I see a Better Bottle in my future...

[michael88n]

Eff me running.
I was cleaning some carboys on my back porch this afternoon. They were hand-me-downs from my grandfather (built a bomb shelter under his basement during the cold war and decided it would be a good place to make wine) and hadn't been used since at least 1987... One of them had an ancient dead mouse stuck on the bottom of the damn thing.
Anyway, one of them was about a third full of soapy water and and slipped out of my hand and smashed.
So first, let me thank God that I was okay. I had bare feet and there were shards everywhere, but I was able to walk away from the carnage. I had about a half dozen cuts on my right hand... none that needed stitches or anything. But I'm going to have to vacuum the damn patio and the grass if I'm ever going to allow the kids to run around the back again.
I've read some horrible Carboy Accident stories and mine is pale by comparison, but boy am I p.o-ed.
Michael

 

[ruppe]

So hows the wine?

 

[Tankard]

As soon as I scrape up some cash, I'm going to ditch my glass and go with better bottles. They just seem....better. Plus, the ability to transfer from primary to secondary without exposing the wort to oxygen is a big plus. I just wish they weren't so damn expensive....

 

[Danek]

As soon as I scrape up some cash, I'm going to ditch my glass and go with better bottles. They just seem....better. Plus, the ability to transfer from primary to secondary without exposing the wort to oxygen is a big plus. I just wish they weren't so damn expensive....

+1 on that. But the way I see it, when a carboy breaks, you lose five gallons' worth of ingredients - and that can be expensive. As well as risking major blood loss.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Glad to hear your OK, and if only they could come up with a glass "magnet".
Just bought another 5gal glass carboy, I use carboy handles, but I may look into making some strap system as the handles always seem to get loose just as I'm moving it from the kitchen to the outside fridges. Not that it would help while cleaning them out. Better Bottles sounds nice, but I would have mail order them and you know what type of horrible people are on the web. (old school).

 

[Loweface]

Glad to hear your OK, and if only they could come up with a glass "magnet".

They have, it's called a small child...

Glad to hear you're ok and that you've good plans for the clean up
Once thats all done... Back to brewing

 

[elkdog]

Glad you're ok. You're gonna like better bottles.

 

[abracadabra]

All you folks thinking of buying Better Bottles should consider getting and using 5 gallon cornie kegs instead. They are stainless steel, light weight, have built in handles, rugged with rubber bottoms and are as cheap or more so than Better Bottles. I've seen single handle cornies as low as $15 from
www.homebrewing.org

In addition to making great secondaries they are easy to modify for primaries too. Just remove the in post and place a tube over the threads for a blow off.
Unlike clear plastic or glass you don't have to worry about exposure to light either.

Plus you can also rack under pressure so your beer is not exposed to O2.

 

[Rick_R]

All you folks thinking of buying Better Bottles should consider getting and using 5 gallon cornie kegs instead.

This may be joining in a thread hijack, but a couple (or more) of questions on using corny kegs:

-How do you transfer from primary to secondary or secondary to serving? Move it with CO2? Once in secondary do you serve from the secondary corny and not move it again?

- How do you attach an airlock?

- I would assume you couldn't do a hefty beer (high OG) as a five gallon batch or you'd blow off half the beer; for that matter, since the corny only hold five gallons, I'd assume you would blow off a fair amount of a five gallon batch with any significant fermentation. Am I wrong on that or do you do smaller batches when fermenting in a corny?

Thanks,

Rick

 

[EdWort]

Here's how one guy in Austin ferments.

 

[menschmaschine]

That sucks Michael. I'm glad you weren't cut up too bad. Better Bottles have never done me wrong. How Do You Brew and Delmarva Brewing Craft should both have them in stock.

 

[TexLaw]

I am very glad to hear you made it out okay, and I wish you luck on your cleanup. Better Bottles are truly better. Don't spend the money on the spigot, though. It is not worth it. I still siphon out of the one I have with the spigot, but I still have to clean the friggin' spigot.

I would love to switch to cornies, but they just aren't big enough for a primary. I don't like blowoff.


TL

 

[FlyingHorse]

Plus, the ability to transfer from primary to secondary without exposing the wort to oxygen is a big plus.

Not that I'm recommending carboys over BBs (I got rid of my glass and just use buckets and cornies), but you can do this with carboys, too
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2910

I just wish they weren't so damn expensive....

Soon, they'll be cheaper than carboys

I use carboy handles, but I may look into making some strap system as the handles always seem to get loose just as I'm moving it from the kitchen to the outside fridges.

Obligatory warning about never using the handle to lift a full carboy.

 

[jds]

Obligatory comment about using milk crates to haul carboys. They really do work well.

 

[bandit77]

Anyway, one of them was about a third full of soapy water and and slipped out of my hand and smashed.

What I do is make sure when I clean the carboy I`m on the lawn or I sometime clean them in the tub. But before I start cleaning I line the tub with towels to eliminate breakage. I also thought of using a power washer for cleaning the dry stain never had to do so. But Better Bottle are safer.

Just my 2 cents

Later

 

[findthefish]

Glad you are ok. I have been slowly converting to Better Bottles after reading these sorts of stories.

 

[abracadabra]

-How do you transfer from primary to secondary or secondary to serving? Move it with CO2? Once in secondary do you serve from the secondary corny and not move it again?

- How do you attach an airlock?

- I would assume you couldn't do a hefty beer (high OG) as a five gallon batch or you'd blow off half the beer; for that matter, since the corny only hold five gallons, I'd assume you would blow off a fair amount of a five gallon batch with any significant fermentation. Am I wrong on that or do you do smaller batches when fermenting in a corny?

Thanks,

Rick

Yes, use CO2 And bend the dip tube upward or cut if off so you don't tranfer all of the trub.

It depends, if I plan to take the corny on a road trip then I would rack to a
3rd corny. If the corny isn't going any further than the fridge then I serve from the corny I used as a secondary and just dump the first glass or 2 if it has any trub in it.

When I use an airlock I attach it with a 2-3 inch piece of hose to the threads of the IN post and put the air lock on the tube. No need for an airlock on the secondary just lift the pressure relief valve after a couple of days to purge any O2 and make sure it sealed. Others pressurize the corny with CO2 then purge it as soon as they transfer.

If I were to brew a really big beer I would use 2 cornies.