Another broken glass carboy thread

[Hierochloe]

It might be a bad idea for my first post on these boards, nevertheless it's the most interesting thing I have to share.

Brewed my first beer from a kit that I got from my local homebrew shop. It left the carboy with lots of crust at the top that I needed a brush to get off (so I thought - after reading lots online I see that Oxy and other cleaners can remove this). Bought the brush from the shop, got home, started cleaning and just as I finish getting most gunk off it popped a hole in the side of the damn carboy (see image). Wtf? I'm not totally ignorant about glass - there was no temp shock, etc and I didn't think I was too vigorous with the brush. This was a brand new carboy, one batch through it.

So I go online to find out about these glass carboys and discover many stories about how unpredictably fragile (despite following all the correct procedures) these things can be and extremely dangerous when they decide to fail. If that's all true, and my experience leads me to think it is, I have to say that it's hugely understated in the books and by the brew shop. Plus, the H&S folks at the engineering firm at which I work would surely stress that "relax, don't worry, have a homebrew" is a safety fail when working with glass carboys.

So I'm now switching to bucket fermentation, which scratches my recycle/re-use itch better anyways. Too many animals, kids and careless people in my household to risk having glass like this around.

Oh and the beer came out great for first batch ever. Can't wait to start the next one.

 

[Monster Mash]

Buckets are safer, easier to clean and easier to move around when full. You can also put a spigot on a bucket for easier transfers. The only drawback is if you scratch it you will have a place for bacteria to grow so only use soft sponges to clean them.

Welcome to the board and congrats on your first brew!!!

 

[bobbrewedit]

Strange,you were using the brush on the inside and the glass shattered inward. Wonder what caused the obvious pre-existing flaw. Glad you're okay.

 

[passedpawn]

You're not the first person to break a carboy with a brush. Click the pic at this link and it will redirect you to the full story.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/br...ies-compendium-376523/index2.html#post4866470

 

[Hierochloe]

Holy **** - I had not seen that photo thread yet. Lol - reminds me of "Red Asphalt".

The glass actually popped out - I threw it back in there.

I really like the idea of glass. I wonder if the risk of failure is reduced with smaller vessels (ie small batch, like 1-3 gallon fermenters).

 

[BrewerinBR]

No I had 3 gallon glass carboys and the slightest knock cracked them. I use buckets now.
When it comes to glass vs me.... glass wins cause I always end up with blood flowing.... can't count the number of times I have gotten stitches messing with glass. So as soon as I saw the cracks in them I put them on the self and got buckets.
Love buckets, easy to clean and care for and cheap...

 

[zachattack]

I wish they made a Better Bottle with a 6.5 or 7 gallon capacity.

 

[SPR-GRN]

I wasn't even aware this was an issue; I've been using the same 5 gal carboys for about 8 years now, and my 6 gal carboys have been in use for about 5 years. Holy crap sticks, I'll go easier on them when I clean them from now on.

Conical steel fermentation vessels FTW!

 

[Hierochloe]

I made this posting almost a year ago and thought I would update. Since then I've brewed 2 batches in a bucket that came out just fine to me. They were full-flavored ales, one spiced with some cinnamon and the other with rosemary. Both easily as good if not better than the one batch that went through my carboy before I "punctured" it.

About a month ago, I had some drinking water that I wanted to get out of my fridge to make space, so I thought I would put it in my well-cleaned beer bucket (which has convenient spicket). After 12 hours in the bucket, the water had unmistakably (ie not subtle) taken on the flavor of the last two batches of beer. If I tried to brew a lighter recipe in this bucket now, it seems impossible that there would be no flavor contamination. I could continue with plastic and I am certain that I wouldn't even notice old flavors mixing with new ones but I would never be sure of what caused the subtleties within each batch.

I decided to give the glass carboy another try, this time with a far greater awareness and respect for the risks involved. I taped this one up with some gorilla tape, to help limit shrapnel should something go terribly wrong. Also storing it in a well padded, snug-fitting basket except when cleaning. Basket only reaches a little less than halfway up - I'd prefer if it extended nearly to the top with something to hold the two securely together, so that's a future upgrade. I'll probably do even more, stopping short of Kevlar gauntlets and other lab-grade safety measures. After two batches through it, I plan to run a drinking water test just like what I did with the bucket, to see how it fares.

There is definitely a trade-off to be made either way. My experience so far is that the glass requires a significant increase in safety measures and is a few times harder to clean than a bucket. The bucket, while far safer and easier to clean out, certainly keeps sharing the flavors as you go. The safety needed working with the glass cannot be overstated though, and seems to me to get glossed over too quickly by the various books/instructions/brew store staff/etc.

 

[passedpawn]

I made this posting almost a year ago and thought I would update. Since then I've brewed 2 batches in a bucket that came out just fine to me. They were full-flavored ales, one spiced with some cinnamon and the other with rosemary. Both easily as good if not better than the one batch that went through my carboy before I "punctured" it.

About a month ago, I had some drinking water that I wanted to get out of my fridge to make space, so I thought I would put it in my well-cleaned beer bucket (which has convenient spicket). After 12 hours in the bucket, the water had unmistakably (ie not subtle) taken on the flavor of the last two batches of beer. If I tried to brew a lighter recipe in this bucket now, it seems impossible that there would be no flavor contamination. I could continue with plastic and I am certain that I wouldn't even notice old flavors mixing with new ones but I would never be sure of what caused the subtleties within each batch.

I decided to give the glass carboy another try, this time with a far greater awareness and respect for the risks involved. I taped this one up with some gorilla tape, to help limit shrapnel should something go terribly wrong. Also storing it in a well padded, snug-fitting basket except when cleaning. Basket only reaches a little less than halfway up - I'd prefer if it extended nearly to the top with something to hold the two securely together, so that's a future upgrade. I'll probably do even more, stopping short of Kevlar gauntlets and other lab-grade safety measures. After two batches through it, I plan to run a drinking water test just like what I did with the bucket, to see how it fares.

There is definitely a trade-off to be made either way. My experience so far is that the glass requires a significant increase in safety measures and is a few times harder to clean than a bucket. The bucket, while far safer and easier to clean out, certainly keeps sharing the flavors as you go. The safety needed working with the glass cannot be overstated though, and seems to me to get glossed over too quickly by the various books/instructions/brew store staff/etc.

Do you think it's possible that some plastic would work better than others? For example, plastic buckets are pretty soft plastic, whereas the plastic used in the better bottles seems totally different. I've never brewed with a bucket BTW.

 

[Hoppity]

I guess it depends where you are in your craft. I could Walter Mitty the next national champion recipe which launches me to world-wide fame, but I would be foiled by some strange derivitave off -flavor from a previous batch simply because I gave up on glass carboys and used buckets. DAMN THE PRICE OF STAINLESS...IT KILLED MY DREAM.

Back to reality. I brew for myself and a small circle of freinds. We all enjoy the fruits of my labors and nobody noticed when I gave up glass after one too many close calls.

 

[Pratzie]

Exactly why im switching to SS. Came across a de-commissioned slim 1/4 barrel after many months of searching. Gave it a good clean and purchased a mod kit so I can use it as a fermenter.

I'll miss the swirly craziness that comes along with fermentation but I doubt i'll ever go back to glass or plastic.