Is this the Same thing with the thicker Pyrex carboys?
Glass carboys, real talk.
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I think it's a bit irresposible to post something like that to which you refer. People that might not know any better read this stuff too.
fxdrider
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My guess would be that he put a room temperature carboy onto a very cold surface and thermally shocked the glass. Don't do that!
As I understand it, he was picking it up out of the chest freezer, which was set to 69 degrees F. The bottom fell out while he was holding it in mid-air, before he had a chance to set it down. He was transporting it to the kitchen so they(he and my daughter) could rack it to the bottling bucket. Didn't quite make it...:smack:
fxdrider
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Randy_Bugger
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glass carboys - risk of serious injury or even death
plastic - risk of scratching the plastic
I'm happy with plastic. Nothing to worry about.
plastic - risk of scratching the plastic
I'm happy with plastic. Nothing to worry about.
I only have one serious comment on the subject, which is also the point of the thread: if you use glass carboys, use extreme caution! I've been using the same glass for 14 years (hundreds of brews through them) with no problems. I use extreme caution. it's glass.
Longrange2
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Now that I have two Speidel fermenters Ill never use a glass carboy again. So easy to rack with the spout and super easy to reach inside and clean. If I plan to secondary I just do that in a keg. I broke one 7.5 gallon acid carboy and that was enough for me.
The point of this is that with plastic you DO NOT need to use EXTREME caution.
Glass carboy users who do have accidents add to other stuff to make my insurance more expensive!
People with glass carboys shouldn't throw rocks.
ANYONE who couldn't pick up on the sarcasm in that post is dense.
Even a noob should be able to figure that out.
or you know, don't overfill your airlock.
we could argue on the point until we both look like Andorians, but I'll stick with my glass & stainless because that's what I prefer. and I'll expect anyone else will do the same with their vessels.
:smack:
you know. oh yeah, you know.
stevedasleeve
Well-Known Member
I've been using glass carboys from the start - going on 4 years, I always carry them full with a carboy handle. Sorry about all you having issues but no problems here and I am not terribly interested in any other fermenters. Oh I also smoke, run long distances putting too much stress on my heart according to the NY times, and have unprotected sex ( with my wife so maybe that doesn't count as a health risk?)
Steve da sleeve
Steve da sleeve
Less of a health risk with your wife than if she caught you with somebody else.
I broke 3 carboys, losing 10 gal. of double decocted pilsner, before I gave up on them and switched to buckets. I was stone sober and being extremely careful. One broke when it slipped out of my hands and fell 1-2 in. onto a carpeted floor. Even realizing it's glass and being careful sometimes isn't enough to prevent accidents. I switched to buckets to stack the odds in my favor.
You just haven't been brewing long enough. You WILL break one...or more.
we could argue on the point until we both look like Andorians, but I'll stick with my glass & stainless because that's what I prefer. and I'll expect anyone else will do the same with their vessels.
Out of curiosity, what is it about glass that you prefer over plastic?
A very upsetting thing happened today. I was washing - and inspecting - one of my carboys today and noticed a crack near the neck of the bottle. This is the first time in 10 years that I have noticed anything like that. I inspect my carboys when I wash them... I never thought I'd see this.
Needless to say I'm disappointed. I have to FINALLY retire one of my carboys. This thing is probably 10 years old. How sad.
To all of you Better Bottle folks out there.... I'm looking for a glass carboy. If you have one that you don't use because of the terror involved with using a glass carboy, please let me know. I'll take it off your hands. I'll even pay the shipping cost.
Needless to say I'm disappointed. I have to FINALLY retire one of my carboys. This thing is probably 10 years old. How sad.
To all of you Better Bottle folks out there.... I'm looking for a glass carboy. If you have one that you don't use because of the terror involved with using a glass carboy, please let me know. I'll take it off your hands. I'll even pay the shipping cost.
didn't we have this conversation on NB? I like my beer from a glass bottle, not a plastic one. glass doesn't scratch like plastic. I just prefer it. are we Andorian yet?
OP
OP
VachonBrewCo
Active Member
logan3825 said:
Omg. It's an opinion people. Get over yourselves!
stevedasleeve
Well-Known Member
Denny said:
I know that. I'm just a little worried about the wife...
I personally like glass. It's what I've found in the area for cheap, and it works just fine. Can it have problems? Yup, possibly. But so can a gun. I'm not going to get rid of either of them because of things that *may* go wrong if I don't use my tools properly.
In a perfect world we'd be able to get borosilicate carboys, but, until then, I'll just stick with what I've always used.
If folks are happy with BB's, that's awesome for them. I just like glass more, namely because plastic always feels flimsy to me, and I am always haunted by feelings of chemicals leeching out of it. Is that accurate or even rational, probably not, but hey, I'm an artist in the kitchen and I don't have to be rational
In a perfect world we'd be able to get borosilicate carboys, but, until then, I'll just stick with what I've always used.
If folks are happy with BB's, that's awesome for them. I just like glass more, namely because plastic always feels flimsy to me, and I am always haunted by feelings of chemicals leeching out of it. Is that accurate or even rational, probably not, but hey, I'm an artist in the kitchen and I don't have to be rational
eltorrente
Well-Known Member
People are getting WAY too worked up about using glass. It's just another example of how the internet brings together people from all over the world, and all the worst case scenarios start coming in, and people sharing incidents and accidents that they've seen and heard of - then all of a sudden people who use glass carboys are crazy people who may die any minute.
It's a big glass container filled with liquid, so be careful and use common sense. I would strongly recommend that noone ever pick up a carboy with one of those handles, though - I can't see how that would ever be a good idea.
I've been using glass carboys for over 17 years, and never had a crack or any sort of damage to them, after countless brews. With *dry* hands, I grab with one hand underneath the carboy, and the other grabs the neck, and it's just not an issue. I would never brew with plastic, but it isn't wrong to do so - but glass is what I like because they are the easiest to clean. I like to see what my beer is doing while it's fermenting, also.
Just use common sense and care and there will not be an issue. It's perfectly fine to use glass. This is like a witch hunt lol.
It's a big glass container filled with liquid, so be careful and use common sense. I would strongly recommend that noone ever pick up a carboy with one of those handles, though - I can't see how that would ever be a good idea.
I've been using glass carboys for over 17 years, and never had a crack or any sort of damage to them, after countless brews. With *dry* hands, I grab with one hand underneath the carboy, and the other grabs the neck, and it's just not an issue. I would never brew with plastic, but it isn't wrong to do so - but glass is what I like because they are the easiest to clean. I like to see what my beer is doing while it's fermenting, also.
Just use common sense and care and there will not be an issue. It's perfectly fine to use glass. This is like a witch hunt lol.
Mordhaus
Well-Known Member
The only thing these threads have convinced me to do differently is to wear welding gloves when handling my glass, inspect my Brew Haulers before each use, and I'm considering getting some milk crates and rigging up some sort of forearm sling system using lifting straps. I've always been Speidel curious and I may eventually get one should the right deal present itself, but I don't see myself giving up the glass just yet.
Yeah, maybe we did...I'm old and getting senile! I was hoping you'd have GOOD reasons!
I'm proof that that's not the case.
Another question...if you;re going to use plastic, why get so hung up on the carboy form, like a Better Bottle? What is it about that form you prefer? Personally, I find that the larger opening of buckets makes them easier to clean, and you can stack them for storage so they take up less room. So, what's the fascination with the carboy form?
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Easier to seal. Less headspace in the secondary.
Oh, that's right. A good sealing and secondary aren't necessary. Sorry.
Oh, that's right. A good sealing and secondary aren't necessary. Sorry.
Yeah, maybe we did...I'm old and getting senile! I was hoping you'd have GOOD reasons!
that was a good reason, brahfish. using a bucket, BB, or glass carboy necessarily won't make you a better brewer. and I like carboys better because it can hold a CO2 blanket better. are my antenna showing yet?
eltorrente
Well-Known Member
Buckets just don't keep the CO2 barrier as well - because when you lift off the lid to peak inside to see what it's doing, you let oxygen in. Of course, the CO2 is heavier and should keep it at bay - but still, I hate that thought. The more times you lift the lid, the more you stir things up in there. I like to check out the progress, so if I used buckets I would be lifting the lid up several times during the process. As fermentation slows down and CO2 production slows/stops, that air I let in won't get pushed out.
Since I like to look at my beer as it's fermenting, glass carboys are the by far the best possible vessels for me. The airlock remains sealed the entire time, and I don't disturb anything during the fermentation. The only time the airlock comes off is when I'm transferring into a keg which has been carefully purged with CO2 beforehand. Glass is also super easy to clean.
Since I like to look at my beer as it's fermenting, glass carboys are the by far the best possible vessels for me. The airlock remains sealed the entire time, and I don't disturb anything during the fermentation. The only time the airlock comes off is when I'm transferring into a keg which has been carefully purged with CO2 beforehand. Glass is also super easy to clean.
Plastic is also super easy to clean, and easier to get into to do the cleaning. It's not like I didn't use carboys for years, so I'm not making my decisions in a vacuum. How many of you glass users have tried buckets to compare?
In my experience, your argument about opening the lid makes absolutely no difference. As I said. I did a LOT of batches in glass before switching to buckets. I made my decision based on experimentation and experience.
I've been a lot of batches (over 300) but not as many as Denny, as he's much older than I am. :cross:
I started with ale pails way back when, went to carboys for a while, and went back to buckets.
One thing with carboys to remember is that they must be covered to avoid light (especially sunlight) so I have towels around my carboys that are full of wine. I don't need to see the fermentation (what difference could it possibly make?) and I don't need to open and reclose constantly (although I could).
I like the fact that if a bucket cracks or breaks (and it never has) that I might lose some beer but not a thumb like my friend did.
I weigh 135 pounds, and I don't want to lift things heavier than they need to be. I especially don't want to lift heavy glass things if I can avoid it!
maybe I'm just a dumb brewer, but no amount of horror stories will change my mind on glass. and why should I switch now if what I have is working great? should I just toss my 4 glass carboys & buy buckets? will my beer come out any better? I'm done on the rant & subject. thank you for your time & happy fermenting in your vessel of choice!
Nope, changing from glass to buckets will not improve your beer in the least.
That's what's great about brewing, that we all have choices and can choose what works best for us.
I think any blanket statement, ie "glass is best" or "plastic is best" is always wrong.
I just wanted to note why I make the choices I do. I still have lots of carboys (about 10 times more than you do) but I use them only for wine, and with great caution.
eltorrente
Well-Known Member
You are correct, Yooper - it ultimately doesn't make a difference which one you use, as long as you use good brewing and sanitation practices, and common sense.
It also doesn't make a difference if you can watch the fermentation or not - but it's nice to be able to. I've seen hundreds of fermentations, yet it never gets old to see the yeast clumps moving around - but I'm easily amused. I can see when it starts to clear, and when the cake is solid. Not necessary, but interesting anyway.
I just pull a T-shirt over the carboy once I've pulled it out of the kegerator and into my living room for the diacetyl rest. Easy to lift up and take a peak.
People should use what they feel comfortable with, period. If your beer comes out good, then more power to you - whatever you use. I think plastic is "bad" only because I like glass much better. I never had a single issue in the last 17+ years I've brewed, and I'm not worried in the least by all the horror stories of glass.
It also doesn't make a difference if you can watch the fermentation or not - but it's nice to be able to. I've seen hundreds of fermentations, yet it never gets old to see the yeast clumps moving around - but I'm easily amused. I can see when it starts to clear, and when the cake is solid. Not necessary, but interesting anyway.
I just pull a T-shirt over the carboy once I've pulled it out of the kegerator and into my living room for the diacetyl rest. Easy to lift up and take a peak.
People should use what they feel comfortable with, period. If your beer comes out good, then more power to you - whatever you use. I think plastic is "bad" only because I like glass much better. I never had a single issue in the last 17+ years I've brewed, and I'm not worried in the least by all the horror stories of glass.
triskelion
Well-Known Member
Anyone else here use 1 gallon demijohns? All this carboy talk lately is starting to scare me a little
I can confirm that boiling wort and an ice bath don't mix, and I lost a gallon of soon to be mead.
Just for the record, I use a coopers fermenter and think its great, no messing with airlocks and you can see how your beers doing under the krausen. I just keep it in a cupboard, out of the light.
I can confirm that boiling wort and an ice bath don't mix, and I lost a gallon of soon to be mead.
Just for the record, I use a coopers fermenter and think its great, no messing with airlocks and you can see how your beers doing under the krausen. I just keep it in a cupboard, out of the light.
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