Glass Vs Plastic

[DuffManMississippi]

when fermenting beer is it better to use glass or plastic?????

 

[a10t2]

If you scroll up, there's a sticky called "This vs That" that will probably answer your question.

 

[ThirdGen]

If you scroll to the bottom of this page, there are also several "recommended" threads that ask this question that you can see other responses to.

 

[fugazzi]

But as a beginner, I have both, and I can't tell the difference. The only issue I have with plastic is that when I move it with an airlock in place, some of the water gets sucked into the bottle.

 

[BeerJorge]

I ferment everything in my plastic bucket... it's easier to clean and I don't have to worry about it breaking...

I do have a glass carboy, but I use it primarily to secondary...

This reminds me of the guy who went to the doctor and said "It hurts when I move my arm like this..."

Doctor said "Well don't move your arm like that!"

Don't move your fermenter with the airlock in place...

 

[fugazzi]

I ferment everything in my plastic bucket... it's easier to clean and I don't have to worry about it breaking...

I do have a glass carboy, but I use it primarily to secondary...

This reminds me of the guy who went to the doctor and said "It hurts when I move my arm like this..."

Doctor said "Well don't move your arm like that!"

Don't move your fermenter with the airlock in place...

Haha, yeah, I sanitize a solid stopper if I ever need to move it, but I have an FC now so I don't do any moving anymore.

 

[shawnbou]

But as a beginner, I have both, and I can't tell the difference. The only issue I have with plastic is that when I move it with an airlock in place, some of the water gets sucked into the bottle.

I use plastic for primary and plastic Better Bottles for secondary, so I had suckback issues with both.

My solution? I keep every vessel on either a wheeled cart or in a milk crate so I never have to lift a vessel by the sides. I keep my primary vessel on a cart about 3' high so I can take hydro samples from the spigot and siphon from it later. I don't lift it once from the time I pitch & seal to the time I rack it. My secondaries sit in milk crates on the floor or on a little rolling plant stand from the HD garden section. Works great.

And I do use vodka in the airlock just in case.

 

[Revvy]

Take a look at the similar threads box below you'll see a few of the thousand or so threads about this question. This is a pretty recent one https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/glass-carboy-plastic-bucket-182804/

It doesn't matter what you use. The glass vs plastic "debate" is pointless, it doesn't matter they all work perfectly fine. One's not better than any other.

There is little "absolutes" in brewing, glass vs plastic, Stainless vs Aluminum, Batch vs fly- they all work fine. Hence the recommendation to look at the "this -vs-that" sticky.

In brewing all that matters is what you prefer. It's up to you to make that decision. But it's not about what's better or worse, just what's better for YOU.

So use what works best for you. Either one has the potential to make award winning beer, or crap, because it's not the tools it's the brewer who makes great beer.

 

[xoltri]

I fermented in a plastic bucket with a towel over top of it then when the krausen went down after about 5 days I racked it to a glass carboy. This is the same process I used for the wine kits I've made.

It's a brew house bag-in-a-box kit and is turning out great so far, tasted it last night when I did a gravity reading. I will be bottling it in a week.

 

[azscoob]

after having dealt with a severed tendon, artery and severed nerves in my hand from a broken bottle, I use plastic carboys, if I drop one, all it does is bounce and spill, a glass one can put you in a hospital. as far as performance, Revvy is spot on as usual, both work great.

 

[BellTap]

when fermenting beer is it better to use glass or plastic?????

I have 1 glass and 1 plastic. They both have pluses and minuses, but neither outweighes the other so I keep using both.

 

[carnevoodoo]

Put them both in a dark room overnight. They will battle. Use the survivor.

 

[Revvy]

Put them both in a dark room overnight. They will battle. Use the survivor.

Best answer ever!!!!!


According to Googlefight, it's plastic bucket, FTW.

http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=Glass+Carboy&word2=Plastic++bucket

 

[passedpawn]

Throw them both in a dark room overnight. They will battle. Use the survivor.

Fixed that for ya.

 

[rico567]

1. I ferment solely in plastic buckets.

2. My beer tastes great (to me and others).

3. When I secondary, I do so in Better Bottles.

4. When I do a long-term bulk age, I use a glass carboy.

5. I completely stand behind what "Revvy" and others have said: THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE.

 

[Beer_Guy]

… because it's not the tools it's the brewer who makes great beer.

Boy that brought back a long forgotten lesson. My first job out of high school, I apologized to an older mechanic for not having the right tools yet. I said, “A good mechanic would have the right tools.” He responded with, “No, A good mechanic will know how to use the tools he’s got.”

Having the right tool will make the job easier, but making what I have work has served me well for 40+ years now. I just used an adjustable wood drill to make a stopper hole in a #2 – 5 gallon bucket to get the brew I did yesterday out of a #7 – 3 gallon water bottle. No LHBS and waiting was not an option.

 

[modernlifeisANDY]

I primary in 6.5g buckets, and secondary (if I choose to run a secondary) in 5g Better Bottles. If I brew a half batch, I don't run a secondary and I keep the beer in a 3g Better Bottle for three weeks.

 

[Revvy]

Boy that brought back a long forgotten lesson. My first job out of high school, I apologized to an older mechanic for not having the right tools yet. I said, “A good mechanic would have the right tools.” He responded with, “No, A good mechanic will know how to use the tools he’s got.”

+ 1 bazillion!!! That's got to be the wisest advice on the planet. It always gets me when someone says you can't make good beer if you don't have x gizmo, or do it this way (like some AG "zealots" may think) I've tasted (and *ahem* even made ) some downright nasty all grain beers in my day. And have tasted and even made some awesome extract beers. I've even had some really great Mr Beer beers, from folks who applied many of the tips found on here to their beers. To me it really IS the brewer who determines whether the beer he/she makes is great or piss water, not about what gizmo or what method they employ.

 

[Rover]

Just curious why everyone uses a carboy, whether glass or plastic, sor the secondary. I would like to use a 5 gal. bucket if I can but I'm wondering id there is something wrong with that.

 

[passedpawn]

Just curious why everyone uses a carboy, whether glass or plastic, sor the secondary. I would like to use a 5 gal. bucket if I can but I'm wondering id there is something wrong with that.

It can work as well as anything, but there is the questionable seal ( aka "Don't trust the airlock ativity") and the complete lack of visible feedback, which is a showstopper for me.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Hey, Revvy...I ferment in a hot water bottle and strain the hops out using a jock strap...the sores usually only last a week...

 

[DuffManMississippi]

wow what have i started lol if its any concern to anyone i have come to my conclusion that i am going to use glass and sec. will be glass carboy so thx for all the input man i think have started the biggest up to date glass vs plastic thread makes me feel good for being one of my first.

 

[passedpawn]

wow what have i started lol if its any concern to anyone i have come to my conclusion that i am going to use glass and sec. will be glass carboy so thx for all the input man i think have started the biggest up to date glass vs plastic thread makes me feel good for being one of my first.

Hate to burst your bubble brother, but this dead horse gets beaten severely at least once a month.

 

[Revvy]

Hate to burst your bubble brother, but this dead horse gets beaten severely at least once a week, except before and after Christmas where it gets asked several times a day..

Fixed it for you.