No More Carboys!

[Vegetarisk]

I'm about to 86 my glass Carboy! Such a pain to clean out and while being able to see fermentation occurring is nice, it's not worth it. It's nerve racking to move a full Carboy as dropping it would be catastrophic/ dangerous.

I realize there are plastic carboys and handles out there, but is there really anything I'd be missing using only buckets going forward? I rarely do secondary fermentations and will probably just use the Carboy as a backup if other fermenters are being used.

 

[brewerJase]

I agree. Carboy are a pain when compared to buckets. There is a certain charm about fermenting in a carboy. But not worth the hassle.


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[Tutsbrew]

As for me, I'm done with glass. The last glass straw that broke the (glass) camels back was the ultra, uber-thin glass of the "Big Mouth" fermenter that broke while it was lying on it's side on a plastic side of the utility tub while cleaning it... Luckily no stitches were needed tho the look on my wife's face seeing the blood was not fun. Thank heaven it didn't break with beer in it or I'da been a bit more angry tho probly more sober over those next few weeks!

 

[Rcbandl]

I am lucky. My wife is my co-brewer and helps with every factor of our hobby. So I always have a 2nd set of hands helping me move carboys. We also invested in a nylon strap carrier which makes moving hasle free.

 

[yeahfairly]

Totally agree..... but I find the pail lids to be a major pain in my ARSE! Lot's of scratched knuckles over the years. Going to give both the 6.5 gal Big Mouth bubbler and the 15 gal Speidel a try and see how those stack up.

 

[Hello]

Pail lids are often a pain for me. The plastic big mouth bubbler is now my go to.

 

[Jeffinn]

The Speidel fermenters are nice, I have three of them. They are easy to clean and to move (nice sturdy handles).

 

[Peruvian802]

All my carboys are in milk crates. They are stable, have handles, and are easy to move.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

in my best monotone voice of boredom: glass is evil, plastic is best. if you use glass, you're dumb.


if you hate glass and carboys in general, I'd suggest a stainless conical. plastic buckets and such are fine, but they scratch much easier. I don't like them. I'll stick to glass and stainless.

 

[Sheldon]

Only use the glass carboy (in a milk bucket) for long secondary conditioning like for a RIS. Otherwise it just sits and waits.

 

[govner1]

Better Bottles all the way for me. I've used them for several years w/ no issues.
I do six gal batches & then primary in 5 or 6 gal carboys before going to secondary in the 3 gal sizes.
Easy to clean and lightweight vs. glass plus no danger of breakage & resulting injuries!

 

[Vegetarisk]

Going to give both the 6.5 gal Big Mouth bubbler and the 15 gal Speidel a try and see how those stack up.

I'm thinking that's the way to go. Those Speidels look nice!

 

[M42]

I like the Speidels.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

I have both.. lots of glass carboys and 2 buckets....i find myself gravitating towards the buckets whenever I can use em. BUT I cold crash everything so it gets racked to a 5 gallon carboy and stuck immediately into the fridge for a couple of days.

 

[budonze]

I like the Speidels.

I like the speidel as well. I have the 60l and it's very easy to clean. I use a little bit of pbw and a microfibre cloth to clean the inside. I brew 11gallon batches I have yet to see the krausen make it to the lid (tons of head space).


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[budonze]

I like the speidel as well. I have the 60l and it's very easy to clean. I use a little bit of pbw and a microfibre cloth to clean the inside. I brew 11gallon batches I have yet to see the krausen make it to the lid (tons of head space).


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[barnaclebob]

As for me, I'm done with glass. The last glass straw that broke the (glass) camels back was the ultra, uber-thin glass of the "Big Mouth" fermenter that broke while it was lying on it's side on a plastic side of the utility tub while cleaning it... Luckily no stitches were needed tho the look on my wife's face seeing the blood was not fun. Thank heaven it didn't break with beer in it or I'da been a bit more angry tho probly more sober over those next few weeks!

Be sure to email NB for a refund or plastic replacement. Why anyone would buy from this company until they recall the glass bmb is beyond me...

 

[jbb3]

I don't hate glass. But then again, I haven't broken one yet. Carboy that is.
You have to treat it like glass and take certain precautions. I don't move or handle my carboy without a plastic milk crate. And I like being able to see what's going on inside.

That said, I DO hate racking. I decided to sacrifice being able to see inside in order to avoid it and hopefully avoid unnecessary oxygen exposure in the process.

For me, the jury is still out on overall performance but the FastFerment seems promising. I have my first batch in it now. I should have an overall assessment in a couple of weeks.

I can say; It's easy to clean inside. It has a few minor construction issues but nothing that can't be overcome. And you have to have the space, or make the space to accommodate it (temp control) as it's about 40 inches tall sitting in the stand.

Time will tell if the collection ball set-up performs as advertised.

Like most things, it has it's pluses and minuses. We'll see...

 

[stevehardt]

I have glass carboys and buckets. Find myself using the glass almost exclusively. Sure it's heavy, you have to be extremely careful when you handle it, and they are hard to clean, but nothing looks cooler than beer fermenting in a glass carboy

 

[sumbrewindude]

Using plastic now, glass for 1gal/starters. Slowly but surely working my way to stainless....

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Be sure to email NB for a refund or plastic replacement. Why anyone would buy from this company until they recall the glass bmb is beyond me...

don't buy anything from NB until they do a recall? that's asinine.

 

[barnaclebob]

don't buy anything from NB until they do a recall? that's asinine.

Whats asinine is supporting a company that is knowing selling defective and dangerous carboys and that also filters bad reviews about said carboys. Especially when there are plenty of other good suppliers to choose from.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Whats asinine is supporting a company that is knowing selling defective and dangerous carboys and that also filters bad reviews about said carboys. Especially when there are plenty of other good suppliers to choose from.

any glass carboy is dangerous! it's floccing glass! and how many other companies sell things others find sub-par? and I don't mean just homebrew supply companies. what about car companies? chemical companies? anyone remember Olestra?

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

I agree with peru i keep all my carboys in milk crates and i never had a problem cleaning carboys even without a carboy brush..oxyclean and soak it works for me

 

[Vegetarisk]

The danger aspect of the glass is of secondary concern to me. I just find the small necks make cleaning a drag and wanted to know what other alternatives were out there. I've broken spigots resting the weight of a filled bottling bucket on top of it while cleaning, and as such treat the glass Carboy accordingly. I've never had one break either.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

the glass vs. plastic conversation (argument) has become a very tiring thing. I know that was not the intention of the thread.

this is a very general statement: ferment in what you like and/or are comfortable with. I don't like plastic, I don't ferment in plastic. I have been using the same glass for 15 years with no problem. individual results will vary.

 

[kh54s10]

I don't own glass and never will. It is not worth the risk. It is like they say - "It's not if, but when..." No matter how careful you are. One trip to the ER......

I also dislike my buckets for most brews. I hate the lids. I also find my Better Bottles even easier to clean. Soak with Oxyclean, rinse, add a cloth and 1/2 gallon of water, swirl, rinse more and DONE.

 

[MaxStout]

I like glass. Never had a problem cleaning one, and never had to use a brush. After use, I rinse out the excess trub, dump in 4 or 5 scoops of Sun Cleaner, fill to the top with hot tap water and let it sit in my laundry basin overnight. Dump out and rinse a couple more times, invert and dry. I schlep them around in milk crates and never a problem. There are still risks, but I find this one acceptable.

But to each their own and it's always what's within your comfort zone. Arguing over which is better is like Mac vs PC. Each side is entrenched and no one is going to sway the other.

Use what works for you.

 

[paperairplane]

I use buckets. Are they cool, no. Are they sexy, no. Can you see fermentation, no.

Do they work just fine, yes. Are they cheap, yes.

I like buckets because they promote you leaving your beer the hell alone. There's nothing to see, nothing to watch. Put your beer in it and come back in 3 weeks.

As for those of you whose tender little fingers have trouble with lids, google "5 gallon bucket wrench" - for $5 you get a plastic tool that will help you get that big bad lid off your bucket easier.

 

[poptarts]

I don't own glass and never will. It is not worth the risk. It is like they say - "It's not if, but when..." No matter how careful you are. One trip to the ER......

I also dislike my buckets for most brews. I hate the lids. I also find my Better Bottles even easier to clean. Soak with Oxyclean, rinse, add a cloth and 1/2 gallon of water, swirl, rinse more and DONE.

This exactly

 

[Black Island Brewer]

I was reading that we shouldn't really post thing like "in before the lock", but...

 

[jbb3]

I use buckets. Are they cool, no. Are they sexy, no. Can you see fermentation, no.

Do they work just fine, yes. Are they cheap, yes.

I like buckets because they promote you leaving your beer the hell alone. There's nothing to see, nothing to watch. Put your beer in it and come back in 3 weeks.

As for those of you whose tender little fingers have trouble with lids, google "5 gallon bucket wrench" - for $5 you get a plastic tool that will help you get that big bad lid off your bucket easier.

screw you jerk

 

[jrgtr42]

I have 2 Better Bottles, 3 glass carboys (2 6-gal and 1 5-gal) and plenty of buckets.
I (almost always) do primary fermentation in the buckets, and save the carboys for secondary. To me, the convenience of cleaning out the bucket trumps being able to see in.
I have some cider working now that has one of the glass ones in it's future, I have a sour planned that will go primary with standard yeast, then secondary in glass. A brett-IPA that will be all in glass, and a RIS that will get bourbon and rum soaked oak in a plastic.
Anything that is a one-and-done, stays in bucket all the way through.