Are glass carboys really better than buckets???

[amcclai7]

I don't think so.

If someone who uses glass carboys could explain to me why they use them I would be glad to know.

Plastic buckets:

1. Don't break
2. Make dry hopping/ additions of fruit (and their removal) and the like easier to do.
3. Keep out nearly 100% of the light
4. Are easier to clean
5. Are way cheaper
6. Are lighter
7. Make gravity readings easier

And finally I have a hard time believing that carboys seal as well as buckets, although I could be wrong on this.

Yet, almost every serious beer maker I know uses a glass carboy. Is there any reason for this other than durability and aesthetics?

 

[amcclai7]

P.S. I have both so going out and buying one is not an issue. I just want to know before I brew my next batch if there is any reason to give up the many, many advantages a bucket offers.

Thanks

 

[Yooper]

I use carboys for long-term aging, usually for wine. I see no advantage to short term in them, and so I use almost all buckets for for beer.

 

[jtratcliff]

oxygen permeability, sanitation, off-gassing?

FWIW, I have several plastic buckets, a couple better bottles and 1 glass carboy.

I only use the glass for things that need to bulk age for a while: meads, barley wines, etc.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Hmmm, any bets on how many posts THIS thread makes it to before it get's nixed?

C'mon, OP, just go back and reread the old threads on this dead horse, you'll see why you'll never get consensus.

 

[Yooper]

Hmmm, any bets on how many posts THIS thread makes it to before it get's nixed?

C'mon, OP, just go back and reread the old threads on this dead horse, you'll see why you'll never get consensus.

That's not particularly helpful. This is a discussion forum, so we encourage discussion and not just rereading old threads (although that is very helpful and should be done when questions arise).

We might have different thoughts and opinions, but I don't know that any "serious brewers" would say that only glass carboys are a viable fermenter.

 

[Hammy71]

Of course glass is better.....just like frog is the best color....

 

[jtratcliff]

Hmmm, any bets on how many posts THIS thread makes it to before it get's nixed?

C'mon, OP, just go back and reread the old threads on this dead horse, you'll see why you'll never get consensus.

now, now.... We're gonna move on to Aluminum vs Stainless for boil kettles next. Then maybe drift over to bottling versus kegging... Iodophor vs Star San... Liquid vs dry yeast... Pellet vs Leaf... BIAB vs 3-vessel...

 

[causeimthesquid]

One thing that caught my attention was you said buckets are better for gravity readings. I suspect you are putting your hydrometer right in the bucket? I'd stop that practice immediately

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I don't think so.

If someone who uses glass carboys could explain to me why they use them I would be glad to know.

Plastic buckets:

1. Don't break
2. Make dry hopping/ additions of fruit (and their removal) and the like easier to do.
3. Keep out nearly 100% of the light
4. Are easier to clean
5. Are way cheaper
6. Are lighter
7. Make gravity readings easier

And finally I have a hard time believing that carboys seal as well as buckets, although I could be wrong on this.

Yet, almost every serious beer maker I know uses a glass carboy. Is there any reason for this other than durability and aesthetics?

kinda sounds like you're just trying to debunk us carboy users. you like buckets? neat. I like my glass. 14 years with some of the same carboys & never broke one. got a wine thief for readings. a little generic OxyClean goes a long way for cleaning. I don't have to worry about scratches hiding bugs. what, I'm I hauling these things through the Alps? it's like a Ranco: set it & forget it!

it all comes down to personal preference. I think the thing you're missing is who you think thinks they're right. use what you like. I know I do.

 

[beernut70]

One thing that caught my attention was you said buckets are better for gravity readings. I suspect you are putting your hydrometer right in the bucket? I'd stop that practice immediately

What's the difference between a sanitized wine thief and a sanitized hydrometer?

 

[user 144271]

You are obviously forgetting the snob factor.

 

[Yooper]

What's the difference between a sanitized wine thief and a sanitized hydrometer?

Hydrometers are made of glass.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

That's not particularly helpful. This is a discussion forum, so we encourage discussion and not just rereading old threads (although that is very helpful and should be done when questions arise).

We might have different thoughts and opinions, but I don't know that any "serious brewers" would say that only glass carboys are a viable fermenter.

Normally I agree with your observations and find your experience very helpful, but this time I respectfully disagree with you the usefulness of this thread. Just today a similar thread was closed by mods because it ceases, very quickly, being useful. Maybe context is everything, and if you weren't part of that thread, you don't see the timing of this new one as particularly bad, but from where I sit, it smacks of trolling.

So I will back out of this thread, heeding the advice found in my own sig line, which has served me well since 1996...

 

[Shred]

What's the difference between a sanitized wine thief and a sanitized hydrometer?

I've heard that taking readings in your bucket can be unreliable... I can't quote where nor do I understand why that would be, but I've heard it.

I'm all about the plastic for anything that will bulk age less than a couple months by the way.

 

[Grantman1]

I prefer glass because I like to be able to observe what's happening without exposing my beer to o2, the ease of sanitizing, and longevity factors. Plus call me crazy but I like to avoid plastic as much as I can if I am going to be consuming something.

 

[Jipper]

I use glass just because that is what was given to me by my "mentor" when I got into the hobby. I like how easy they are to keep clean, and the fact that I don't have to worry about how long I age my beer in them. They work great for a 1 week fermentation or a 1 year fermentation. The negatives have all been stated before (heavier, dangerous if dropped and more expensive) but those don't bother me since I had mine given to me, am extremely careful when carrying them (and they only travel about 10 feet of flat ground), and I'm stronger than The Hulk...:cross:

While I worked in customer service for morebeer.com I would get this question all the time. I'd explain the differences and the fact that it really depends on your situation. If you brew in your backyard but have to walk the fermenter through your house down two flights of stairs into your basement to ferment, I strongly recommend plastic carboys or even buckets. If you're not comfortable lifting up a 65lbs glass jug when it's full, go with plastic. If your budget allows you to buy a bucket for $15 (which is part of MoreBeer!'s free shipping program), rather than buying a $40 glass carboy and paying for shipping, plastic.

Hope all this helps with your decision! In the end, you could buy one of each and see what works best for you

Cheers!

 

[TallDan]

You know what? There are some materials that I just LIKE. Glass, steel, wood, brick and leather all qualify. Copper and plastic are fine for some things, but if there's a glass or steel option, I'll go for that. Weather i am buying furniture, a house, a car, something to drink beer out of, or brew beer in, i go with things I like mostly just because I like them. That makes me happy.

 

[amcclai7]

You know what? There are some materials that I just LIKE. Glass, steel, wood, brick and leather all qualify. Copper and plastic are fine for some things, but if there's a glass or steel option, I'll go for that. Weather i am buying furniture, a house, a car, something to drink beer out of, or brew beer in, i go with things I like mostly just because I like them. That makes me happy.

I can dig that. I kind of assumed this is where a lot of people are. You don't drink a good beer out of plastic, so why would you make one in it?!

Also, sorry for the redundancy of the post. Many times I'm on the site, a question sparks and I post it. I sometimes go back and search for similar topics before I post, but not always, and for that I am sorry. However, I thought the point of a forum (particularly this one) was to post questions in order to learn more about the given topic. If a question strikes you as redundant why not just ignore it, or better yet offer some advice to a newbie

A final point is that just because there is no final answer to question, doesn't mean that question shouldn't be asked. When I go back and search the forum for my burning questions I often find 4-5 threads on the same topic. I have often read through all the threads and invariably I learn something different from every thread.

 

[passedpawn]

I can dig that. I kind of assumed this is where a lot of people are. You don't drink a good beer out of plastic, so why would you make one in it?!

Many very good beers are sold in cans. Most breweries of size are switching to cans because it is a far superior way to deliver the beer.

Cans are lined with plastic.

 

[philosofool]

One thing that caught my attention was you said buckets are better for gravity readings. I suspect you are putting your hydrometer right in the bucket? I'd stop that practice immediately

I use a stainless ladel that's been boiled or just heated over the gas stove until it's hot enough to make liquid sizzle.

 

[beernut70]

Hydrometers are made of glass.

I've heard that taking readings in your bucket can be unreliable... I can't quote where nor do I understand why that would be, but I've heard it.

I'm all about the plastic for anything that will bulk age less than a couple months by the way.

I guess if there is a lot of stuff in suspension it could throw it off otherwise it shouldn't matter what the sample is in. I use a sanitized measuring cup to get a sample because I can't see the damn thing in the bucket.

 

[eastoak]

I guess if there is a lot of stuff in suspension it could throw it off otherwise it shouldn't matter what the sample is in. I use a sanitized measuring cup to get a sample because I can't see the damn thing in the bucket.

no it won't throw it off. hydrometer readings in the bucket are as accurate as in any other vessel.

 

[eastoak]

glass carboys are better than buckets if you like using glass carboys. if not then plastic buckets are better unless you don't like plastic or glass in which case stainless is the best. or wood.

 

[beowolf1911]

I prefer glass, I have used the same glass fermenters for years with no issues. I tend to let beer sit for longer than many posters here, often a month in primary and a month in secondary. I am a bit concerned (likely needlessly) That the plastic will get a scratch deep enough to hold a bug I don't want. The light issue doesn't bother me, as it is easy enough to put a safety pin on a tee shirt and put it over the carboy. Yeah they cost three times as much but three times next to nothing still isn't bad (heck my average five gallon batch costs the same as a new glass fermenter). The only thing I can say I prefer in the plastic is they are easier to move and that seams fairly baseless in my opinion.

 

[TallDan]

no it won't throw it off. hydrometer readings in the bucket are as accurate as in any other vessel.

I would definitely say that a hydrometer is easier to read in a sample tube than a bucket.

 

[SEABrewer]

I use both and don't really have a strong preference either way.

AFAIK, carboys are the only way to go if you have a thermowell that you want to use for fermentation temperature control (at least I haven't seen the equivalent of a thermowell stopper for a plastic bucket).

A few folks have mentioned greater potential for infection in plastic fermenters, and that's probably the biggest downside for me. Especially when you consider the fact that plastic fermenters are convenient for storing equipment when you're not brewing/fermenting in them. I had to train myself to resist the urge to thrown pieces of my kit in the bucket and to not use the green side of my sponge/scouring pad when cleaning it. It's also easier to add spigots to plastic fermenters, which means it's easier to add another potential source of infection...

 

[JuanMoore]

Glass and plastic each have pros and cons. I re-purposed my plastic buckets for grain storage, sold my carboys, and ferment exclusively in kegs now. :shrug:

Hydrometers are made of glass.

Yup.

no it won't throw it off. hydrometer readings in the bucket are as accurate as in any other vessel.

Because the surface tension causes the beer to cling to the hydrometer, it requires estimating where the liquid level is relative to the markings, which is inherently less accurate. With a clear sample vessel or wine thief you can get eye level with the beer surface and read the meniscus very accurately. To do the same in the bucket you'd have to submerge your head in the beer, which is generally poor sanitation practice.

That being said, a super accurate FG reading doesn't really serve any purpose, and the reading from putting the hydrometer in the bucket is plenty accurate for most purposes. I've skipped FG readings all together on recipes that I brew regularly many times.

AFAIK, carboys are the only way to go if you have a thermowell that you want to use for fermentation temperature control (at least I haven't seen the equivalent of a thermowell stopper for a plastic bucket).

A thermowell stopper or grommet is incredibly easy to install in a bucket lid. They can also be installed in keg fermenters.

FWIW I've found that I get less temperature overshoot by taping the temp probe to the outside of the fermenter with a little insulation over it than when installing it in a thermowell. At least with the simple on/off type temp controllers I use.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

I only use platinum and gold fermenting tanks. Glass leet in to much light. And those little yeast buggers freak me out.

I can feel their beedy (all be it teeny) eyes stairing at me whith glass carboys.

 

[Hjandersen]

I can dig that. I kind of assumed this is where a lot of people are. You don't drink a good beer out of plastic, so why would you make one in it?!

Sure you drink beer out of glass because good glasses are made of .. glass..
Fun argument though - One might say - Why ferment in buggy glass carboys when all your ingredients where wrapped in plastic to begin with..?