Are glass carboys really better than buckets???

[beersk]

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.

There's no way this post was made sober at that hour...

I use glass. Started with plastic, but quickly moved to glass as I liked to watch the action, still do. Just love getting up the next morning after brewday and seeing the nice layer of krausen building up. It's comforting.

 

[Bobby_M]

Back when I got into brewing, I quickly gave up my buckets for better bottles because I wanted to see the fermentation and clearing process real time and I knew that opening the buckets constantly was a bad idea. More experienced brewers told me I'd get over the fascination and I'd just leave it be. I even "upgraded" to a conical thinking I could get past my voyeuristic tendencies but sorry, I just couldn't do it. I stopped using better bottles because I had a few infections that I couldn't pin on anything else. Glass for me now but damn you have to be careful. I nearly dropped a 6.5g last night while pouring out only 1 gallon of starsan liquid.

 

[Beezer94]

I use plastic buckets mostly for convenience. It's easy to get a 7-8 gallon bucket, not so much for carboys. I can use a new bucket every batch for $7 if I really was so worried over 'infection.' And moving the fermenter in and out of water-bath, plus moving it 100 ft where I transfer to keg I'd never do with glass.

Ideally I'd use surgical stainless steel fermenter with all stainless steel fittings and stainless steel tubing, but this is a hobby and I'm note a millionaire. Between siphon tubing & keg lines, I'd safely assume 98%+ of home-brew comes in contact with plastic at some point. So I really wish people on this forum could not make every new brewer so afraid of infections if your beer comes within a mile of something plastic.

 

[progmac]

I don't know...I have come to really distrust my plastic. It's one thing if you are kegging, but when you bottle and need to store the bottle indefinitely, I really like the confidence I get with glass with regards to sanitation.

I don't understand better bottles. They seem like the worst of both worlds.

 

[stpug]

The answer to the OP's question is highly subjective and the reason why no one is right AND everyone is right - at the same time.

I started with plastic buckets for about a year, went to glass for 15+ years, and recently went back to plastic buckets. My physical situation dictates that the load I carry be as light as possible AS WELL AS capable to be carried on either side of my body and not directly in front. Plus, the higher the lifting point of the container the better for my body. Plastics are light and buckets comes with a handle about 2 1/2 feet off the ground so they fit the bill very well.

I LOVE glass carboys - my favorite for watching fermentation and ease of mind. I still use them for long term aging and wine making but I have to have my brother-in-law move them for me when I have to span any sort of distance. I dislike cleaning carboys because I believe in a good scrubbing and it's PITA to do so with a 1x1" contact point of a carboy brush. I'm very careful with glass carboys because I don't want to die or have large open wounds closed up.

I LOVE plastic buckets - they have given me back the ability to brew with confidence at my leisure. The beer I've been producing in my buckets has far surpassed anything that came out of my glass carboys, but that's not the carboy's fault . They are simple to clean and getting a good "scrub" on them is equally as simple. I've very careful with my plastic buckets because scratches are a real concern and I don't want a sour when I don't want a sour . I treat them with the same care I treat my glass carboys, but am less worried about emergency hospital visits.

So to the OPs question: Yes, glass carboys are better than buckets in some circumstances AND buckets are better than glass carboys in other circumstances. It comes down to your individual circumstances and the reason why the answer is so highly subjective.

For the record, I currently have 3 plastics buckets full of beer and 4 glass carboys full of wine, fruit wine, and mead (oops, I forgot about my open stainless fermenter with another wine fermenting)

 

[LandoLincoln]

When I become Emperor of Homebrewing, I will have all bucket people rounded up and put into re-education camps.

 

[philosofool]

Things to worry about as a brewer:

1. Sanitation
2. Fermentation control
3. Recipe formulation
4. Ingredient quality
5. Alcoholism
.
.
.
112. Fermenter material

 

[beersk]

Things to worry about as a brewer:

1. Sanitation
2. Fermentation control
3. Recipe formulation
4. Ingredient quality
5. Alcoholism
.
.
.
112. Fermenter material

Haha!

 

[brewhaha_rva]

I could be wrong, but a brewer who I trust with my brewing life told me that I needed to start using carboys to reduce the head space for secondary fermentation. I've had a few infections recently and the carboys have been good for me.

 

[JEnglish]

@brew

If you transfer to secondary when primary fermentation is just about done, then the CO2 created during the final stretch will fill the headspace. If you transfer after fermentation is completely finished then headspace can be a problem.

I had a relative that gave me 4 carboys and about 20 one gallon jugs when I started because he didn't make wine anymore. Since he gave me those, I have mainly used glass. I tried plastic a few times, but I like being able to see what my beer is doing.

 

[causeimthesquid]

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

So how are you degassing an entire bucket of beer to get an accurate reading?

 

[eastoak]

So how are you degassing an entire bucket of beer to get an accurate reading?

i don't use a hydrometer in a bucket, i was just saying that it is possible. if i were to do it i would just spin the hydrometer like usual. if the reading is 1.025 and it's a pale ale i know it's not done but if it's near the final gravity, 1.013 and i'm looking for 1.012, that's close enough for me. in reality i just let the beer sit for 2-3 weeks then keg, no gravity readings at all.

 

[Seven]

I started out using plastic buckets and they worked well but I hated opening them. The lids required some strength to remove and I felt like I was going to rip my fingernails off each time I opened it. I switched to glass carboys and these work well but they are heavy and you have to be careful when handling them. About a year ago I purchased a couple of Better Bottles and love that they are so much lighter than glass carboys and I didn't need to worry about possible injury if I dropped one. I like that you can see what's going on during fermentation when using glass carboys or Better Bottles.

I now use Better Bottles for most of my brews but I keep the glass carboys around for the occasional sour or long term aging. I use my old plastic buckets for grain storage.

 

[krackin]

FWIW, I have 20 year old carboys that are still in use. I wouldn't trust a 20 y.o. bucket. LOL.

 

[eastoak]

FWIW, I have 20 year old carboys that are still in use. I wouldn't trust a 20 y.o. bucket. LOL.

my neighbor gave me a bunch of buckets that i use. he's like 70 yrs old and i know these buckets are at least 20 yrs old. so far so good

 

[jfolks]

reasons why glass is better...

1) plastic is permeable (co2 goes out, oxygen comes in)
2) glass is better for the environment
3) you better be damn sure your plastic bucket doesn't have BPA in it - or your brewing cancer-causing brews
4) you can see krausen/activity/yeast cake/etc (and putting a towel over it too keep light out is not difficult)
5) the difference between 15 and 30 dollars is negligible (assuming you buy it locally - shipping is a different story I guess)
6) carrying a glass carboy full of 6 gallons of wort/beer isn't that difficult in the first place (and I'm scrawny) - further, they make these nice strap-based holders for glass carboys (for about $10) that have handles and make moving them really easy
7) 6.5 gal carboys (and smaller) fit perfectly in a 10 gallon igloo/home depot mash tun - perfect for cooling wort or controlling fermentation temps (ice bottle method)
8) glass carboys are sturdy and dont break easily
9) if you dont break them, glass carboys will last forever. You probably dont want to use the same plastic bucket forever
10) you can use sachromyses and bugs intermittently in the same carboy
11) I dont remember what the reason/quality was, but Jamil and John Palmer said that glass has a certain quality that equates to some of the highest quality beers one could make. They said this is one advantage that the homebrewer has over the professional brewer (who ferment in steel).

 

[Dog House Brew]

Back when I got into brewing, I quickly gave up my buckets for better bottles because I wanted to see the fermentation and clearing process real time and I knew that opening the buckets constantly was a bad idea. More experienced brewers told me I'd get over the fascination and I'd just leave it be. I even "upgraded" to a conical thinking I could get past my voyeuristic tendencies but sorry, I just couldn't do it. I stopped using better bottles because I had a few infections that I couldn't pin on anything else. Glass for me now but damn you have to be careful. I nearly dropped a 6.5g last night while pouring out only 1 gallon of starsan liquid.

Agree, had an infection a couple batches in a row. Moved back to my glass carboy and no problem. After that, buckets for grain, glass for beer.

 

[vincerappator]

Yes

 

[Epimetheus]

I use carboys for long-term aging, usually for wine.

That makes sense. Polyethylene buckets are slightly gas permeable (thread on HBT) and over a year or more it may make a difference.

 

[MarsingRedneck]

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.

Just a thought, drinking water comes in 5gal plastic carboys that you can see through and aren't as heavy to lift.

 

[day_trippr]

Yes

I like a person that gets right to their point.
And I totally agree. :rockin:

Cheers!

 

[podz]

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.

Actually, the reason for the move away from glass has more to do with the cost of oil - transportation. It takes a lot more fuel to deliver bottled beer than it does canned beer. It takes a lot more fuel to deliver aluminum to the recycling plant than it does glass.

There is a general trend worldwide now reducing the use of glass for anything and everything that is not absolutely necessary. Here in Finland now, about the only things you can still find in glass are things that simply don't work in plastic for some reason or another: pickles, garlic, capers, jams, and baby food. Five years ago, it was a novelty to find a can of beer in a store here. Most of the bottled beer on the shelves here now is imported.

There has even been intense debate and consumer testing in the commercial wine industry as to whether they could get consumers to accept wines delivered in plastic bottles. And there has already been a massive shift to "bag in a box" for a whole lot of wines.

I have taken to the second hand stores now to collect large glass containers. However, my intuition tells me that glass will someday make a big comeback.

Myself, I prefer glass. The reason? Just because I do.

 

[causeimthesquid]

Actually, the reason for the move away from glass has more to do with the cost of oil - transportation.

There has even been intense debate and consumer testing in the commercial wine industry as to whether they could get consumers to accept wines delivered in plastic bottles. And there has already been a massive shift to "bag in a box" for a whole lot of wines.

Myself, I prefer glass. The reason? Just because I do.

That may be one reason. There are plenty of other reasons as well. I like the pack it in, pack it out aspect of cans. And there is something to be said for UV protection of IPAs.

 

[progmac]

the reason craft breweries use cans is the same reason any beverage company uses cans -- it's cheaper.

the marketing team says different things to convince us that they have lots of reasons for doing it. sometimes they remind us of times when a can is more convenient. but really, from the perspective of the company, there is precisely one reason to use cans -- cost.

 

[TallDan]

the reason craft breweries use cans is the same reason any beverage company uses cans -- it's cheaper.

the marketing team says different things to convince us that they have lots of reasons for doing it. sometimes they remind us of times when a can is more convenient. but really, from the perspective of the company, there is precisely one reason to use cans -- cost.

I seem to recall something a few years ago about new small scale cheap canning machines being made that kicked-off this trend of craft beer in a can. Previously the canning start-up costs were too high for many craft brewers, but those machines changed the game.

 

[passedpawn]

the reason craft breweries use cans is the same reason any beverage company uses cans -- it's cheaper.

the marketing team says different things to convince us that they have lots of reasons for doing it. sometimes they remind us of times when a can is more convenient. but really, from the perspective of the company, there is precisely one reason to use cans -- cost.

Saying there is "precisely one reason" is not accurate at all. Cost might be the main reason though.

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-canned-beer-is-better-2013-8

 

[progmac]

Saying there is "precisely one reason" is not accurate at all. Cost might be the main reason though.

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-canned-beer-is-better-2013-8

I chalk all that other stuff up to marketing fluff. Maybe I'm just cynical.

Reminds me of how some hotels don't change your sheets and towels unless you put the little card out. They say it is because they are eco-friendly, care about the environment, etc. Of course, they do it because it is cheaper. That is the only real reason.

Companies are afraid to be honest. If the question is "why do you can?" And the answer is "well, it's better for the beer and environment!" that's a disingenuous answer. It's not honest to claim ancillary rationale is primary. It's just marketing BS. The real answer is, "Well, it's cheaper. As a bonus, it's this and this and this."

 

[philosofool]

the reason craft breweries use cans is the same reason any beverage company uses cans -- it's cheaper.

the marketing team says different things to convince us that they have lots of reasons for doing it. sometimes they remind us of times when a can is more convenient. but really, from the perspective of the company, there is precisely one reason to use cans -- cost.

This is probably simply untrue for many breweries. Quality Assurance is a huge issue in the industry and a growing number brewers are of the opinion that cans provide better QA.* Maybe you can call that a "cost" thing in the long run because QA means better long term profits, but my brewer friends (I mean pros, not just home brewers) take a lot of pride in their product and are willing to spend a few extra cents per can or bottle to make sure that their product is something they stand by. Some of them took pretty big pay cuts to stop doing something that was lucrative and painful in order to have a job that they love and endorse. There's more to life than money for them. I'm not saying they're ready to go broke for great beer, but the whole point of money is to trade it for something...

If that weren't the attitude of many brewers, craft beer wouldn't really be a thing.

*The main issue is that you shouldn't trust your distributor to keep the beer out of the sun or retailers not to place your six pack right under a flourecent light.

 

[progmac]

This is probably simply untrue for many breweries. Quality Assurance is a huge issue in the industry and a growing number brewers are of the opinion that cans provide better QA.* Maybe you can call that a "cost" thing in the long run because QA means better long term profits, but my brewer friends (I mean pros, not just home brewers) take a lot of pride in their product and are willing to spend a few extra cents per can or bottle to make sure that their product is something they stand by. Some of them took pretty big pay cuts to stop doing something that was lucrative and painful in order to have a job that they love and endorse. There's more to life than money for them. I'm not saying they're ready to go broke for great beer, but the whole point of money is to trade it for something...

If that weren't the attitude of many brewers, craft beer wouldn't really be a thing.

*The main issue is that you shouldn't trust your distributor to keep the beer out of the sun or retailers not to place your six pack right under a flourecent light.

So ultimately, you believe that craft breweries would be using cans even if it cost a few cents MORE than bottles while I believe that we wouldn't even be talking about cans if they were within even 30% of the cost of using bottles.

 

[passedpawn]

Let's get off the can thing. I brought it up only to point out that they are lined with plastic.

How about one of you guys start up a cans vs bottles thread? Might be a good discussion. This thread is the wrong place for it. Thanks.