Glass Carboy vs Plastic carboy vs Plastic Bucket

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jackwhite75

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Ive noticed that alot of people here use glass and plastic carboys for primary or secondary and in some cases both primary and secondary. Is their an advantage to using a plastic or glass carboy over a plastic bucket? Does the beer taste better or is it a matter of preference?
 
debated many times. i have read that glass is better for long fermentations times due to its ability to block oxygen from getting at your beer but ive used the classic ale pales for every batch ive ever done and they work fine for me.
 
Comes down to personal preference. I agree about the long term aging in glass, but I think in this case, it is to each his own. There are safety concerns with glass and cleaning concerns with plastic. You just have to be careful in each situation and go with what you prefer.
 
really haven't noticed a difference if I use the glass carboy, plastic better bottle ,bucket or the SS conical. I just like to watch the beer swirl around the BB or the carboy... I'm weird that way but then again I like to watch the airlock/blowoff bubble away on the conical.



But really unless its going to be the plastic for months I don't think 02 would be a problem
 
I would have to say it is a matter of preference. When I started brewing, I used the plastic bucket. Then as I accumulated more carboys I switched over to using them for Primary. Mainly because I had heard, once you scratch the plastic it is more difficult to make sure the bucket is sanitized.

I too enjoy watching the fermentation process through the clear carboys!

Good Luck,

Brent
 
has anybody ever had UV damage in a carboy? I'm just thinking that all the carboys are clear but yet I bottle everything in brown bottles. I'm new to brewing and have brewed a Dunkelweizen and a hard cider using friends equipment, but I figure that I need to get my own stuff at some point soon.
 
has anybody ever had UV damage in a carboy? I'm just thinking that all the carboys are clear but yet I bottle everything in brown bottles. I'm new to brewing and have brewed a Dunkelweizen and a hard cider using friends equipment, but I figure that I need to get my own stuff at some point soon.

I keep mine in a interior bathroom bathtub in the basement. My wife also made a black carboy cover to keep the light out as well.

Overkill? Probably...but I wanted her to feel like she was a part of the process...makes her somewhat accountable for my hobby. :D
 
I keep mine in a interior bathroom bathtub in the basement. My wife also made a black carboy cover to keep the light out as well.

Overkill? Probably...but I wanted her to feel like she was a part of the process...makes her somewhat accountable for my hobby. :D

Very nice! So basically treat them like clear bottles and keep them out of the light.
 
I'd say mostly user preference. I've started using my better bottles for everything and saving the buckets for bottling only. Mostly because getting the lid off of those buckets is a PITA.
 
I agree with how much of a PITA the bucket lids are. I use them, but they are a PITA. The Better Bottle Carboys are fine. They are made of PET plastic which is impermeable to oxygen. 2 liter soda bottles are made of the same material. I have had some in my pantry, and had forgot about them. 3 years later the soda was still completely carbonated, just like when I purchase them. I use both glass and PET carboys. I use the glass if I am aging for more than a month or two.
 
I originally started with plastic, switched to glass, and for the most part, have returned full circle back to plastic. I broke a 6.5 gallon carboy a year or so ago, right after getting back into homebrewing, and after cleaning shards of glass and puddles of water from the entirety of my basement floor, I have been less eager to use glass. When I do use them, however, I carry them in a plastic milk crate. One option that wasn't mentioned in this thread is fermenting in cornie kegs. That said, I do miss the entrancing visuals of swirling fermentation when I'm not using glass. I haven't shelled out the $ for a Better Bottle.
 
I started with plastic buckets in the standard brewing kit. I have heard that scratches in plastic will eventually harbor beasties that can make your beer taste bad. Glass does not have that problem. So, I have a 6.5 gallon carboy and two 5 gallon carboys. I figure cleaning is about 75% of making good beer. With patience, cleaning a glass carboy is pretty easy. I wash it at the kitchen sink with a bath towel on the floor. Takes about ten minutes. To move full carboys you can use the Brew Hauler or an old milk crate. I have never used the Better Bottles. Can't they be scratched like a bucket?

I love to watch the beer swirling in the carboy.
 
I used to use glass for everything. I love my 6 and 6.5 gal carboys. But I've recently switched to plastic buckets just because they are so easy to use, easy to clean, and easy as !@#$ to transport up and down stairs without worrying about breaking them. I still use my carboys from time to time, especially if it's a long-aging brew, but buckets are so easy! Plus, I can just use my KitchenAid over-the-sink colander to strain/aerate wort when I dump it in the bucket. I have to siphon into the carboys. And I'm lazy.

The lids aren't so bad once you cut the strip around them. Makes it a lot easier to get them off the bucket.
 
I'd say mostly user preference. I've started using my better bottles for everything and saving the buckets for bottling only. Mostly because getting the lid off of those buckets is a PITA.

+1 on the lid removal being a PITA. I will never use the bucket again as a fermenter.
 
It looks like it is mostly personal preference. Me - I don't have any trouble getting the lids off buckets. I liked my glass carboy when it was in one piece, and am considering trying out the BB, but since I can get two buckets for the cost of 1 BB, it might not happen.
 
Since my last post here I have started using Better Bottles. I am brewing 2.5g batches, and I love the 3g Better Bottles: light weight, able to see fermentation, clean by soaking with Oxyclean, light weight, square (take up less space), won't shatter, light weight...
 
I could see a lot of advantages of having two of those 3 gallon BBs. I do 5 gallon batches mostly, and you could dry hop one batch two different ways. That's something I have to think about. Plus, the light weight, as you mentioned somewhere in that post! :)
 
It looks like it is mostly personal preference. Me - I don't have any trouble getting the lids off buckets. I liked my glass carboy when it was in one piece, and am considering trying out the BB, but since I can get two buckets for the cost of 1 BB, it might not happen.

This thread hadn't been active for three months. Why are you answering now?
 
I saw it in the list of similar threads, and looked through it. I always like to get other people's perspectives. For example, I saw someone talking about the 3 gallon Better Bottles, and the idea struck me - Make a 5 gallon batch of American Pale Ale. Rack to 2 of those 3 gal. BBs, and dry hop one of them with Cascade, the other one with Bullion (because I just bought a pound of it). You could dial in a recipe very quickly that way.
 
Yeah, but there are like 500 glass vs. plastic threads. If you search, you will see that there is no shortage of opinion on this subject. It seems really insanely redundant to bring up threads this old when we have a new one every two weeks.
 
Some beers improve with age! What about beer threads?
Seriously, I just saw 2010 and replied. I'm not going to dig up something from 2007 and reply to it, although I see four now, one from 2006, one from 2007, and two from 2008.
 
Smashed my glass carboy last night dragging it up the stairs....5 gallons of Oatmeal Stout on the basement floor...buying a plastic carboy today...i never want to see that horror again...oh the horror....
 
Since my last post here I have started using Better Bottles. I am brewing 2.5g batches, and I love the 3g Better Bottles: light weight, able to see fermentation, clean by soaking with Oxyclean, light weight, square (take up less space), won't shatter, light weight...

I hear they are lightweight as well, that is definitely another plus. :mug:
 
has anybody ever had UV damage in a carboy? I'm just thinking that all the carboys are clear but yet I bottle everything in brown bottles. I'm new to brewing and have brewed a Dunkelweizen and a hard cider using friends equipment, but I figure that I need to get my own stuff at some point soon.

My better bottles have all come in a box, I cut a hole in the bottom of the box, just big enough for my airlock and place the box over the Carboy, no light and it helps stabilize temperature fluctuations (some). I noticed I can even place the box over a glass carboy with just a wee bit of the neck poking through.
 
how dangerous are glass carboys? obviously glass is slippery when wet and is heavy, but i have heard horror stories of glass "randomly" shattering and cutting people. anyone have any experience with this?
 
I prefer glass because it is inert, inpermeable, and it doesn't change over time. It cleans up easier and I like it because you can see what's going on with your beer without removing a lid.
 
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