Glass or P.E.T.

Just thought be interesting to Hear What you Prefer to Use Glass Carboys or P.E.T. Carboys(Better Bottle)?

If you Have a Reason Why Post it!

I Use Glass!

I use both actually. I have mostly glass but they have gotten expenive. DOes anyone know which one lasts longer? Im sure with proper care we are talking years and years just curious.

I started with glass and then got some Better Bottles. I have and use them both, but I really prefer the Better Bottles. They're just so much lighter to handle, especially when cleaning with wet hands. I don't have some fear that they're going to slip out of my hands and explode into glass shards.

Well, my glass carboys were free, so not a whole lot of logical reasoning went into the decision

P.E.T. doesn't shatter and cost less.

I have glass, and the next purchase will be more buckets, so I guess plastic it is. I still don't fully understand why you have to see inside your secondary, I don't get it.

jay672 said:

I use both actually. I have mostly glass but they have gotten expenive. DOes anyone know which one lasts longer? Im sure with proper care we are talking years and years just curious.

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Glass will last almost indefinitely. Plastic will last until you get a stubborn infection. That's what I gather anyways.

Problem is it's a matter of time. If the carboy lasts > 2 Better Bottles (atm locally 50$ for a 6.5g glass, 28$ for a 6g BB) then the glass is a better deal. It comes down to your environment. (I sure as hell wouldn't brew off premises with a glass carboy, or where I'd have to go down steps)


Honestly I use glass carboys (only 2, I got in late so 50$ a pop ) just because it's neat. If I really wanted to brew more I'd use buckets (left out of poll?). It'd take over 3 bucket losses to = 1 carboy (more if you find cheapies)

normal brewing BB wins, primary ferm (under 3 weeks) BB wins, long Ferms/ageing Glass wins. At lest for me.

PET is cheaper, lighter, less slippery when wet, and doesn't break.
Glass is more rigid and doesn't scratch.

The "more rigid" thing means that if you move it when full, a plastic carboy is more likely to compress and either spew beer out or suck back airlock fluid.

IMO the advantages of PET far outweight the drawbacks of glass.

Somewhat significantly, we get posts every week or so like this:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/an...ead-glass-pics-109748/index2.html#post1210916

(The oxygen permeability difference between glass and PET is effectively zero given the other O2 sources in a typical home brewing setup, so it's not listed as a factor; doing so would be more misleading than anything else)

I like to live dangerously - so I voted glass ;-)

Actually - the main thing for me is the scratching issue. And the moving issue. Sure - one of these days I'll break a glass carboy - but that gives another reason to not get completely snockered before moving the full carboy to fermentation closet.

If I can source em legally and reasonably priced - I'll be moving over to pony kegs. Stainless and darn near bulletproof. As is, I plan on fermenting my next batch of afpelwein in a sankey. Just have to figure out some logistics... namely moving 15 gallons of liquid.

Sheesh, it's even stickied.

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

llazy_llama said:

Sheesh, it's even stickied.

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

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Llazy, I see you have mentioned swirling the Better Bottles on a tennis ball. Maybe you could also point out the problem with not using a tennis ball; i.e., tilting the B.B. to aerate can cause stress cracks, according to the B.B. website:
BetterBottle (Better-Bottle) Fermentation Products – BetterBottle PET Carboys make ideal fermenters for home winemaking and home brewing
(under the Product Information tab - "How-To Tips")
I bet there a bunch of people using Better Bottles who don't know that.

FWIW, I use a 6 gallon Better Bottle for primary and a 5 gallon glass carboy for secondary. I also sometimes use a bucket for primary.

Someone above asked "why do you need to see inside your secondary?" or words to that effect. For me, I need or want to see how the beer is clearing up in secondary, in part determining if it's time to bottle.

Cheers!

Pappers said:

FWIW, I use a 6 gallon Better Bottle for primary and a 5 gallon glass carboy for secondary. I also sometimes use a bucket for primary.

Someone above asked "why do you need to see inside your secondary?" or words to that effect. For me, I need or want to see how the beer is clearing up in secondary, in part determining if it's time to bottle.

Cheers!

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I agree. I like to be able to watch and see how the beer is clearing up in secondary. I also like to be able to glance at the start of fermentation to get an idea of the yeast lag time, which is much easier to do in a carboy, than a bucket.

Bar none, the most over discussed topic on this site.

InfernoBrews said:

Just thought be interesting to Hear What you Prefer to Use Glass Carboys or P.E.T. Carboys(Better Bottle)?

If you Have a Reason Why Post it!

I Use Glass!

Click to expand...

I have two glass carboys that came with my original kit from MW. I have added two more carboys, both 5 gal. Better Bottles.

Reasons:

1. (now) cheaper

2. lighter

3. less hazardous

4. easier to clean (neck is larger, don't have to use a brush)

I might also mention that I use carboys for secondary only, I ferment in the plastic buckets...so I have no inclination whatever in favor of glass. And, no, I don't believe that the permeability of the plastic vessels used in these applications has any significant impact on the beer one way or another.

wildwest450 said:

Bar none, the most over discussed topic on this site.

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How long should I leave my beer in primary is rapidly approaching it. But yeah...

Revvy said:

How long should I leave my beer in primary is rapidly approaching it. But yeah...

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Oh, you mean like this one that just popped up ...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/primary-time-109997/