Brew day #4 = DISASTER #1

[Zakit24]

Today was my fifth brew and it was my first partial mash and first lager. Got a Helles recipe from my LHBS and went on my way making the beer.

I get the yeast ready and pitch it, everything is going well as I go to pick the carboy up and move it to the fridge...Then:

6.5 Gal carboy gone, 5 gal beer gone, and a day's worth of work gone....

Sigh after yelling a little $%@#!*$ I go ahead and clean it up. I still have one beer to transfer to a keg before I can call it quits and get my mind of of brewing....except as I am cleaning carboy #2:

WOW really not my day. Either way though I gotta say after 4 really good brews SOMETHING was bound to go wrong. Wish it had been a little cheaper failure though.

Consultation: The partial mash Helles didn't really hit the right OG and a bunch of other things were wrong with it, but I say no matter how bad a batch may be it doesn't deserve THAT fate.
Also at least I got the other beer INTO the keg before the carboy broke.

Lesson learned: SLOW DOWN AND DRY YOUR HANDS!

 

[unionrdr]

Sounds like it sucked to be you.jk. Glad you didn't get seriously injured from the glass breaking. The very reason I use plastic fermenters & put them on the brew stand before using the BK to transfer wort/top off water. Got two good handles to hold it by. So what's next for you? More glass or plastic?

 

[Zamial]

...everything is going well as I go to pick the carboy up and move it to the fridge...

You obviously have NOT learned your lesson. The lesson is NEVER PICK UP A FULL GLASS CARBOY. I have a few and I live by that rule. I fill it and pitch the yeast were it is going to ferment and then transfer the finished beer where it sits. When cleaning I built a carboy cleaner like: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/keg-carboy-washer-158415/

I am happy you were not hurt or killed.

 

[bwomp313]

Yeah using glass carboys is like leaving loaded weapons in the house. After I broke my first one I'm petrified to use them now and they make up 5 out of my 7 fermenters right now.You have to be very careful. Those carboy carrier thingies are probably really good investments, need to get me some of them.

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/product/0101519/brew-hauler

 

[kh54s10]

This is precisely why I will never buy a glass carboy. If I came by one for free I would use it but I would never move it when in use. Come to think of it I might not even take one for free. You do have to move them to clean them.

Plastic is Fantastic!

 

[Zakit24]

Haha yea that the choice I need to make now. Stick with glass or go plastic?
Does anyway really have any problems with dirt and sanitation of the plastic ones?
Either way one of those carriers will be included in my new carboy order.

 

[Zamial]

You can also use milk crates, they are cheap and work just as well.

 

[dbrewski]

yes these are tricky, especially since I started wearing gloves more (my hands are a mess from cleaners and what not). Wet gloves - wet carboy - watch out. I have two of the glass ones and have wondered about switching them out for just this reason - plus I'm afraid I will blow something out trying to lug a full carboy around. I've heard of the milk carton trick but I can't seem to find any old school milk cartons, just decorative thin crap at home creepo.

But the plastic are not the same neck opening diameter, correct? You'd have to get new blowoff tubes and stoppers?

 

[bkorver]

I fantasized about getting a few glass carboys when I first got in to brewing (Like, 18 months ago) but after "suffering" through my first two batches with a standard ale pail from my LHBS, I went out and bought 2 more. Easy to move, easy to clean, not glass, and cheaper by far. You can't go wrong...

 

[Teromous]

I fantasized about getting a few glass carboys when I first got in to brewing (Like, 18 months ago) but after "suffering" through my first two batches with a standard ale pail from my LHBS, I went out and bought 2 more. Easy to move, easy to clean, not glass, and cheaper by far. You can't go wrong...

But you can't see all the pretty yeasties!
You could also get the plastic Better Bottles, I know a lot of members here have made the switch and haven't gone back.

 

[BierMuncher]

Sometimes you brew enough ya just have to pull out the ole school inventory.

After a few hundred batches and using glass along the way, a few essentials:

• Dry glass & dry hands.
• Lifting is restricted to up and down only. Use a dolly to move across the room.
• Glass and concrete or metal = bad combo. Carpet swatches are all over my brewshop.

 

[unionrdr]

Those pales are the kind I got at JW Dover to make my bottling bucket. Wish I'd have built 3 of those instead of buying one for bottling & the BB one for primary. I also need a secondary that can serve as a 3rd primary. That short one has better measurment markings on it. Insomuch as telling where the 6G mark is,& different styles of measurement.

 

[JonM]

You can also use milk crates, they are cheap and work just as well.

+1. Even a 6.5 gal better bottle fits in a square milk crate.

 

[RM-MN]

But you can't see all the pretty yeasties!

Voyeur!

 

[Zakit24]

Yea I think my next purchase will be two new better bottles. I just can't give up looking at them yeasties

 

[Suilesre]

Sorry to see your loss. I move my 6.5 gallon glass carboy in a huge Costco bag. Works well for now but I think I am begging for a similar disaster. Time to get a legit mode of transport.