Dropped My Carboy Today (with beer inside)

[jtdrowns]

So I am brewing up a tripel (OG 1.097) and after 16 days fermenting it was at 1.020. I decided to rack it to secondary and bump up the temp to help it finish up around 1.017. As I started to move it from my chest freezer, somehow the brew hauler gave way and then BOOM. Luckily it fell on carpet and did not break or crack.

But now I am worried about oxygenation. Do you all think this may be a issue? I am hoping that since the carboy was full of CO2 from the fermentation, that it should be ok. The bung and airlock remained on the carboy.

And now that I have dropped it and racked to secondary, fermentation has taken off again, I mean like I may have to attach the boil off tube. Should I be concerned over this?

 

[snowveil]

If fermentation has actually taken off again hopefully the yeast will consume any oxygen that has been dissolved into the beer. At this point, there's nothing you can do anyway, right? I'd just ride it out and see what happens.

 

[Teromous]

You are one lucky son of a gun. Go buy a lottery ticket tonight.

The beer will be fine especially if the airlock was still attached.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Nice to see this version of the ol' dropped my carboy story...with a happy ending! (Tired of the blood and gore).

 

[jtdrowns]

Thanks for the replies. I did end up having to put on the blow off tube. It is bubbling at about once every two seconds right now. I'm going to take a gravity reading tomorrow and the following day to see how it ends up. Maybe I'll get a couple points lower on the final gravity?

 

[Stocktonbrew]

+1 on the lottery ticket. A full carboy hitting the floor and not breaking, you are lucky!

 

[mattd2]

You are one lucky son of a gun. Go buy a lottery ticket tonight.

The beer will be fine especially if the airlock was still attached.

No point buying the lottery ticket... he has used up all his luck already
As above, and what you said, you shouldn't have any issue with oxidation since you say the cap/airlock stayed in place so no air should have got in. I think you definately need a good beer after experiencing that!

 

[stpug]

I wouldn't worry about oxygenation - the co2 in the headspace probably negated that. Just pat yourself on the back for avoiding a broken carboy and everything that can come with it. Your beer will be fine. The bubbling may just be releasing co2 from the yeast cake but may help it attenuate a bit more.

 

[dogbar]

That's what I love about this hobby. People will try anything to see if it works.

It never would have occurred to me to scare the crap out of the yeast to get them to finish the job.

 

[Braufessor]

You dropped a full carboy and it did not break....... God loves you and wants your beer to beer to taste great. It would just be a cruel ironic twist if he imparted an oxygen based off-flavor in your beer at this point.

I agree with the others - I think you are good. (and lucky as h***).

 

[JustBrewinAround]

Glad to hear it didn't break. Have you determined HOW the brewhauler gave way? I'm curious since I just ordered one to get my carboy in and out of my keezer. Up until now I have been using spotted gloves and luck to not drop one, and here it looks like my solution may be a little on the iffy side.

 

[Malric]

I went from brew haulers to milk crates to better bottles for this reason. It's just too much of a risk. Congrats on the safe beer, don't worry about any potential oxygen.

 

[dgr]

I sure would like to know how the brew hauler failed. Did you just slip, was in not on their right or did it actually break on you?

 

[Paps]

I'm pretty sure i have seen the words "Not intended to move FULL carboys" on everyone of them advertised.Take heed of that warning. I lug my glass carboys around by hand and be sure to lift/support from the bottom. I also wait till after moving the blasted things around for drinking many brews.Many things are fine until you dont `respect them`, thats when they bite your arse.(glass carboys/motorcycles/swmbo/ect)
On a different note i would advise to primary for longer periods of time,especially with a bigger beer like that. I tend to let everything i make now sit in primary for at least a month.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

I sure would like to know how the brew hauler failed. Did you just slip, was in not on their right or did it actually break on you?

+1, also can you post a picture if it actually tore or broke?

 

[mattd2]

I'm pretty sure i have seen the words "Not intended to move FULL carboys" on everyone of them advertised.Take heed of that warning...

What is the point of them then? I thought I saw a post a year or so back where one got UV damage and split.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

According to Northern Brewers website ( http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/the-brew-hauler.html ) they are rated to 100lbs. A full carboy weighs less than that, yes?

 

[mikescooling]

I started a thread about how one broke on me. The thread at the handle gave way. Then another started coming undone. I'm not the kind of guy to wage war and bad mouth a mfr. But lots of these things are breaking, save your self.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/brew-hauler-fail-365784/

 

[LabRatBrewer]

I started a thread about how one broke on me. The thread at the handle gave way. Then another started coming undone. I'm not the kind of guy to wage war and bad mouth a mfr. But lots of these things are breaking, save your self.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/brew-hauler-fail-365784/

Interesting, thanks for the link. I'm down to two glass carboys now 3 and 7 gallons. I don't use them often for this reason. Even with better bottles id hate to have one drop. My brew hauler's been great, but I'll definetely increase my caution

 

[adiochiro3]

Glad to hear you and your brew are OK.

 

[agcorry00]

that's what i love about this hobby. People will try anything to see if it works.

It never would have occurred to me to scare the crap out of the yeast to get them to finish the job.

+1

 

[jtdrowns]

Either the straps were out of position and not supporting one side and the bottom of the carboy slipped out, or somehow the I bumped into the latch causing it to release.

I really don't know as it happen so fast and all I was worried about was the beer. But the hauler did not break and I was able to successfully move the secondary carboy with it.

 

[jtdrowns]

Also, the reason why I decided to move it into the secondary prior to completion of fermentation is that this fermentation has been relatively slow (WLP530) and I was hoping that moving it to another carboy would wake the yeast up a little to bit and help them cross the finish line.

Well, I definitely woke them up. About 10 hours after the event, it is still bubbling every two seconds.

 

[kombat]

Well, I definitely woke them up. About 10 hours after the event, it is still bubbling every two seconds.

That could just be dissolved CO2 that you knocked out of solution during the dropping "event."

 

[m3n00b]

Did the hauler break or slip?

 

[Channel66]

That's why I don't trust the brew haulers for anything more than lifting in and out of the cooler. I'd much rather hold the carboy myself knowing that there is nothing that can fail and cause a dropped batch.

Oh and I'm not a glass is evil worry wort.

 

[m3n00b]

That's why I don't trust the brew haulers for anything more than lifting in and out of the cooler. I'd much rather hold the carboy myself knowing that there is nothing that can fail and cause a dropped batch.

Oh and I'm not a glass is evil worry wort.

I don't hold a full carboy directly. If you somehow grab a weak spot, it will go right into your hand. I'm not a "glass is evil worry wort" either but I am smart enough to know that if the bottom breaks, you'll have 50lbs pushing the broken pieces into your hand and arm. I just found a hairline crack on the bottom of one of mine. If I were to have lifted it with my hand at that spot...it would have broken. I have never dropped this carboy. I don't know where the crack came from.

 

[signpost]

That could just be dissolved CO2 that you knocked out of solution during the dropping "event."

Also, warming it to higher temps would encourage off-gassing. I'm not saying it isn't finishing up fermentation, but it is likely that a good portion of the bubbles in your airlock are not related to further attenuation.

 

[kombat]

I've recenty begun wearing leather work gloves whenever I'm handling my glass carboys. Aside from giving me a little hand-protection insurance, I've found it actually makes it a little easier to grip the glass surface. However, the gloves don't extend up my arm past my wrist, which would have been nice, so I still make sure to use plenty of care and caution.

I have 2 BrewHauler straps, and these horror stories make me very uneasy. From what I understand, some of the "failure" cases are simply gaps in the webbing which allowed the carboy to slip through, so I'm always extremely careful to make sure the webbing is evenly spaced all around the carboy. However, it does also appear that some of these straps have actually failed (as in broke/snapped/tore), and I'm not really sure how to protect myself against that. However, milk crates won't fit in my fermentation chamber, so I have no real choice other than to continue to use the BrewHaulers, at least when lowering/lifting carboys into/out of my chest freezer fermentation chamber.

 

[ido50]

somehow the brew hauler gave way

There's no somehow about it. The brew hauler is seriously flawed. I bought one about a year ago, tied it once to my carboy, realized it was one of the most clumsy solutions to the carboy holding problem, and threw it away. This thing is a hazard, holding the carboy from the bottom is safer than this.

 

[one-L]

I don't hold a full carboy directly. If you somehow grab a weak spot, it will go right into your hand. I'm not a "glass is evil worry wort" either but I am smart enough to know that if the bottom breaks, you'll have 50lbs pushing the broken pieces into your hand and arm. I just found a hairline crack on the bottom of one of mine. If I were to have lifted it with my hand at that spot...it would have broken. I have never dropped this carboy. I don't know where the crack came from.

This. As someone who had a blood and gore experience, and stitches, and not from dropping, but from picking up one hand on the neck and one on the bottom and having the bottom drop out in almost a perfect circle, were I to use one again, it would be in a milk crate or something else. Had the neck slipped out of my hand, I would have lost fingers on the hand holding the bottom, instead of just having stitches. Anyway, glad to see this thread didn't end the way I was worried it would. to the OP. Hope you enjoy every last drop of that tripel (one for every drop of my DIPA that soaked into my bedroom carpet instead of into my liver).

 

[jtdrowns]

I checked the gravity a couple hours ago, it was 1.016. Not sure if the drop/transfer pumped up the yeast or if that was going to happen anyway had I not dropped/transferred. So, I think we should all test the affects of dropping your glass carboy near the end of fermentation.... ha.

 

[chemman14]

There's no somehow about it. The brew hauler is seriously flawed. I bought one about a year ago, tied it once to my carboy, realized it was one of the most clumsy solutions to the carboy holding problem, and threw it away. This thing is a hazard, holding the carboy from the bottom is safer than this.

How? I have used them for 4 years now with no problem

 

[ido50]

How? I have used them for 4 years now with no problem

The brew hauler is just three thin strips that come together at the bottom. It's so flimsy, it's easy for the strips to dislocate. I had it strapped to an empty 3 gallon carboy and the strips gave way the moment I lifted the carboy. Fortunately, it happened just a few inches from the floor so nothing happened, but I realised this thing was risky. I found a milk crate a few days later, and that's much better.

I am fully aware the brew hauler can do the job with no problem for a long time and not everyone will face problems. However, this product seems so cheaply built that I really don't feel safe using it. If they made it with a solid base (I dont necessarily mean rigid), that would already be a big improvement.

 

[Malric]

Is the brew hauler spec'd for 3 gallon carboys? I've used it on 5 and 6.5, but I would imagine that it is too large for a small carboy.

 

[chemman14]

The brew hauler is just three thin strips that come together at the bottom. It's so flimsy, it's easy for the strips to dislocate. I had it strapped to an empty 3 gallon carboy and the strips gave way the moment I lifted the carboy. Fortunately, it happened just a few inches from the floor so nothing happened, but I realised this thing was risky. I found a milk crate a few days later, and that's much better.

I am fully aware the brew hauler can do the job with no problem for a long time and not everyone will face problems. However, this product seems so cheaply built that I really don't feel safe using it. If they made it with a solid base (I dont necessarily mean rigid), that would already be a big improvement.

Thats like saying this glock is a terrible product because I shot myself in the leg with it...

 

[Channel66]

Thats like saying this glock is a terrible product because I shot myself in the leg with it...

Nah glock makes a terrible product for far more reasons than that. Just like the brew hauler, it's simply a bad product by design. Which I'm certain is his point....

 

[JustBrewinAround]

Nah glock makes a terrible product for far more reasons than that. Just like the brew hauler, it's simply a bad product by design. Which I'm certain is his point....

You'd be hard-pressed to hit yourself in the the leg on the first shot with a glock.
Now back to the Brew Hauler, I just got mine a few days ago and just looking at the lack of stitching in the connections of the webbing makes me not want to use it (even though I did once so far). I am fortunate enough to have a well equipped parachute shop at work that can stitch in some heavier-duty nylon thread into the connections.

 

[ido50]

Nah glock makes a terrible product for far more reasons than that. Just like the brew hauler, it's simply a bad product by design. Which I'm certain is his point....

Exactly.

A glass carboy has its risks, so you have to be careful with it. The Brew Hauler and other products (like carboy handles) are meant to make it safer to use a glass carboy. Instead, I have to be careful with the brew hauler too and worry about it as well. Instead of decreasing my worries about using a glass carboy, it increases them. And I'm sure that's not just me (several topics on this board prove otherwise).

As it happens, I no longer use glass carboys (had 2 five gallon and 1 three gallon carboys), I now use Speidel's HDPE fermenters instead (man, these things are awesome), so these worries are a thing of the past. As much as I liked glass carboys (mostly for their look), I've made great effort to make brewing a relaxing hobby.

 

[chemman14]

You'd be hard-pressed to hit yourself in the the leg on the first shot with a glock.
Now back to the Brew Hauler, I just got mine a few days ago and just looking at the lack of stitching in the connections of the webbing makes me not want to use it (even though I did once so far). I am fortunate enough to have a well equipped parachute shop at work that can stitch in some heavier-duty nylon thread into the connections.

Maybe I have an older version of the brew hauler but all of mine have stitching across the entire width of the nylon straps.