Any good ideas for making due w/o a stopper and carboy handle?

I apparently left one of my carboy stoppers and handles at home. Any good ideas on how to move a carboy and get it through fermentation w/o a stopper?

Any good home-made substitutions?

Steverino,

As for the stopper, if you are talking a primary or a rather brief single stage ferment. I think you would be fine w/ aluminum foil or saran wrap covered w/ aluminum foil. Wrap w/ a rubber band for a better seal once the kreusen falls. Another thing I have done is to use finger from a latex glove or a balloon. Stretch it over the mouth of the carboy and prick a hole or two w/ a pin.

IMHO, stoppers and airlocks are not crucial for quick 10 -14 day ferments, followed by a cold crash and kegging. Now if you are looking to secondary and then bottle age for extended periods, more caution is probably warranted.

As far as moving a carboy w/out a handle...I would think people do it all the time?? Make sure the carboy is dry and lift from the bottom. Better yet, find a milk crate that the carboy fits in and move that way.

Mike

I too have done the saran wrap trick. I just sealed it up and let it go by the time it started blowing up the saran, the CO2 blanket over the wort is good enough to keep you safe from infection. Then just pull it off until you can get a blow off on it towards the end of fermentation.

John

you don't want to move a full carboy with those handle things anyway. picking it up with those handle things puts too much stress on the neck of the carboy and could snap it off.

Use a bucket

5 gal water jug cap and tubing for a blow-off

I need to get some blow off tubing just to try it sometime....

I ended up making a top out of foil and duct tape. Essentially reinforced the aluminum foil w/ Duct tape and stuck the air lock in a hole I made in the foil...star saned the thing to death and then duct taped it on. I actually feel more comfortable w/ that setup than my carboys w/ airlocks now, haha

Thanks for the replies!