Carboy

[jhuyser]

If you are brewing 5 gallon recipes what size of glass carboy do you all recommend? 6 or 6.5 gallon?

 

[kh54s10]

6.5 gives you more head room for the krausen so there is less chance of blow off. 6 will work OK.

I use Better Bottles and a bucket. The Better Bottles are 6 gallon and work well. I went plastic because I didn't want the weight of the glass and did not care to risk the need of a trip to the ER when the carboy breaks.

 

[acefaser]

Go for the 6.5. That eat you have a little more room I'm case you end up with extra wort.

 

[seckert]

i would go with a 6.5 gallon that way you have plenty of room during the fermentation process. I would also get a blow off tube just in case. Better to be safe than sorry(especially if your SWMBO is upset at having stuff all over the walls and ceiling of your house) lol

 

[Pezman1]

I use both 6 and 6.5 glass carboys. Doesn't matter too much, but the bit of extra room in the 6.5 is nice.
What DOES matter is that you always use a blow-off tube. I use the 3.5 foot section of one inch ID tubing that Northern Brewer sells for a few bucks and route it to a pickle jar with water in it. The tubing fits right into the neck of the carboy for an airtight seal. After the Krausen has dropped, I switch to a standard airlock bubbler.

The question is not IF you will have a blow-off, but WHEN? I get two or three a year.
Pez.

EDIT - Ahhh, the above poster just said the same thing as I, but in less words.

 

[724b]

FYI... Amazon has a 23L (just over 6 gallons) glass carboy for $30 shipped.

Homebrew Finds: It's Back - 6 Gallon Glass Carboy $30 Shipped!