Better Bottle Users, a Few Questions for ya...

[RLinNH]

I need a few more 5 Gallon Carboys, so I am looking into the Better Bottle route. I may as well get a 6 gallon while I am at it. I have a few questions though. First of all, the Ported Carboys. Do they work well? How much Yeast gets into your secondary by using the Port? Also, if I go with the Ported Carboys, does the fitting come with the Carboy so I can get my Wort/Beer out of the Carboy? Or is that a seperate item?

 

[bradsul]

If you buy a ported version, you literally get a better bottle with a hole in it. The racking adapters are separate and cost more than the better bottle itself. For that reason I have no problem sticking with my auto-syphon personally.

 

[Soulive]

If you buy a ported version, you literally get a better bottle with a hole in it. The racking adapters are separate and cost more than the better bottle itself. For that reason I have no problem sticking with my auto-syphon personally.

+1 for me...

 

[Yooper]

Well, I did get a 5 gallon ported BB. I hate it! It's too slow, and it's a real pain. I siphon from it anyway, so in the next purchase, I bought regular BBs and use them all the time.

I think it was Edwort who uses the ported BBs and likes them. He pushes it with co2, I believe, and really is happy. (I'm not sure it was Edwort- but it is SOMEONE who likes them!). I've been disappointed, and of course, I can't remove the spigot, because there is a hole in it.

 

[raceskier]

I really like them. :rockin:
I use the ported bottles exclusively. I rack with the CO2 purged, closed loop system described on the BB webpage. It will almost totally eliminate any atmospheric exposure during racking. Yes, you could push with CO2, but I don't know how much pressure the bottle or closures will take before you run into problems. The gravity feed is a bit slow, but I feel the contamination protection is worth the wait. The adjustable racking arm on the port allows you to get as close as you dare to the yeast/trub layer at the bottom. As far as the yeast getting into the secondary, if you don't get greedy trying to squeeze every last drop of useable beer out of the primary like I do, you can have a secondary that starts out visibly clear with no yeast evident at all. I figure why worry though as the secondary is meant to clear the beer and more yeast will drop out anyway. At bottling, I'm a bit more careful and stop before I start to suck up any yeast.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

I also agree that they seem neat but way overpriced. It seems like the only fermenter that, in terms of cost, falls between the the big pile of cheaper options (buckets, glass carboys, regular better bottles) and the huge jump to the more expensive options (those plastic conicals at around $150), so I guess it fills a niche market.

Now if only someone would hit the market with an AFFORDABLE plastic conical... After all they're made out of a similar amount of plastic as a bucket, yet cost over 10 times as much. I know, I know, specialty item vs. major mass-produced, and valves/fittings add some cost, but still... I'd like to think that what amounts to little more than a fancy plastic container should be doable for somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 rather than three times that.

 

[RLinNH]

Non Ported it is. Thanks for the replies.

 

[FSR402]

Non Ported it is. Thanks for the replies.

:rockin:
I have 3 of the 6 gallon BB's (non ported) and I do like them alot. I will in time sell off my glass carboys and replace with more BB's.

 

[olllllo]

If I were to do it all over again I would...
1) Buy BB 6 Gal carboys, no Glass.
2) No bottles for secondary, just use cornies as secondaries or go right to serving depending on the beer, style, etc.

 

[SuperiorBrew]

I think the ported BB's rock I have (2) 6's and (2) 5's all ported. Its so nice not to have to mess with the auto siphon, just lift the ring and let it drain.

Yooper, I will buy you a un-ported one for your ported one