Glass versus better bottle

[greenhaze]

Free reading about jaytizzle's accident I was wondering if anybody has any comments about pros and cons of glass or plastic
Slainte

 

[greenhaze]

Ahhhh auto correct "from"

 

[helibrewer]

There is no shortage of opinions on this subject. I have mostly BB's and a couple glass. With the glass I keep them in plastic milk crates and move then as little as possible. I do all my racking with a pump so I seldom have to move a full carboy.

 

[markau]

I gather this is the homebrew version of the question which is better: PC or Mac?

I am very plastic-averse, but bought a better bottle as I'm satisfied they're OK for the purpose. Heaps of info on their site.

 

[HopKeller]

This is an enormous area of debate. Have you read the "This vs. That" sticky? If not, check it out. Breaks down the pros & cons of each. I'm a bucket/better bottle man myself. I can be a little clumsy - I always drink home brew while brewing + glass carboys = stitches.

 

[BrewKnurd]

This is an enormous area of debate. Have you read the "This vs. That" sticky? If not, check it out. Breaks down the pros & cons of each. I'm a bucket/better bottle man myself. I can be a little clumsy - I always drink home brew while brewing + glass carboys = stitches.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/

Second the recommendation of reading the above link. Its quite a throrough braekdown of pros and cons of many brewing choices, including fermentation vessels.

 

[Pie_Man]

Lots of different opinions on this subject, but I'll try to summarize what I've learned:

Better Bottles:
Pros -

• Light weight
• Doesn't break like glass
• Cheaper than glass
• Since it's clear, it allows you to watch fermentation

Cons -

• Plastic can scratch and leave areas for bacteria to grow.
• Difficult to clean through the carboy opening. Potential for the metal of the carboy brush to scratch the inside wall.

Plastic Bucket:
Pros-

• Inexpensive
• Easy to clean, you can open the lid and reach inside.
• Lightweight
• Easier to harvest yeast because of the wide opening.

Cons-

• The plastic on the inside wall can scratch and create areas for bacteria to hide.
• You can't see the fermentation process like you can when using a clear vessel.
• Oxygen can permeate the plastic over prolonged fermentations.
• The wide opening allows more surface areas for potential contamination.

Glass:
Pros-

• Doesn't scratch like plastic when cleaned.
• Fermentation is visible.

Cons-

• Heavy
• Difficult to clean through the carboy opening.
• They're glass, so they can break and shatter, and potentially cause injury.

I've personally only fermented in glass carboys because that's what I have and I'm used to using them, but all three of the fermentation vessels I've listed are fine to use. If using glass, I'd recommend a milk crate or brew hauler when moving a full carboy. Check out the forum for additional information, I know there are several posts that cover this topic.

Edit: The list of the pros and cons thread is much better than mine, just read that.

 

[jaytizzle]

This video has me confident in cleaning the better bottles safely. This was my only real concern when I decided on glass in the beginning. Now that I feel like I can clean them easily and safely I feel much better about using better bottles.

[ame]http://youtu.be/pMNsqTBW55s[/ame]

 

[greenhaze]

Thanks for all the info. I will check out the "sticky".
Hope to brew my first batch this weekend an Irish Red Ale. Just waiting for my wort chiller to arrive.
Slainte

 

[Pie_Man]

This video has me confident in cleaning the better bottles safely. This was my only real concern when I decided on glass in the beginning. Now that I feel like I can clean them easily and safely I feel much better about using better bottles.

http://youtu.be/pMNsqTBW55s

Jaytizzle, thanks for sharing the video. That was definitely a concern that I had as well. Currently I have two 6.5 gallon glass carboys and one 5 gallon carboy. I was looking to add two more large fermenters, I think I'm leaning towards better bottles. My fermentation fridge is in a detached garage and it's a long walk from the garage to the kitchen where I do my bottling.

 

[jaytizzle]

Jaytizzle, thanks for sharing the video. That was definitely a concern that I had as well. Currently I have two 6.5 gallon glass carboys and one 5 gallon carboy. I was looking to add two more large fermenters, I think I'm leaning towards better bottles. My fermentation fridge is in a detached garage and it's a long walk from the garage to the kitchen where I do my bottling.

No prob... If you've seen my other thread you know why I really want to switch now.

 

[Pie_Man]

I looked it up after I read the OP's first post, that really sucks. Your switch to using better bottles is completely understandable.

At least you still want to brew and you weren't injured more seriously. I hope everything is healing well.

 

[jaytizzle]

Yeah, mate. I'm like Wolverine... basically already healed!

 

[progmac]

This video has me confident in cleaning the better bottles safely. This was my only real concern when I decided on glass in the beginning. Now that I feel like I can clean them easily and safely I feel much better about using better bottles.

http://youtu.be/pMNsqTBW55s

interesting technique but man that video is painfully long for such a simple thing...pbw a gallon of water and a cloth...swish them around

 

[willy_mugobeer]

I have one of each at the moment (the glass one was a used one from my LHBS, got it cheap)....and I definitely prefer the plastic one. Lighter by far, no problems cleaning, and every time I handle the glass one full, I feel like I'm going to wind up like jaytizzle. (Dude! Thanks for the diary but sorry you had to go through that...ouch!!!)