Large mouth carboy from Northern Brewer

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I'm curious about these too. I only have Better Bottles, but every time I clean them I debate on getting something else. I've debated going back to buckets!

But this thing would kinda be the best of both world, in my opinion. :)
 
Someone on here needs to be the first to buy one and report the results. The price is right in line with the glass carboys.

The plastic vs glass debate will remain the same with this new product. The only selling point is ease of cleaning. That is is you have problems with cleaning your carboys currently.
 
NTXBrauer said:
Someone on here needs to be the first to buy one and report the results. The price is right in line with the glass carboys.

The plastic vs glass debate will remain the same with this new product. The only selling point is ease of cleaning. That is is you have problems with cleaning your carboys currently.
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I think another selling point would be that it forces you to not carry it by the neck, which is safer. Since I have no issue cleaning my glass carboys, I don't see a need for this, but for someone starting out, or looking to upgrade, I think this is a good option.

Also, to future posters, let's keep the glass/plastic debate to the thousands of other threads that have already been started on the subject, and not hijack this guys thread.
 
I'm also very intrigued, and in particular, with the lid/airlock design. The website pictures aren't as clear as I'd like.
 
TheZymurgist said:
I think another selling point would be that it forces you to not carry it by the neck, which is safer. Since I have no issue cleaning my glass carboys, I don't see a need for this, but for someone starting out, or looking to upgrade, I think this is a good option.
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.
You will still want to use a carboy hauler or something similar to move it around with 6.5 gallons of wort in it....or risk a slipped disk, which I want to avoid at all costs. :)
 
Cleaning aside, it also allows for the addition of hop bagged items that you don't want floating free in the fermenter. It's essentially a glass bucket in that regard.
 
I like it. The ease and convenience of a bucket with the clarity of glass. If it's built right it should not be fragile like some carboys are. That will only be known through the test of time.
 
TIPA0303 said:
Cleaning aside, it also allows for the addition of hop bagged items that you don't want floating free in the fermenter. It's essentially a glass bucket in that regard.
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This is the best part. Now dry hopping in a carboy never got easier...except for the dry hop tube which is $25. This configuration is a time and money saver.
 
Having only brewed 5-6 brews, I'm not qualified to say much. I have used a pair of 6gal ported Better Bottles as well as a pair of 5gal Vintage Plastic Carboys with plastic valves.

I guess one trades one set of advantages for another. I have enjoyed having a valve near the bottom of the carboy. But . . . apparently, I had the plastic valve of one of the vintage plastic carboys screwed too tight. I found a dried puddle of crap on the cement floor of my son's closet (his "sour") where the threaded part of the valve had cracked and leaked.

These would be much easier to clean than the plastic carboys, but you'd have to be careful in moving in order to not drop them.

These would require the use of a siphon for transfer/racking.

Keith
 
Thanks everyone for your input.

Yeah only the test of time will find out the best results. I liked the comment above someone made about dry hopping... excellent selling point right there, a hop bag would work great in these...

The pricing being identical to regular glass carboys is excellent too. I think I know what I'm getting for Christmas!
 
If I didn't already have all the glass carboys I needed I would go with this kind from now on.
 
SPR-GRN said:
If I didn't already have all the glass carboys I needed I would go with this kind from now on.
Click to expand...

Yeah depending on how good these are (my only concern is there might be some sort of air pressure issue with the screw on cap) I am considering tossing all of my current carboys on craigslist and replacing with these... Cleaning the current carboys is a PITA.
 
I love the wide mouth on it, but would like to see it in clear plastic too. I am not interested in rehashing the plastic / glass debate, but just wanted to throw it out there. Picking up full glass carboys to put into my chest freezer are just too much for me. I love the better bottles, but really hate cleaning them. I know it would essentially be a clear bucket at that point, but that sounds good to me.
 
Cbaddad said:
I love the wide mouth on it, but would like to see it in clear plastic too. I am not interested in rehashing the plastic / glass debate, but just wanted to throw it out there. Picking up full glass carboys to put into my chest freezer are just too much for me. I love the better bottles, but really hate cleaning them. I know it would essentially be a clear bucket at that point, but that sounds good to me.
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I got one of the speidel 30L plastic models and it's great....has the wide mouth, 7.9 gallon capacity, very durable robust plastic, super smooth inside, spigot at the bottom that can be replaced by a cap if you don't like the spigot, Extra large airlock combined with large head space eliminates the need for a blowoff tube for most beers, I can reach the bottom through the large opening for cleaning, and it has nice handles.It's better than a bucket because it's much thicker.If I drop it, I just pick it up and go on with the brew day. I'm really happy with it.

http://morebeer.com/products/speidel-plastic-fermenter-30l-79-gal.html
 
Agree with bctdi, I also have a Speidel 30L (essentially a plastic version of the glass widemouth carboy) but it has a spigot and handles. It is also easy to clean, dry hop, and no blow off. I have had a good seal during primary fermentation every time.

20131025_120911.jpg
 
These are definitely on my X-Mas list. Dry hopping with whole leaf hops was the first thing I thought off...Such a pain to pain a few OZs of whole leaf in a carboy neck. Also love the screw on top.
 
bctdi said:
I got one of the speidel 30L plastic models and it's great....has the wide mouth, 7.9 gallon capacity, very durable robust plastic, super smooth inside, spigot at the bottom that can be replaced by a cap if you don't like the spigot, Extra large airlock combined with large head space eliminates the need for a blowoff tube for most beers, I can reach the bottom through the large opening for cleaning, and it has nice handles.It's better than a bucket because it's much thicker.If I drop it, I just pick it up and go on with the brew day. I'm really happy with it.

http://morebeer.com/products/speidel-plastic-fermenter-30l-79-gal.html
Click to expand...

Yeah, those look real nice. Have to see how many I can get into my chest freezer. Hmm....
 
Yeah, I'd imaging there's not much worse than cleaning hardened on krausen from plastic threadings.
 
For a test drive. Dry hopped a Pliny Clone...It was a pleasure.

It even has a built-in airlock (which I had to contact Midwest to figure out what it was)...Snap it on over the hole (or you can use a bung), add sanitizer to the well in the cap, and you have an airlock.

Bubbler1.jpg


Bubbler2.jpg
 
That looks awesome. I've been nervous about glass, but the large opening for cleaning is intriguing. Thanks for the pics. Looking forward to hearing more
 
My main concern would be the threadings on vigorous fermentations (i.e. specifically on batches where a blow off tube is REQUIRED). Does the threading get gunked up and how difficult is it to clean?

Also, what is the porting and availability to even hook up a blow off tube? Looks like you can only attach an air lock from the descriptions and photos.
 
doctormiah said:
Agree with bctdi, I also have a Speidel 30L (essentially a plastic version of the glass widemouth carboy) but it has a spigot and handles. It is also easy to clean, dry hop, and no blow off. I have had a good seal during primary fermentation every time.
Click to expand...

Doctormiah,
It appears that you have a single length of 2x4 under the front of the Speidel. Is this to cause the yeast/trub to settle towards the back of the bottom of the fermentor? When you're ready to rack, do you carefully lift the container to a table and allow it to remain tilted for a while prior to draining?
Thanks,
Keith
 
Added 2 ounces of homegrown whole flower Cascades to two better bottles. The whole time wishing I had one of these. Those hops are going to be a bit of work to remove once I rack.
 
Combined with the harnesses they make for these, they are an intriguing option. I am guessing from the Midwest site that they are compatible with a blowoff tube as they list a 15/16 blow off tube as an option to order with the fermentor.
 
I need a second carboy and I'm considering a Big Mouth to add to my regular. It's such an obvious idea one has to ask why it hasn't been thought of before.

Conversely, why do all past carboys have the narrow neck? Is there some advantage of the shape or volume of space at the top of the regular carboy versus the bubbler? I doubt I could taste it if there were...
 
Navy_Chief said:
Combined with the harnesses they make for these, they are an intriguing option. I am guessing from the Midwest site that they are compatible with a blowoff tube as they list a 15/16 blow off tube as an option to order with the fermentor.
Click to expand...

I thought I read that Northern Brewer and Midwest were two different arms of the same company???
 
Newsman said:
I thought I read that Northern Brewer and Midwest were two different arms of the same company???
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:off:

But back to the pros and cons of the big mouth..

When I bought my starter kit locally I was encouraged to do stage two fermentation. First in the bucket, second in the carboy. When I asked why we wouldn't just brew in 2 buckets or 2 carboys it was explained to me that the over-sized bucket better accommodated vigorous early fermentation whereas the tight head space in the 5 gallon carboy was better suited to the conditioning phase. (Of course 6.5 gall carboys are available so you can ferment both stages in carboys).

This head space and/or the shape of it is different in the bubbler but it must have been tested. It can't make any difference...can it? Both vessels are designed to hold 5 gallons.

Someone else posted a concern about pressure on the cap/seal. Why would that be a concern if CO2 is being released through the airlock - the same as any fermentor?

Presumably it won't fit in the "regular" carboy dryer but then, inverted, it's probably more stable than a regular carboy.

If I decide I need a 2nd fermentor I'll get this bubbler. I think I get my carboy clean each time. But who wants to think? It'd be nice to have peace of mind.:)

I imagine these are going to cause the carboys we know, but not particularly love, obsolete and that the equipment suppliers will be offering them as an option in starter kits.

Somebody is also going to get pretty rich off it...
 
So I did buy one and here's the review I left on Northern Brewer's web site:

Unfortunately mine arrived without the cap sealing gasket but NB customer service is remedying that (as they do!) so for the first use I've wrapped the outside of the cap with food wrap just to be sure.

The pictures don't make it clear, but another reviewer referenced it, the cap has a smaller inner screw cap in the center, the top of which is flush with the main cap. Very useful when inverting the bubbler to soak in sanitizer. And of course on a 5" diameter foot print it's far more stable in that position than a regular carboy.

However, had that inner cap been of a slightly larger diameter I'd be able to get my auto siphon in there but no big deal.

It will drain on a regular carboy dryer if you also invert the dryer.

It's not as tall as a regular carboy so fits better in my temp controlled fridge and in storage.

Haven't cleaned it yet. But that's the last of my worries. That's why I bought it!
 
I've been eyeing these up myself. I wonder about how airtight the lid is, but obviously it must be easier to remove than a rubber bung..... I hate prying those damn things out of the top of my carboy!
 
stevescott123 said:
Is there some advantage of the shape or volume of space at the top of the regular carboy versus the bubbler? I doubt I could taste it if there were...
Click to expand...

I would say your at a disadvantage buying a big mouth because of the space at the top (at least as far as secondary fermenation goes).

With a regular carboy you have the narrow neck (which means less surface area in contact with your beer and less chance of oxidizing.) This is assuming that you fill your carboys to the neck.

For this reason I would only get a big mouth in 6.5 gallon carboy, since I would only use them for primary fermentation.
 
Cbaddad said:
I love the wide mouth on it, but would like to see it in clear plastic too. I am not interested in rehashing the plastic / glass debate, but just wanted to throw it out there. Picking up full glass carboys to put into my chest freezer are just too much for me. I love the better bottles, but really hate cleaning them. I know it would essentially be a clear bucket at that point, but that sounds good to me.
Click to expand...

NB now sells a plastic version.
 

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