Plastic vs. glass

[JDFlow]

I use glass. It just seems right. Natural and 100% airtight. I have one better bottle I got to see if I'd like it. I've used it maybe twice. It is much easier to move around but I don't trust it. My only infection was in the better bottle.

 

[Revvy]

The yeast doesn't care what you ferment in. It's all a matter of preference in the 21st century, plastic is just as acceptable to use these days as glass. It's really NOT a "-vs-" issues, it's purely a "choose what to use" and make beer in it. As you can see by the threads in the similar threads box below. This is a long discussed and debated topic that really just comes down to what YOU the brewer of YOUR BEER prefers to use.

 

[Darwin18]

Fermenting in either glass or plastic isn't going to have any real impact on the outcome of your beer. Plastic is lighter and cheaper but less durable over time than glass. Glass is more durable and "easier" to clean but is expensive, heavy, and can seriously injure you if you break it. Temperature control and pitching rates are far more important than choice of fermentation vessel material.

 

[SteveHeff]

With all of the sanitizers out there and the dependability of plastic, I think plastic is hard to beat. Sure, it scratches occasionally but you really have to throw something sharp inside in order to make that happen. There may be micro scratches that occur when you clean but it's nothing significant. IMO keep using a good sanitizer and differences will sort themselves out.

 

[Homercidal]

Get real. Nobody has ever made an award-winning beer with plastic fermenters.

 

[LandoLincoln]

I dropped each of my better bottles twice today while trying to clean them.... So for me, the choice is clear...

That's a good point. If you're a butterfingers, then you definitely need to avoid glass carboys.

 

[zeg]

The BB's also save a non-trivial amount of weight. I was really glad for that when I lifted a 6 gallon BB out of my chest freezer. My back would have been sore for at least an extra day if it had been glass!

 

[Darwin18]

I sold my one remaining glass carboy...and bought another better bottle.

Using PBW as your cleaner, there is no reason to scratch up the insides of the better bottle with a carboy brush.