Carboy Question

[rodwha]

I intend on buying a secondary vessel for making barley wines that'll be secondaried for up to 9 mod (is this correct?). I've seen many don't like the idea of plastic carboys as they may or may not be permeable.

I prefer the idea of plastic as it's much lighter and won't shatter if dropped.

 

[kombat]

If you're going to be aging it for several months, I'd go with the glass carboys, as they are completely impermeable to oxygen (unlike plastic carboys).

 

[rodwha]

So the Better Bottles do allow oxygen in?

SWMBO has had wine aging in 3 gal Better Bottles for quite some time now (over a year?). Didn't think it was an issue.

 

[kombat]

A very small amount, yes. Not an issue for a 2-3 week ferment during which the yeast are producing CO2, but if you're going to let it sit there for almost a year, it can become an issue.

Also I don't think oxidation is as big of an issue for wines as it is for beers, but I could be wrong.

 

[rodwha]

Glass it is then.

 

[IslandLizard]

Glass it is then.

And limit the amount of head space, or if larger, flush it out with CO2 if you have it.

 

[rodwha]

I intend on brewing up 6 gals and what doesn't fit gets bottled as a way to see the difference between bulk aging and bottle aging.