Anyone use this carboy?

[baobeiiiii]

https://www.hopandgrape.co.uk/equipment/fermenters/demi-johns-and-5-gallon-fermenters/5-fermenter-carboy-p-e-t.html

I was looking into vessels to ferment beer and possibly mead, then thought that the glass carboy's are neat because you can see what's going on inside. The other thing i like is that can be airtight with a simple bung. But, after a bit more research i feel like they are unsafe. Saw a bunch of photos of injuries caused when they break.

Anyone tried that product? It looks opaque not clear though. From the description:

Special PET has negligible oxygen permeability and no tastes or odor are imparted into your wine or beer.
Stain resistant , smooth, non-porous, non-absorbing, and the hydrophobic surface does not carry over flavors and soaks clean without brushing.

But is that just marketing hype? Or can I really use it for dozens of batches of beer.. Have heard of better bottles, but can't buy them in the uk for a non exorbitant price. Is this a cheap rip-off of better bottle?

 

[RedlegEd]

I was looking into vessels to ferment beer, and possibly mead, then thought that the glass carboy's are neat because you can see what's going on inside. But, after a bit more research i feel like they are unsafe.

Anyone tried that product? I think that is a shop linked to this forum. Is it clear? Can it really be used many times? Thanks!

No, it's not hype, and yes, I use a wide-mouth variation called "Fermonster" which is also PET. They are a great alternative to glass because they're not breakable, have low oxygen permeability, don't retain odors/stains, and are easy to clean. A few cautions...don't use really hot water (it'll warp the bottle,) and do not use a carboy brush to clean it (it may scratch the plastic.) A good soak with PBW or Oxyclean is usually all you need. If you need to clean a stubborn Krausen ring, here's a video how to clean a Better Bottle (a different brand name of the same type fermenter.) Ed

 

[rjwoody]

I've been using a PET carboy for almost a year now and I love it! Cleaning is also super simple. It will soak clean and if you have any stubborn spots just stuff a small rag in it with a little liquid and shake the carboy lightly to "scrub" the spot with the rag. No odd flavors or odors in the finished beer either. Also, mine is clear. Haven't ever seen any opaque or frosted carboys. With proper cleaning and care these things should last a long time.

 

[Murphys_Law]

+1 on a "wide mouth" version! Much easier to clean!!

 

[RedlegEd]

Is this a cheap rip-off of better bottle?

I don't think so. Many folks (to include me) like this type better than the Better Bottle because the sides are smooth and therefore are less likely to hold yeast, hops, and other gunk. Ed

 

[baobeiiiii]

Thanks for the replies. I'll go for one of those!

My last Q about it is, can i brew a full 40 pint 23 litre kit in one, without it overflowing all the time? I'll be using it to ferment in. Also anyone got a photo of theirs in action?

 

[RedlegEd]

Thanks for the replies. I'll go for one of those!

My last Q about it is, can i brew a full 40 pint 23 litre kit in one, without it overflowing all the time? I'll be using it to ferment in. Also anyone got a photo of theirs in action?

If you can, go one step up, or stick with brewing 20 liter kits. A 23 liter bottle might be a little small for a full 40 pint kit since it doesn't give you very much headspace to accommodate Krausen during an active fermentation. You can do it, but be prepared to use a blow-off tube to prevent a big mess. In the US, many folks use a 6.5 US Gallon (US) bottle (~5.5 UK Gal.) Here's a shot of a wide mouth bubbler (another PET branded fermenter) in action (thanks to @Mongoose33 for the pic). Notice the amount of headspace to give the yeast plenty of room to do their thing. Good luck in finding what you need! Ed

 

[govner1]

https://www.hopandgrape.co.uk/equip...llon-fermenters/5-fermenter-carboy-p-e-t.html

I was looking into vessels to ferment beer and possibly mead, then thought that the glass carboy's are neat because you can see what's going on inside. The other thing i like is that can be airtight with a simple bung. But, after a bit more research i feel like they are unsafe. Saw a bunch of photos of injuries caused when they break.

Anyone tried that product? It looks opaque not clear though. From the description:

Special PET has negligible oxygen permeability and no tastes or odor are imparted into your wine or beer.
Stain resistant , smooth, non-porous, non-absorbing, and the hydrophobic surface does not carry over flavors and soaks clean without brushing.

But is that just marketing hype? Or can I really use it for dozens of batches of beer.. Have heard of better bottles, but can't buy them in the uk for a non exorbitant price. Is this a cheap rip-off of better bottle?

I've been using Better Bottles (5,6, & 3 gal) for almost 6 years w/ very good success. They're durable and easy to clean. Like any equipment you need to clean immediately after use. I use 1 Tbsp of B-Brite per gal of hot water & let it soak for 1 hour. I've only rarely needed a soft brush for a stubborn Krause "line". Probably 1% of the time.

 

[RedlegEd]

Thanks for the replies. I'll go for one of those!

My last Q about it is, can i brew a full 40 pint 23 litre kit in one, without it overflowing all the time? I'll be using it to ferment in. Also anyone got a photo of theirs in action?

Forgot to add in my last post, just for giggles...here's a really active fermentation in the right size fermenter. Notice how much headspace there is and it still almost has a blow out. If you brewed a full 23 liter kit and tried to ferment in a 23 liter bottle, you'd not have anywhere near enough headspace. Ed

 

[baobeiiiii]

Damn... really want to brew 40 pints at a time, and there aren't 6.5 us gallon ones for sale in the uk that i've seen.

It's really cold here and there are temp swings in my home, so i'll be using an immersion heater too... 20 pints at a time isn't worth it for me and 2x heater and carboy is just a tad expensive. How bad is it for the beer if i have a blowout tube and foam travels up it..

Half a gallon is 4 pints isn't it? So can't i just brew 36 pints and have same head space in the 5 UK gallon carboy. Surely these 5Uk gallon carboys aren't 5 gallons when filled to the very brim? Otherwise i might just get a 33 liter bucket.

 

[RedlegEd]

Damn... really want to brew 40 pints at a time, and there aren't 6.5 us gallon ones for sale in the uk that i've seen.

It's really cold here and there are temp swings in my home, so i'll be using an immersion heater too... 20 pints at a time isn't worth it for me and 2x heater and carboy is just a tad expensive. How bad is it for the beer if i have a blowout tube and foam travels up it..

Half a gallon is 4 pints isn't it? So can't i just brew 36 pints and have same head space in the 5 UK gallon carboy. Surely these 5Uk gallon carboys aren't 5 gallons when filled to the very brim?

I'm not sure where you got 20 pints, I think I said 20 liters (about 5 US gallons.) Like I said before, if you back off your recipe volume just a little to give you the needed headspace, you'll be fine. BTW, if you keep the same grain bill/extract for a 23 liter batch into a 20 liter batch, it'll be stronger! Ed

 

[baobeiiiii]

Can i confirm that, if one fills up a 6 gallon carboy with 6 gallons, the liquid goes all the way to the neck opening? As in, 1mm more liquid and it would start to pour out.

I thought the capacity is up to the part where it starts to taper.

 

[timdillon36]

There are plenty of ways to adjust volume at every stage of brewing. If you want to brew 23L but that is the max for your fermenter you could use the same kit and shoot for 20L into the fermenter taking into account water volumes and adjusting along the way. Your beer will have a higher gravity to start with and if you package as is at the end of fermentation a higher %abv as well.

Then at bottling time you can lower the abv by adding more water, boil 3L with your priming sugar and you are back up to your desired volume. If keeping you can just add boiled water straight to the keg to fill it up.

If you make beer "the hard way" every step will reduce volume and increase gravity and abv to be able to use less space until packaging. There are limits to every shortcut but topping off with about 10% at packaging should be just fine.