glass carboy or plastic bucket?

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rayg said:
You can hear all about fermenters here on Jamil's show:
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/550

They say you use a plastic bucket 5 or 6 times then
replace it. If you want to do that, that's your preference,
I'd rather have something longer lasting, and without
having to guess when it's not contaminated.

Ray
Click to expand...

just like 90% of what they talk about, They're still just voicing their opinions.

And even with that, John Palmer turned out to be wrong about long primaries, and has since back pedaled, so even he can be wrong.

Oy Vey.

Dude, brew with what you want, that's the whole point of this discussion, they all work great, so whatever we chose is the best one. FOR US!

The main reason I don't like glass is becasue I like to keep my blood on the inside of my body, and the stories in here are enough to make me only comfortable with using my one is with apfelwein; http://brewing.lustreking.com/articles/brokencarboys.html

But that's just my preference.

beating_a_dead_horse1.gif


I'm done with this nonsense.
 
I'm on batch #33 with my bucket, I have had no problems. I just soak it in hot b-brite during the mash and boil and it is very clean when I am ready
 
mh-brews said:
i dislike carboys because they are not graduated and they let more uv in.

however, those issues are very minor and when used as a seconday with cardboard do not exist.
Click to expand...

UV rays cannot penetrate through most glass, learned that in physics back in high school :)
 
glass filters UV, some types better then others, personally i would not rely on the glass to do anything but hold beer, don't expose to UV ever.
 
Glass carboys (and better bottles for that matter) are a pain to clean. Sure, you can scrub the hell out of them but so what? Truth is you HAVE to because they're a pain to clean, and if something is hard to clean it can lead to infections. I can clean my bucket with my hand, dissolved oxyclean, and a paper towel, get in there up to my elbow. Dozens of batches without any scratches. I can see a problem developing with the lid over a few hundred batches, but as long as I see gentle bubbling I know I've got a good seal.

I've got 3 glass carboys and 5 plastic buckets. The carboys are always empty and the buckets get used over and over and over. THERE IS NO SHAME IN PLASTIC BUCKETS MY FELLOW BUCKET BROTHERS!

Professional breweries use stainless steel. They don't use glass.
 
I presently ferment in better bottles, producing just under 50 barrels per year. While I like glass, they would be too heavy and dangerous for my level of production. I do not rack any more - just another chance for infection. If you do use glass (which i do for my wine), I highly recommend you put them in milk crates. Much easier and safer to carry and work with.

NanoMan
 
brewfreeordie said:
Glass carboys (and better bottles for that matter) are a pain to clean. Sure, you can scrub the hell out of them but so what? Truth is you HAVE to because they're a pain to clean, and if something is hard to clean it can lead to infections. I can clean my bucket with my hand, dissolved oxyclean, and a paper towel, get in there up to my elbow. Dozens of batches without any scratches. I can see a problem developing with the lid over a few hundred batches, but as long as I see gentle bubbling I know I've got a good seal.

I've got 3 glass carboys and 5 plastic buckets. The carboys are always empty and the buckets get used over and over and over. THERE IS NO SHAME IN PLASTIC BUCKETS MY FELLOW BUCKET BROTHERS!

Professional breweries use stainless steel. They don't use glass.
Click to expand...

Granted i like buckets, but carboys are far from difficult to clean.

Fill to brim with water(hot or cold), dump in a scoop of generic grocery store Oxyclean(that was like 75 scoops for $10). Next day pour out half the liquid, shake the hell out of the carboy and dump the rest.

Then just use the hose to spray up inside to make sure all the cleaner is out.

Total amount of time actually doing something, maybe 5 minutes...
 
The two glass carboys that came with my original MW kit just gather dust. It's buckets all the way......
 
i have allways used glass for all my brew ! i think it's the better. but i hear by a friend that one company have a special material for brew. i don't remember, i will post it later.
 
I'm using the carboys mainly because I like to watch :)

You don't have to expose the wort to watch it. I guess it is inevitable that one will get dropped ....
 
This thread is cousin to those bottling v. kegging threads. It's like talking religion.
 
Dammit. Couldn't resist the masochistic desire to click on this thread. Shame on me.:smack:
 
rico567 said:
This thread is cousin to those bottling v. kegging threads. It's like talking religion.
Click to expand...

Or, (take your pick):

secondary vs primary only
squeeze the grain bag vs don't squeeze the grain bag
batch vs fly sparge
rack off the yeast cake vs leave it in primary for months

Plenty of dead horses to beat. :cross:
 

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