Finally! A reason to not live alone!Yes... good ol Jimmy Carter. 100 gallons a year (plus another 100 if you have a mate in the household)
Finally! A reason to not live alone!Yes... good ol Jimmy Carter. 100 gallons a year (plus another 100 if you have a mate in the household)
I would not be surprised to read that ~80% of carboy failures happen with wet hands.
Then you have the dry-handed drops, random collisions with inelastic objects, and the thermal-shocked-bottom-fell-outs...
Cheers!
I switched back to buckets a few years ago primarily because I can clean them much easier, they stack, and they are cheap. i frequently have 3-4 fermenting at the same time and the cost for all 4 fermenters is still less than one glass carboy.
all my glass carboys have Christmas lights in them now and look very festive out on the patio
Be careful, the thermal cycling from the lights may cause a catastrophic failure....
There are various ways of dealing with the breakable nature of glass carboys, including milk crates, carriers, and neoprene covers. That last one is probably the closest to what you're suggesting, as well as one of the most expensive - might as well go stainless at that point, methinks. These all mitigate the risks of using glass, but nothing really eliminates the possibility of catastrophic failure. A dropped full carboy in a neoprene cover is almost as certain to shatter as an unprotected one, though the neoprene should contain most, if not all of the glass shards.I have read through a few of those post, but I don't see anyone mentioning some kind of a rubber sleeve or container for glass carboys. Are those available, and would that resolve some of the glass challenges?
It's a bloodbath!!Have you seen the price of carboys now days
many years ago the best ones seemed to be made in Mexico. They had the least amount of air pockets and heavier thickness of glass. those 15 gallon demijohns are scary but never had an issue with them as long as lifting with the basket.Yikes, $78 for a 6-gallon carboy on Amazon (at least it's the better Italian-made model). I'm seeing $50-60 for the cheap Chinese carboys at brewing suppliers. If the brew store doesn't state where it's made, they're probably the cheap ones.
Dang. I just struck GOLD in my outdoor shed! I’ve got ten or more glass carboys from 2½ to 6 gallon capacity. Some I got in the 70s from a bottled water place in Maine for $3 deposit. Half a dozen Big Mouth Bubblers and Speidel fermenters to boot. SWMBO’d has been nagging me to thin the herd. Somebody make me an offer so I can finance a Clawhammer kegmenter.Yikes, $78 for a 6-gallon carboy on Amazon (at least it's the better Italian-made model). I'm seeing $50-60 for the cheap Chinese carboys at brewing suppliers. If the brew store doesn't state where it's made, they're probably the cheap ones.
You’re right. The only thing I use glass for these days is bulk aging wine. Currently have four 6 gallon carboys aging red wines in a sub-grade basement area closet: dark, no vibration, stable temperature 60F +/- 5F year round.many years ago the best ones seemed to be made in Mexico. They had the least amount of air pockets and heavier thickness of glass. those 15 gallon demijohns are scary but never had an issue with them as long as lifting with the basket.
still have the glass but for short ferments i will use buckets and replace every so often. glass is still a great long term storage solution but with the price of 5 gallon kegs for that purpose it is mute.
Let me know how much you want for the Big Mouth Bubblers / Speidel fermenters.Dang. I just struck GOLD in my outdoor shed! I’ve got ten or more glass carboys from 2½ to 6 gallon capacity. Some I got in the 70s from a bottled water place in Maine for $3 deposit. Half a dozen Big Mouth Bubblers and Speidel fermenters to boot. SWMBO’d has been nagging me to thin the herd. Somebody make me an offer so I can finance a Clawhammer kegmenter.
30 years ago I got two glass carboys. I got them in Mexico & paid $6.50 each. The glass is very thick with ribbing. Never had a problem with them. I never worried too much about them. I stopped using the when I went with SS fermenters & never looked back.I got one glass carboy that is about 6 gal, I guess. It holds 5 gal with some headspace. I was wandering around in kind of a junk shop and they had a water cooler in the back with a glass carboy holding the water and an empty sitting next to it. One of the really heavy commercial ones with the rib pattern in the glass. I told the lady who owned the shop I would love to have one to use as a fermenter. She said, “They make me pay a $5 deposit on the carboys. If you really want it, pay the deposit and it’s yours”. That was probably 30 years ago. I always use a web carboy harness. I’ve never trusted those handles that lift em by the neck. I also rarely move it when it’s full. If I do it’s usually just up onto a table or something. Haven’t used it in a while tho. Siphoning sux. My go-tos are the Speidel and the Anvil stainless.
Man, I have brewed a lot of stuff in that glass carboy. And I have used it as a secondary many times. But, yeah - I was happier brewing in a bucket than a carboy. But I do miss seeing the action thru the glass.I don't think I would be brewing beer if my only fermentation vessel choice was a carboy, glass or otherwise.
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