Plastic Bucket or Glass Carboy

Hello Everyone!

Looking into buying my first kit to begin brewing. I found a great all glass kit for $110, 6.5 gallon carboy for my primary and 5 gallon carboy for the secondary. in doing all my research though I found that there is a huge benefit to going with plastic for primary in that you do not have to siphon the beer out, plus the plastic just seems easier to clean.

My question is two part,

Which do you prefer to brew in and why?

If I am going to use a glass for my secondary (so i can see the settling) then why not have to siphon for my primary as well?

Thanks,

NICK

Some of the kits from various suppliers allow you to 'upgrade' to better bottles. You might want to take a look at this wiki article and add that into your considerations.

I point to the wiki article so this doesn't turn into yet another glass vs better bottle thread, it's already spelled out there.

Edit: Oh and to answer your questions; I personally use buckets and better bottles. Syphoning really isn't a big deal (get a kit with an auto-syphon or buy one, best 10 bucks you'll ever spend) so I wouldn't worry about that part.

Personally, I would take a better bottle over a glass carboy (you can search threads on that topic).

Pails are generally easier to clean over caboys & don't need to be covered for light sensitivity issues as carboys do....otherwise for me it's a wash.

You have to siphon out of a pail just as you would a carboy....cept carboy caps are pretty bitchin for that

I use all glass... #1 I dont want to run the risk of small scratches harboring nasties in my plasitc bucket... #2 I like to watch!

I prefer the plastic bucket for primary and a better bottle for secondary. Cleaning the primary bucket out can be a pain already, I can't imagine trying to get that muck out of a carboy.

I used buckets for a while then switched to BetterBottles. It is awesome to be able to watch the beer .

I vote BetterBottle.

Thank you to everyone and my other questions was answered too, auto-siphon it is!

Yeah, I like buckets for primary and carboys for secondaries.

Why don't they make a clear PETE plastic bucket? All the advantages of a better bottle except with a big lid that comes off for easy cleaning. A Better Bucket, so to speak.

Yeah! I'd buy one of those.

Isn't PETE a softer plastic than HDPE? A bucket shape might not have enough rigidity without being excessively thick.

I use better bottles and have had no problems. They are easy to handle, easy to clean (DO NOT use a bottle brush). Have a brew and relax...

Buckets. Less risk of contamination from stuck-on gunk.

I just now finished cleaning a 6 gal BB. It was not easy, as compared to a bucket. Soaked for a couple of hours and shook like heck. The shaking didn't touch the stuff plastered to the top of the bottle. Finally put in a dish rag and pounded the rag up and down on the top. It finally loostened the stuck on stuff and I got it all rinsed out. I still like the BB because I, like others, enjoy watching the fermentation process.

I just now finished cleaning a 6 gal BB. It was not easy, as compared to a bucket. Soaked for a couple of hours and shook like heck. The shaking didn't touch the stuff plastered to the top of the bottle.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you are doing it the hard way unless you are just in a hurry. I pour a good dose of clorox, maybe a half a cup or so, in the bottle and fill with water. Usually after 24 hours it is clean. If not, I leave it another day or I use a bottle brush and it comes right off.

Obviously I use Better Bottles. Nothing better in my opinion. Buckets - I too want to see what is going on without removing the top and exposing my beer to the air. Glass is too heavy and prone to break if dropped.

http://www.better-bottle.com/index_x.html

The Pol said:

I use all glass... #1 I dont want to run the risk of small scratches harboring nasties in my plasitc bucket... #2 I like to watch!

Click to expand...

I agree on both counts here. I know lots of people use buckets with no problems, but I've had a couple. never had a problem with my glass carboy.

I have a little bottle washer jet thingy that fits on the kitchen sink faucet, so cleaning is easy as pie. Rinse it out, fill with water and 2 oz bleach, let it sit for two days, rinse it out again=crystal clear.

monk

The Pol said:

I use all glass... #1 I dont want to run the risk of small scratches harboring nasties in my plasitc bucket... #2 I like to watch!

Click to expand...

Count me among the glass fans too

If you are intrested in getting into the hobby cheaply there are all sorts of plastic buckets that can be made into fermenters. What you want to look for is a recycle symbol with the number 2 & or HDPE. These can be found at restaurants, donuts shoppes, Also the 45 lb chlorine buckets make great fermenters if you know someone that has a pool or check out community pools.

All you need to do is drill a hole small hole in the top and put a rubber grommet in it and an airlock. If you wanted you could add a small weather strip inside the top where it screws onto the bucket. And you could a bulkhead and valve so that it could be drained rather than syphoned.

Many people will try to scare you off but also many have reported success using 5 gallon water bottles as primary and secondary fermenter.

Also remember that you want to protect your potential brew from light.