Is a carboy necessary?

[Oyarsa]

Currently I have one large fermenting bucket, a carboy, a 2 gallon bucket, and 2 one gallon glass jugs. I'd like to expand my 5 gallon capabilities so I can try brewing a few things at once (a beer, tamarind cider, etc). Unfortunately, I can't justify the cost of another carboy to the wife right now.

I see that I can get another bucket pretty cheap (or possibly free) for the primary fermentation. Could I simply forego the carboy? If I understand, the main issue is that the buckets are oxygen permeable...is that such a big deal, or would I be ok with just the bucket?

 

[North_of_60]

I have always used a 6.5 gallon bucket. No problems

 

[RM-MN]

Use the carboy(s) you have for making wine or mead. The mead especially will do well with the longer time in the fermenter and then the O2 permeation is something to worry about. Beer doesn't need to spend the long time in the fermenter and the tiny bit of O2 that permeates the plastic will be used by the yeast.

I have one carboy that I have used for secondary fermentation when adding fruit. I have used it twice in 5 years. I wouldn't bother with another one. I usually leave my beers in primary fermenter until bottling, usually 3 weeks but anywhere from 10 days to 9 weeks. They do fine in a plastic bucket for that long.

5 gallon plastic buckets are pretty cheap and readily available (use only the white ones, the colored ones may leach the coloring and are not considered food safe). They work well for smaller batches but not for a 5 gallon batch because they don't leave room for the krausen. The 6 1/2 gallon size are harder to find and usually more expensive but work well for the 5 gallon batches.

 

[Oyarsa]

Thanks for the replies. That's good news. I acquired four 3 gallon buckets for free from a bakery. I can use those for experiments and the big fermenter for 5 gallon batches.

Would a 3 gallon bucket be sufficient for the krausen of 2.5 gallons, or should I stock to 2 gallons with those?

 

[VirginiaHops1]

IMO buckets are fine as long as you don't open and close it constantly. You shouldn't do that with any fermenter though. The beer produces a lot of CO2 during fermentation which should protect it.

 

[madscientist451]

I can get the bakery buckets in my area, but I have to pay $1 for them. They come in handy for all kinds of brewing tasks. I use them to store grain, star-san and PBW mixture, for freezing fruit before its used in brewing projects and I drill holes in the bottom and use them to as pots for apple tree seedlings.
But I still like my carboys for fermenting. I like being able to see what is going on inside. But I mostly use carboys for secondary fermenting/storage for long term projects. Your free buckets are fine for fermenting, use two if you brew a 5 gallon batch and you can experiment with different yeasts.
If your wife won't agree to another carboy, what is she going to say when you want a chest freezer, kegs, a grain mill.......
Getting your wife to agree on brewing expenses is easy if she drinks, simply make what she likes! I buy wine juice for $10/ gallon so that comes in at about $2 a 750ML bottle and SWMBO drinks it all.
If she doesn't drink, just budget $100 for clothes or something she wants and $100 for yourself. Skip going out to dinner a few times and the cost will be covered.
Hobbies are all about having fun and spending a few bucks on an enjoyable pursuit is what makes going in to work every day tolerable.

 

[z-bob]

I mostly use 4 gallon disposable/recyclable plastic carboys now. About $5, and that includes 4 gallons of bottled water. They are much lighter than glass and unbreakable (I'm sure you could break them if you really tried)

I got most of them at Menard's, and one at a Sam's in Houston (the local Sam's Clubs don't sell it)
https://www.menards.com/main/grocer...-gallon-jug/200000/p-1444433847115-c-6646.htm

 

[ncbrewer]

Getting your wife to agree on brewing expenses is easy if she drinks, simply make what she likes!

You can also show what ingredients cost vs what craft beer would cost. (For the purpose of this discussion, let's not get into whether brewing actually saves money - it won't help make a case for buying equipment.)

 

[i4ourgot]

I only use my carboy if I want to rack my beer so I can reuse my yeast cake. Or I use my carboy for aging my beer for a few months. Otherwise the buckets work fine.

 

[MaaZeus]

With beer you only need one bucket unless you need to have several projects going at once. Secondary for beer is mostly unnecessary, you can leave it in the primary for months before any issues may happens and oxygen permeability is definetly not one of them. Thick PET plastic can hold oxygen out for a year or so, IIRC. Carboys are mostly needed for wine and mead bulk aging and clarifying, stuff you leave alone for very, very long time.

 

[balrog]

Would a 3 gallon bucket be sufficient for the krausen of 2.5 gallons, or should I stock to 2 gallons with those?

I hazz a friend who uses a 3g fermenter for 2.5g batches, so I know it works. Known high krausen yeasts (some wheat styles come to mind) may require blow off setup.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

O2 permeability of the buckets is only an issue if your beer is spending a long time (over, say, 30 days) in them (lagering and such).
Definitely don't lager in plastic though (use glass or stainless).

 

[MasonBrewsHoppe]

My biggest concern about buckets is the fact that they are plastic and very easily scratched, scratches have the potential to harbor bacteria that can be difficult to clean out. You say that you can get buckets for free, are they used buckets? The method they used to clean them may be something to consider. Not saying that a bucket isn't a good fermenter, it just requires more care when cleaning than a carboy in my opinion. Hope this helps brewin brotha!

 

[Oyarsa]

The buckets are from a bakery, so they had icing in them. They don't clean them much more than rinsing them out, I don't think. I soaked them in PBW and washed them out. I'll sanitize them as O need them. They seem to be scratch free on the inside.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Really the single best thing you can do is save up for a stainless fermenter like a Brewbucket or one of the cheaper alternatives, depending on your budget.
Buy once, cry once, and you'll have a quality, easy-to-clean fermenter that will last you the rest of your life.

 

[Abbas]

I second the brew bucket. I bought the one with the temperature probe. Anvil does make a stainless steel fermenter similar to SS Brerwtech's BrewBucket. If you don't care about the temp probe, it looks like a good option. I'm thinking of picking one up to use as a secondary fermenter.
That being said fermenting in the bucket is just fine. I would save up for a nice piece of equipment or 2 when you're in the financial position to do so.

 

[RM-MN]

That being said fermenting in the bucket is just fine.

I'm still using the original plastic bucket I bought when I started brewing. It still works just fine. Being a little careful while cleaning to avoid scratches and they last a long time. The stainless buckets seem like a good plan but the difference in price buys me two sacks of grain and grain is what makes beer.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I have a couple dozen 3 gal icing pails from the bakery at WalMart. $1. with lid.

I haven't used them to make smaller batches (not my style). I buy my grain in bulk and use them to store grain in.

I also use them to weight out grains for recipes I want to make. I keep 4-6 bucket "kits" on hand. When I want to brew something the grain is ready for crushing. I just have to weigh out the hops and prep the yeast.

For anyone concerned about scratches inside the pails...just don't stack them inside each other and they should last decades. Mine have.

Cleaning them right after racking also helps keep scratching to a minimum by not having to scrub the yeast ring. For tough, dried spots that won't sponge off I put a wet cloth over it and let it soak it up the water for a couple of minutes. It usually wipes right off after it's rehydrated.

 

[der_Missionar]

I bought a carboy, and have only used it a few times. I just don't like the hassle of another step of sanitation and cleaning and possibly contaminating the beer. Oh, and there's the breakage fears... Buckets are easier, and I honestly haven't found a noticeable difference in the beer. Reading the forums, you'll find people on both sides of the debate, but I was finally convinced to go 'all bucket' when I saw people submitting both their 2 stage and their "all bucket" versions of the same beer, and the all primary (all bucket) versions started winning more than the 2 stage... And it frees me up to do more beers at once, if I want to...

I think I got all my food grade buckets and lids from US Plastics.

 

[4of7]

Currently I have one large fermenting bucket, a carboy, a 2 gallon bucket, and 2 one gallon glass jugs. I'd like to expand my 5 gallon capabilities so I can try brewing a few things at once (a beer, tamarind cider, etc). Unfortunately, I can't justify the cost of another carboy to the wife right now.

I see that I can get another bucket pretty cheap (or possibly free) for the primary fermentation. Could I simply forego the carboy? If I understand, the main issue is that the buckets are oxygen permeable...is that such a big deal, or would I be ok with just the bucket?

I started with carboys,, still have 4, I like to watch the fermentation , I don't do secondary,, when done i will add 1cup of primer and bottle

 

[der_Missionar]

Could I simply forego the carboy? If I understand, the main issue is that the buckets are oxygen permeable...is that such a big deal, or would I be ok with just the bucket?

After reading through hundreds of posts, it seems that the o2 permeability of the buckets is negligible by most accounts, esp. considering the amount of time you keep it in the buckets. HDPE allows more than that of glass, but whether it actually affects the taste of the beer, is questionable. We probably introduce much more oxygen into the Beer as we transfer the beer between containers, and into bottles... I came away thinking, if there is any oxygen, it likely has no discernible impact, to negligible impact on the final product. There's even some thought that some oxidation is good... Some did informal studies, but those studies were not statistically significant in their findings...so... what are we to believe?

My conclusion was, it really wasn't my brain cells to read further into the issue.

 

[4of7]

Carboy vs white bucket..go with what works for you. Free is always good..There are pro and cons to all methods..It is what caught my eye when I started brewing..

 

[RM-MN]

I started with carboys,, still have 4, I like to watch the fermentation , I don't do secondary,, when done i will add 1cup of primer and bottle

You can watch fermentation in a pint jar too. Pint jars aren't as likely to slip out of your hands, break, and slice you to ribbons.

 

[4of7]

You can watch fermentation in a pint jar too. Pint jars aren't as likely to slip out of your hands, break, and slice you to ribbons.

Yes I will agree with that. I have broke two, lucky for me I didn't get hurt.. Sorry if this happened to you.. ss keg fermenter...can you handle moving that around when it weighs 115lb .. that's keg weight plus 10 beer?.. Yes there are pros and cons to all fermentation vessels..I am not a"Beer Troll".

 

[Cavpilot2000]

ss keg fermenter...can you handle moving that around when it weighs 115lb .. that's keg weight plus 10 beer?.. Yes there are pros and cons to all fermentation vessels..I am not a"Beer Troll".

Well, if he is currently fermenting in buckets and carboys, he is doing 5 gal batches, and 5 gal (7 gal really) many SS fermenters like the Brewbucket weigh no more (actuallly probably less than) a glass carboy, even with 6 gallons of wort.

 

[4of7]

Currently I have one large fermenting bucket, a carboy, a 2 gallon bucket, and 2 one gallon glass jugs. I'd like to expand my 5 gallon capabilities so I can try brewing a few things at once (a beer, tamarind cider, etc). Unfortunately, I can't justify the cost of another carboy to the wife right now.

I see that I can get another bucket pretty cheap (or possibly free) for the primary fermentation. Could I simply forego the carboy? If I understand, the main issue is that the buckets are oxygen permeable...is that such a big deal, or would I be ok with just the bucket?

Beer Troll says just keep brewing.. work with what you have.. watch the carboy phases of fermentation and learn to read it...if you start kegging learn about keg fermentation....just brew