallon glass carboy. I like the buckets for the reasons you mentioned, but mainly for the ease of cleaning and the stackability factor. They don't take up a lot of storage space. They are also a helluva lot easier to move around when you need to. I hate moving a full carboy. I bought one of those nylon strap carboy carriers and it doesn't really make things much easier overall. I'm well beyond the point of caring to watch what's going on in the fermenter. There is some amount of novelty to that when you first get started, but the cons of glass, IMO, outweigh the pros. Just my two-cents worth...

Here is a handy link that helped me make a decision on equipment. Perhaps it will help you, too.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/

I had my original plastic bucket primary fermenter, and had added two 5 gal. BB carboys to the two glass carboys that came with my MW kit, and brewed that way for quite a while. But, for reasons which aren't important here, my brewing gravitated toward Spring and Fall, and I became interested in extending primary fermentation. This meant that the primary fermenter was a bottleneck at certain times, so I bought 3 7 gal. buckets & lids from U.S. Plastics. Cheap enough, around $32 delivered, and it eliminated my pipeline problems.

Looking at some of the pictures around here, I think a big difference between me and many others is space around the house. Sadly we don't have basements here in Texas so I have to incorporate this equipment into the regular living areas. Between heat and living space I'm not sure I can get more than two active batches at a time, if that. Ah well, I'll keep thinking. Thanks.

pretzelb said:

Looking at some of the pictures around here, I think a big difference between me and many others is space around the house. Sadly we don't have basements here in Texas so I have to incorporate this equipment into the regular living areas. Between heat and living space I'm not sure I can get more than two active batches at a time, if that. Ah well, I'll keep thinking. Thanks.

Click to expand...

I miss my basement in Michigan... One of my interior closets was taken over as the fermentation room... My fermenters to deflect that. I do have a glass carboy, but prefer the stackability of buckets.