Finally time to get a fermenter

[jgerard]

Finally time to get a 6 gal fermenter! I have been doing 5 gal ag kits with BIAB and splitting them to 2 overfilled mr beer containers; its worked well enough but I want to have more beer going at once, and I'm don't want to end up with 10 mr beer vessels a year down the road.

I will have to make the decision between buckets or carboy when I get there, either way it will mean more beer. =) I'm leaning towards bucket because of price and ease, might be able to get 2 for the price of 1 carboy, but is it okay to leave beer in buckets for as long as carboys?

 

[Homercidal]

Personally, I'd go for several buckets, as long as you are not planning on bulk aging your beer, like for several months. I think buckets are easier to clean and easier to handle and they are definitely cheaper.

But there is nothing "wrong" with using plastic or glass carboys either. You will love the extra headspace!

 

[RM-MN]

Finally time to get a 6 gal fermenter! I have been doing 5 gal ag kits with BIAB and splitting them to 2 overfilled mr beer containers; its worked well enough but I want to have more beer going at once, and I'm don't want to end up with 10 mr beer vessels a year down the road.

I will have to make the decision between buckets or carboy when I get there, either way it will mean more beer. =) I'm leaning towards bucket because of price and ease, might be able to get 2 for the price of 1 carboy, but is it okay to leave beer in buckets for as long as carboys?

How long were you planning to leave your beer in the carboys? I have left my beer in the plastic bucket on the yeast cake for 4 1/2 weeks and it came out good. I think one of the posters on here mentioned 6 months.

 

[jgerard]

I don't plan on going over 4 weeks so I think I will grab some buckets!

 

[jgerard]

Okay, so pet 6 gal bottles were only 24$ and the 7 gal buckets with lids were 23 so I just went with the 6 gal bottle.

 

[RM-MN]

Oooh, they saw you coming. I was just at my lhbs in a small town where I expect high prices and the ale pails were $13 each with lid.

 

[jgerard]

Haha. Yea I thought the bucket price was inflated, the bottle was priced pretty fair.

 

[TipsyDragon]

its a matter of preference. both work just fine. glass is easier to clean and you generally don't have to worry about scratching them. but you do have to worry about dropping them and they can be heavier. plastic buckets are cheaper, usually don't break when you drop them, but are much easier to scratch which can lead to an infection. another point in the bucket's favor is the fact that they are opaque and you don't have to worry about the light messing up your brew.

 

[Butter]

Just get one of each and decide for yourself

 

[Homercidal]

Wow. I think I paid $12 for a bucket and $2 for a lid at my lhbs. Never seen them as high as $23.

I have had good luck using oxiclean soak and then swishing around a washcloth inside the carboy to wipe it clean. I'll never use a bottle brush inside one again. They are harder to get in certain places and they can scratch the plastic.

 

[jgerard]

Wow. I think I paid $12 for a bucket and $2 for a lid at my lhbs. Never seen them as high as $23.

I have had good luck using oxiclean soak and then swishing around a washcloth inside the carboy to wipe it clean. I'll never use a bottle brush inside one again. They are harder to get in certain places and they can scratch the plastic.

Does the scratch thing apply to pet carboys? I hope not, the lady at the lhbs said a carboy/ bottle brush was safe with it.

Also they sell nozzels for brew buckets at the lhbs, could I use it to convert a bucket from farm & fleet? They have several different types of buckets there, diff plastic quality and prices.

 

[krenshaw]

don't bother with a brush on pet carboys.. just give it a good soak in oxy immediately after emptying it and you'll be good to go.. with stubborn spots, which depending on how long your primary is you may or may not have, you can just dump all but a gallon of the oxy out and throw some uncooked rice in and swish it all around.. that will give just enough abrasion on the inside surface w/o scratching anything.. then just let it dry and sanitize before its next use.. easy peasy