What kit, Glass or Better Bottle

[baileysa3]

Hello to all. I am new to this and have been reading lots about home brewing. I have several questions to ask and any feedback would be great. Is there anything anyone would recommend to the new guy in what needs to be purchased that not included in a typical starter kit. I am looking at the one from Midwest Supplies. Its the one with the single Carboy.

Is glass worth the extra money over the better bottle, and could I use a 5 gallon water bottle from the water cooler as well if properly cleaned. I just don't want to run into a problem down the road that would have cost me a few bucks but ends up costing a whole batch of brew and time. Thanks in advance for the help.
Steve

 

[FensterBos]

There are a lot of pro & cons for the glass carboy vs. plastic bucket debate. But I think a lot of people will tell you that both ferment as well as its rival. I've been using Ale Pails since my first boil and I've had no problems with them and it has saved me a lot of money.
One thing to consider is fragility. If you bang or drop your glass carboy too hard you might crack it, which will make that unusable as a storage device. However, glass carboys are easier to clean and they won't scratch (i.e. so bacterial won't grow in said scratch and cause infections).
In my opinion, you can go with the plastic carboy/better bottle/pail and save yourself a few bucks.

 

[baileysa3]

Learning this site today and see this Carboy vs Better Bottle question has been asked a hundred times already, thank you for your insight. One more quick question, If I purchase a 5 gallon bottle of water to use for my beer, can I use that bottle as a secondary after the primary. A buddy and I are going to start this together and considering the time it takes it would be nice to have a couple batches going at one time.

 

[FensterBos]

Regarding additional equipment, I don't know what kit you are looking at, but the Midwest kits have a lot of necessary stuff. If you are looking to spend an extra buck or two you can purchase an Immersion Wort Chiller, which will help get your wort cooled really fast or a nice big 10 gallon pot to boil your wort in. I definitely recommend having a separate pot from your everyday cooking gear. Also, a nice high-end propane burner is useful; you can buy turkey deep fryer kits that come with a pot and burner.

 

[FensterBos]

Learning this site today and see this Carboy vs Better Bottle question has been asked a hundred times already, thank you for your insight. One more quick question, If I purchase a 5 gallon bottle of water to use for my beer, can I use that bottle as a secondary after the primary. A buddy and I are going to start this together and considering the time it takes it would be nice to have a couple batches going at one time.

My initial reaction is that as long as you have a stopper that can seal the opening then you should be alright as long as everything is sanitized.
However, I don't know how well these bottles are designed for fermentation. For instance, Better Bottles are designed to not absorb characteristics of other batches, where as normal Poland Spring 5-gallons might only be designed for water storage. And it is my assumption that Better Bottles are designed for an airlock/stopper, where as the 5-gallon water bottles are not designed to be sealed.
I know you want to save a buck, but I would just buy an extra Better Bottle or Ale Pail just to be safe.

 

[Dogphish]

i'm not worried about breaking a glass carboy. if you get one i suggest you get a handle for it. glass is easier to clean. i wish i had at least one 6 or 6.5 gallon carboy so i had more room for dry hopping. i have heard people say that they prefer the better bottle.

be sure you get a 7.5 gallon primary bucket so that you can brew 5.5 or 6 gallon batches, and ensure that you get a full 5 gallons into the secondary or bottling bucket.

 

[evilhomer]

Are you sure you're going to use the carboy anytime soon? I bought the $89 kit from midwest, carboy is collecting dust.

 

[baileysa3]

The kit I was looking at was the $89 dollar kit with the single carboy. It had a few extras that I figured I would want or need like autosiphon, bottle filler, etc. I plan on doing the seconadry in the carboy. I guess my biggest concern is if there is a inexpensive item I would need that I am not aware of that would make the job much easier. This is knida like buying a car do I need the extras, or are they just that,extras? I have watched about 50 videos on all gain brewing on youtube and it just looks like so much fun. I will be starting with the extract brewing first to get my feet wet, but I am sure I will be all gain brewing by summer.

 

[KeithMoonsLiver]

I use both but will never buy another glass one.

 

[PanzerBanana]

My buckets always get a good sanitizing soaking along with everything else that I use, on top of a thorough rinsing.

Just keep abrasive things away from the plastic, and be sure to clean it as soon as it's empty while it's easy.

Even if you have to replace a bucket eventually, still cheaper than glass.

Also buckets and better bottles are cheap enough that you can buy a few and have a couple of different beers in various stages at the same time. Way cheaper than you could with glass.

 

[evilhomer]

Also that's a 5 gallon carboy so your not likely to primary in it I'd imagine. I'm pretty sure the $59 and $89 are the same except the carboy.

Are you sure you're going to secondary? There's a bajillion posts here that convinced me to primary only for a month then bottle. A few styles of beer still do call for a secondary.

 

[two_hearted]

One more quick question, If I purchase a 5 gallon bottle of water to use for my beer, can I use that bottle as a secondary after the primary. A buddy and I are going to start this together and considering the time it takes it would be nice to have a couple batches going at one time.

Flip it over and take a look at the number on the bottom. If its a #1 you should be ok. #7 = not so good. In my opinion I would steer clear of anything not #1. Then again, I am just regurgitating info I've read on that there intarrnet.

 

[two_hearted]

If I did it all over again I would just stock up on ale pails. the carboy and better bottles are awesome, but anymore they're just a vessel for fermentation. Its fun to look in, but it won't make they beer any better.

 

[SKMO]

i'm not worried about breaking a glass carboy.

Neither was I until I broke my first one in 1994. Or my second one 5 years later. I did not drop either one, temp shock did them in, and until you do that you will not believe how little of a shock (temp difference) it can take.

It's brittle glass and snap, crackle and pop will take on a whole new meaning when you see it first hand. Not pretty, not fun, and glass is not for me. I have 3 glass right now, but avoid using them if possible.

 

[Dogphish]

i would love to hear the circumstances surrounding the two broken carboys. i have a friend who is a glass blower, so i know what causes glass to break. were you doing extract and pouring hot wort into the carboy?

i have not broken a carboy yet, and would like to keep it that way.

 

[bovineblitz]

no glass for me, homebrew is not worth any chance of a trip to the hospital

 

[baileysa3]

Wow this is a great group. Never did I expect to get so many replies regarding this. I think I am going to do the bucket idea. Thanks for all the replies I can see this is going to be intersting.

Steve

 

[imasickboy]

You asked about other extras you should be buying...

A bottle of Starsan

 

[bovineblitz]

You asked about other extras you should be buying...

A bottle of Starsan

+1, starsan for LIFE

 

[r8rphan]

Hello to all. I am new to this and have been reading lots about home brewing. I have several questions to ask and any feedback would be great. Is there anything anyone would recommend to the new guy in what needs to be purchased that not included in a typical starter kit. I am looking at the one from Midwest Supplies. Its the one with the single Carboy.

Is glass worth the extra money over the better bottle, and could I use a 5 gallon water bottle from the water cooler as well if properly cleaned. I just don't want to run into a problem down the road that would have cost me a few bucks but ends up costing a whole batch of brew and time. Thanks in advance for the help.
Steve

Get the most you can afford.. It doesn't really matter. Once you discover just how much better home brew is than what you buy at the store (likely this will be the case with your first batch), you'll be buying all sorts of more crap anyways...

Then you'll be looking at all the pretty pictures of polished keggles, and convoluted counterflow chillers, aluminum control panels with fancy disconnects, march pumps and love controllers.. lagering chambers and walk in coolers... You'll get up early, so that you can peruse countless beer equipment supplier catalogs and websites...

next you'll be dreaming up logos for your little closet based operation that could not possibly turn a profit, but you want to impress your buddies with your custom beer bottle labels..

Sigh.. It's like getting into racing, only you aren't moving and you don't leave your house...

 

[JNye]

don't spend more for a 5 gallon carboy. I would recommend a 6.5 glass carboy if you want to watch fermentation, and its pretty cool to watch. Grab a 7.5 ale pail too. That'll give you 2 primaries which you'll need, minimum. After that you'll prolly buy more ale pails for primary. The better bottle never made much sense to me, its plastic and shaped like a hard to clean glass carboy(get a carboy brush), but its not glass so what's th point, if I primary in plastic its gonna be a bucket, easier to clean and move(handle).

 

[fatguy-littlecoat]

6.5 glass carboy>better bottle or bucket..

imo

 

[Johnny_Crunch]

The kit I was looking at was the $89 dollar kit with the single carboy. It had a few extras that I figured I would want or need like autosiphon, bottle filler, etc. I plan on doing the seconadry in the carboy. I guess my biggest concern is if there is a inexpensive item I would need that I am not aware of that would make the job much easier. This is knida like buying a car do I need the extras, or are they just that,extras? I have watched about 50 videos on all gain brewing on youtube and it just looks like so much fun. I will be starting with the extract brewing first to get my feet wet, but I am sure I will be all gain brewing by summer.

The auto siphon and bottle filler kick ass, not extras in my opinion

 

[Andy_LV]

its a glass... one lame movement or slight hit on a tile floor and... you have just washed it with 6gal of beer and glass... then again, its just me and glass, Im bit paranoid this way.

nevermind the weight and cost.

 

[2wide]

The BetterBottle system is more than just another plastic jug. It's designed by professionals for the intended purpose. Glass is great, but not worth the risk for my purposes.