Bucket or Carboy?

[brewmaster89]

Whats better to ferment in, a bucket or a carboy? I have both but can get a really good deal on some 5 and 8 gallon food grade buckets. Just curious if there is a big difference and why.

 

[Golddiggie]

Sanke keg.

 

[smyrnaquince]

Where are you getting the good deal on the buckets?

 

[hekman]

I like them both for different reasons.

Bucket - it's not going to break and cut off your foot. It filters the light so you don't have to be as worried about your beer getting "light-struck" while fermenting. It's also easier to carry.

Carboy - It's more fun to watch, but they are very heavy and hard to carry around unless you have a brew hauler. They are easier to take gravity readings from, and they look way nicer. They are way more expensive and harder to clean, though.

 

[Spartan1979]

I find carboys easier to rack from also since you can see what you're doing.

 

[bcgpete]

I hate opening my buckets.

 

[Dunerunner]

I like a carboy, but have used a bucket fermenter from time to time. Better Bottles eliminate the "Break and cut your foot off" issue, but are as difficult to clean as the glass. Buckets you can get into with a sponge and scrub...that is an advantage.

 

[TimpanogosSlim]

5 gallons is too small for a primary fermenter if you expect to fill a 5 gallon keg. You have to consider krausen, etc.

Glass and PET are easier to sanitize than HDPE.

I have nothing against buckets as fermenters - they are, after all, so cheap. I just haven't decided to use them.

 

[BrewandWineSupply]

Use a bucket for the primary fermentation, rack to carboy for second stage of fermentation.

 

[rodwha]

What hekman said.

 

[duckmanco]

Buckets for me:

Easier to clean
Easier to move
Easier to dry hop when using bags
Only thing that will fit in my dorm fridge for fermentation temp control
Cheap

Those are my reasons, but like anything else in brewing YMMV.

 

[brewmaster89]

I am leaning towards buckets because of the ease of cleaning. The carboys are a pain in my kitchen sink.

There is a place here that sells buckets and barrels cheap and they are having a sale now.

 

[smyrnaquince]

I hate opening my buckets.

I did, too. Then I got one of those bucket opener tools. Works like a charm.

 

[djfriesen]

I now use a bucket a majority of the time. I was using a glass carboy that came in a beginners kit. However, I bought a 10 gallon pot and wanted to try to maximize brewing capacity, so I bought an 8-gallon bucket that I can ferment 7 gallons in. This basically maximizes both my boiling and fermenting capacity.

Also, I like my appendages intact. I know what fermentation looks like, and if I really want to watch one, I'll watch my starter ferment.

 

[neophilus]

I like the carboy, not just to watch it fermenting (which is cool) but also to see when the yeast drops out and the beer clears.

 

[thetragichero]

i have one carboy and two buckets, and i use whichever is empty at the time

 

[junior]

I prefer carboys because I ferment in a 70qt cooler for temperature control. Wouldn't be able to fit a bucket in it.Edit: Also I think it is easier to shake the carboy to incorporate the yeast and oxygen.

 

[Waynep005]

I go back and forth. I like the ease of cleaning of the bucket. I like being able to see into a carboy.

 

[bwomp313]

Carboy - It's more fun to watch, but they are very heavy and hard to carry around unless you have a brew hauler. They are easier to take gravity readings from, and they look way nicer. They are way more expensive and harder to clean, though.

How do you find that it's easier to get a sample from a carboy? You don't have to deal with the neck in a bucket. Plus, if you're lazy like me you'll sanitize the hydrometer and drop it right in there to get your reading. (in the bucket I mean)

 

[Waynep005]

Just pull the air lock from a carboy and you can take a sample. One of my buckets has a whole that is smaller than the thief I use to take samples so the who lid had to come off.

 

[oakbarn]

Stout Conical. Have 2. I love them!

 

[joety]

Stout Conical. Have 2. I love them!

+1, prefer it to my MoreBeer Conical

 

[Dan]

Buckets for me:

Easier to clean
Easier to move
Easier to dry hop when using bags
Only thing that will fit in my dorm fridge for fermentation temp control
Cheap

Those are my reasons, but like anything else in brewing YMMV.

Exactly this, well except for the dorm fridge. I do cold crash in a deep freezer and occasionally bump the bottom of the bucket on the top edge of the freezer, wouldn't want to do that with glass. Plus you can stack empty buckets.

 

[kh54s10]

Neither.

I like Better Bottles they are light, you can see what is happening, they are very easy to clean.

Buckets - the lids are a PITA, they are not much easier to clean, really. I like to see what is happening and you can't in a bucket.

Glass Carboys --- DANGEROUS! They break and cause injury. They are also heavy and I am not getting any younger.

 

[Calichusetts]

Carboys...and I do 1 gallon so almost all of the negatives people posted don't apply to me. Its light, easy to move, I can stick it in a mop bucket with water to regulate temp, etc. Fits in my sink easily for cleaning...love it!

 

[paleale]

i have buckets and carboys. i have several 6 gallon better bottles and several 5 gallon better bottles i secondary in. i have used each. each works. i like the carboys and better bottles myself. i like to be able to see what my brews are doing. my fermentation chambers are in a basement room that has no windows so getting light struck isn't a problem. if you don't have a great place in total darkness i can see where buckets would be your best bet.

basically each will work great. again it is a personal choice and how dark is your fementing place.