R.I.P. Carboy

[GHBWNY]

This could have been disastrous: I was prepping my 6.5 gal glass carboy for secondary. There I am, bare arms, cradling it like a baby, washing it out, tipping it up, tipping it down. When I gently set it down in the sink, I noticed it had kind of a crackly "thud" instead of that distinct hollow glassy ring. Sensing something wasn't right, I slowly picked it up and gently set it down again --- same thing. One last cradle in my bare arms to inspect, and there it was --- a hairline crack a third of the way around the base, beginning to spider into the body of the vessel. While I quickly set it in the sink --- envisioning what could have happened --- I thanked God it didn't, put it in a milk crate on the floor and ordered a new carboy.

Plastic.

 

[b-boy]

Welcome to the dark side! It's a little safer here.

 

[brewpool]

Yikes! Glad you averted disaster.

 

[Dixon9717]

Wow close call glad you didn't get hurt. I'm working my way to plastic. Only have 3 glass carboys to go then all plastic.

 

[m00ps]

your 6.5gal carboy fits in a milk crate?

 

[RM-MN]

Wow close call glad you didn't get hurt. I'm working my way to plastic. Only have 3 glass carboys to go then all plastic.

I have a nice steel hammer that would hasten your way to all plastic.

 

[Elkobrewer]

Close call. Go plastic. Don't worry about the plastic off flavor I've never in countered any off flavores from the bubblers I have.

 

[Electrake]

May she rest in peace, instead of pieces...

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

Glad you didn't have it shatter while holding on to it. That could have ended badly. I have one glass carboy, but after hearing all the horror stories like this one, I'm very seriously considering upgrading to plastic.

 

[wyccad915]

I am glad I decided to not go with a kit with a glass carboy. I actually don't even have a carboy. I got a kit that came with 2 plastic buckets plus the bottling bucket and for me that works just fine. Hopefully the plastic carboy works out great for you

 

[SeeMont]

I just made sealed terrariums out of my old glass carboys. They turn out great and then my SWMBO gives me the go ahead and get new ones.

 

[GHBWNY]

your 6.5gal carboy fits in a milk crate?

Yessir.

 

[David_Trucks]

your 6.5gal carboy fits in a milk crate?

Mine, too, fits in a milk crate. I use a speidel mostly now. All these horror stories about glass carboys has me freaked out. Especially cuz I wear sandals when I brew.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Just bottled a batch the other day. Cleaning things up afterward and found a 3" full depth crack in the bottom of my carboy. Could have been ugly. Good excuse to upgrade to a PET Big Mouth Bubbler.

 

[Ike]

Mine, too, fits in a milk crate....

I'm jealous of them too. My fridge-turned-chamber will BARELY fit two five gallon carboys side-by-side diagonally. But, since my 6.5 gallon is the same height as my 5's but wider, it only gets to play by itself. If I had the other kind, where the diameter was the same but it was taller, I'd be rockin' that bad boy out every batch I could.

I've seen one of the tall 6.5s on CL. Thought to myself a bit too long and they took the post down. Drat.

 

[GCPHomebrew]

I have yet to find glass to be unsafe. People on the other hand....

 

[bigbeer]

Yea, forunately I was ABOUT to rack it to secondary

 

[IslandLizard]

Yea, forunately I was ABOUT to rack it to secondary

Ouch! Did you drop it?

 

[RockyMountainCraftBrewing]

After a near drop of a full glass carboy and realizing what a mess it would make if I had dropped it I decided to no longer use glass carboys.I had serious desire for a conical but I could not justify the price.After some searching on youtube I opted to ferment in corny kegs.Nice solid steel fermentation chamber that is super easy to move and the gas out post provides the perfect blow off.Corny kegs are also super easy to clean.Just dump the yeast after giving it a swirl with a bit of hot water then throw in a teaspoon of PBW along with a kettle of boiling water.Lock the lid on and give it a good shake for 2 minutes then let it sit upside down for 5 minutes and repeat then dump it out and reinse a few times.The only mod I had to do with the corny was to take apart the liquid out post and cut down the dip tube by 5 inches with a pipecutter.The easiest part is when fermentation is done I cold crash the keg and then sanitize another keg along with a jumper line I made up.Hook the kegs up with the jumper liquid to liquid and then hook up my CO2 to the fermented keg and transfer it over with the preasure valve open on the receiving keg.Once transfer is done I close the valve and force carbonate the allready cold beer.

No worries over breakage from dropping it or about contamination.I dont have to worry about sediment from using a racking cane either.

Used corny kegs cost more than a PET carboy but are super cheap compared to a conical.

RMCB

 

[mongoose33]

After a near drop of a full glass carboy and realizing what a mess it would make if I had dropped it I decided to no longer use glass carboys.I had serious desire for a conical but I could not justify the price.After some searching on youtube I opted to ferment in corny kegs.Nice solid steel fermentation chamber that is super easy to move and the gas out post provides the perfect blow off.Corny kegs are also super easy to clean.Just dump the yeast after giving it a swirl with a bit of hot water then throw in a teaspoon of PBW along with a kettle of boiling water.Lock the lid on and give it a good shake for 2 minutes then let it sit upside down for 5 minutes and repeat then dump it out and reinse a few times.The only mod I had to do with the corny was to take apart the liquid out post and cut down the dip tube by 5 inches with a pipecutter.The easiest part is when fermentation is done I cold crash the keg and then sanitize another keg along with a jumper line I made up.Hook the kegs up with the jumper liquid to liquid and then hook up my CO2 to the fermented keg and transfer it over with the preasure valve open on the receiving keg.Once transfer is done I close the valve and force carbonate the allready cold beer.

No worries over breakage from dropping it or about contamination.I dont have to worry about sediment from using a racking cane either.

Used corny kegs cost more than a PET carboy but are super cheap compared to a conical.

RMCB

So you're leaving behind 5 inches of trub and beer in the fermenting corny keg? I understand the desire to get the dip tube out of the trub, but five inches is a gallon+, isn't it?

I think it's an interesting idea--and it's dark inside there!

 

[TX_Brewing]

I just made sealed terrariums out of my old glass carboys. They turn out great and then my SWMBO gives me the go ahead and get new ones.

Some more info on this would be interesting!

 

[MFWINZLOW]

First and only breakage happened early in 2015 - that carboy was well over 30 years old and had seen hundreds of gallons - it was empty and cracked from setting down on the counter. I retired the remaining glass and went with the less expensive PET 6 gallon vessels.

 

[ultravista]

I was prepping my 6.5 gal glass carboy for secondary.

So old school ...

 

[TX_Brewing]

I was prepping my 6.5 gal glass carboy for secondary.

So old school ...

Easy easy..... Some of us like old school........


Young punks.....

 

[MI_Dogman]

Well this makes me feel a lot better about going the stainless route after using my carboys for a while. Just waiting for the SS Brewtech 7gal Chronical to come in the mail! I am really glad you were not hurt. I have had my Carboys slip in my hands while cleaning multiple times, and it did not make me feel very good.

 

[AnOldUR]

I was prepping my 6.5 gal glass carboy for secondary.

So old school ...

Actually, pretty noobish. Old school would know better than use a 6-1/2 gallon carboy as a secondary.

Unless he had at least 7 gallons of beer to put in it.

 

[spittybug]

After a near drop of a full glass carboy and realizing what a mess it would make if I had dropped it I decided to no longer use glass carboys.I had serious desire for a conical but I could not justify the price.After some searching on youtube I opted to ferment in corny kegs.Nice solid steel fermentation chamber that is super easy to move and the gas out post provides the perfect blow off.Corny kegs are also super easy to clean.Just dump the yeast after giving it a swirl with a bit of hot water then throw in a teaspoon of PBW along with a kettle of boiling water.Lock the lid on and give it a good shake for 2 minutes then let it sit upside down for 5 minutes and repeat then dump it out and reinse a few times.The only mod I had to do with the corny was to take apart the liquid out post and cut down the dip tube by 5 inches with a pipecutter.The easiest part is when fermentation is done I cold crash the keg and then sanitize another keg along with a jumper line I made up.Hook the kegs up with the jumper liquid to liquid and then hook up my CO2 to the fermented keg and transfer it over with the preasure valve open on the receiving keg.Once transfer is done I close the valve and force carbonate the allready cold beer.

No worries over breakage from dropping it or about contamination.I dont have to worry about sediment from using a racking cane either.

Used corny kegs cost more than a PET carboy but are super cheap compared to a conical.

RMCB

Welcome!!! Go one step further and start fermenting under pressure in your Corny. You'll need an adjustable spunding valve to let the pressure out in the 10 - 15 lb range. Since there isn't too much head room in a Corny, I daisy chain the gas post of the fermenter to the liquid post of an empty keg and put the spunding valve on the gas post of the second keg. You can go from grain to glass in literally less than 10 days. On my last (a Bierre de Garde), I got rid of the dip tube and used a silicone hose attached to a floating yeast vile bobber so that I didn't pick up any trub from the bottom. After cold crashing for a couple of days I transferred to a clean keg (the rinsed out second keg) and since I was pulling from the top, got immediately and continuously clear transfer. The cold crash dropped the keg pressure from 10 or so to 5psi, but it won't take long to bring that back up. It tasted clean and crisp with no "cleanup time needed" flavors. This guy was fermenting like crazy within 18 hours and was essentially done in 40. Hit all the numbers. No more buckets, no more carboys, no more oxidation, no more racking.

 

[GHBWNY]

Actually, pretty noobish. Old school would know better than use a 6-1/2 gallon carboy as a secondary.

Old, but not old school.

 

[bigbeer]

Ouch! Did you drop it?

Yup, Knocked it off the counter!

 

[lumpher]

I have yet to find glass to be unsafe. People on the other hand....

People don't kill people. Glass carboys kill people. Wait... Not quite sure of that saying... ipe:

 

[sudbuddy]

how many stitches?

 

[GHBWNY]

People don't kill people. Glass carboys kill people. Wait... Not quite sure of that saying... ipe:

Yeah, careful. Or next thing you know, there will be an Executive Order for "Carboy Control".

 

[RockyMountainCraftBrewing]

So you're leaving behind 5 inches of trub and beer in the fermenting corny keg? I understand the desire to get the dip tube out of the trub, but five inches is a gallon+, isn't it?

I think it's an interesting idea--and it's dark inside there!

Actually I am pretty sure I cut the dip tubes down by 4 inches.I looked at how much yeast was at the bottom of a carboy and I would say it was all most 2 inches high.I figured 4 inches was about right as for the smaller diameter of a corny and as you pointed out it there is no light inside a corny which makes all of the yeast completely drop to the bottom when they have finished all of their hard work for me.

Yes I do lose about 1/2 a gallon of beer but that is a small price to pay for super clear ales/lagers.I buy my hops/yeast by the pound and my base grains by the 55 pound sack.I figure it costs me about $10 to brew a hopped up IPA.

When I got into making my own beer I jumped straight into all grain and quickly came to the realization that buying in bulk was the way to go.

RMCB

 

[mongoose33]

Welcome!!! Go one step further and start fermenting under pressure in your Corny. You'll need an adjustable spunding valve to let the pressure out in the 10 - 15 lb range. Since there isn't too much head room in a Corny, I daisy chain the gas post of the fermenter to the liquid post of an empty keg and put the spunding valve on the gas post of the second keg. You can go from grain to glass in literally less than 10 days. On my last (a Bierre de Garde), I got rid of the dip tube and used a silicone hose attached to a floating yeast vile bobber so that I didn't pick up any trub from the bottom. After cold crashing for a couple of days I transferred to a clean keg (the rinsed out second keg) and since I was pulling from the top, got immediately and continuously clear transfer. The cold crash dropped the keg pressure from 10 or so to 5psi, but it won't take long to bring that back up. It tasted clean and crisp with no "cleanup time needed" flavors. This guy was fermenting like crazy within 18 hours and was essentially done in 40. Hit all the numbers. No more buckets, no more carboys, no more oxidation, no more racking.

Spittybug, this is....interesting. My personality type always looks for efficiencies, so when I see this I get interested.

One question: you mention above a "floating yeast vile bobber." Being the self-reliant guy I am I immediately repaired to Google to find out what one of these doodads is--and struck out. The only place that it's explicitly mentioned is...your post!

So what is it, Spittybug? A personal invention? Something from the fishing section of Cabelas? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[mongoose33]

Actually I am pretty sure I cut the dip tubes down by 4 inches.I looked at how much yeast was at the bottom of a carboy and I would say it was all most 2 inches high.I figured 4 inches was about right as for the smaller diameter of a corny and as you pointed out it there is no light inside a corny which makes all of the yeast completely drop to the bottom when they have finished all of their hard work for me.

Yes I do lose about 1/2 a gallon of beer but that is a small price to pay for super clear ales/lagers.I buy my hops/yeast by the pound and my base grains by the 55 pound sack.I figure it costs me about $10 to brew a hopped up IPA.

When I got into making my own beer I jumped straight into all grain and quickly came to the realization that buying in bulk was the way to go.

RMCB

I'm sure I'm headed in the direction of all-grain. I've only brewed two batches, both extract recipes. I just need another brew pot so I can try the BIAB method. Nothing that money won't solve.

 

[spittybug]

Spittybug, this is....interesting. My personality type always looks for efficiencies, so when I see this I get interested.

One question: you mention above a "floating yeast vile bobber." Being the self-reliant guy I am I immediately repaired to Google to find out what one of these doodads is--and struck out. The only place that it's explicitly mentioned is...your post!

So what is it, Spittybug? A personal invention? Something from the fishing section of Cabelas? Inquiring minds want to know.

I don't recall where I saw it, but I can't take credit for it..... Take a yeast vial, put a few pennies in it for ballast and attach the silicone hose to it with zip ties. You'll need a short section of metal tubing or a gas "tail" inside the hose so that you don't collapse it with the zip ties. The pennies make the vial float vertically and the the downward facing opening of the tubing therefore is sucking in liquid an inch or so under the surface. The top end of the tubing slides over the gas tail piece and may need a clamp. As the liquid level in the corny drops, so too does your float. When it reaches the bottom it will start to let CO2 through before trub, so that's when you disconnect. After you build this simple little floater, make sure to fill your corny with Starsan and soak everything really well to sanitize it. Enjoy.

 

[moels]

This guy makes a commercial version

http://www.clearbeerdraughtsystem.com/

not sure if it any good but looked interesting

 

[didinho]

Close call. Go plastic. Don't worry about the plastic off flavor I've never in countered any off flavores from the bubblers I have.

I totally agree. plastic is safe and perfect for homebrewing

 

[SeeMont]

TX, There is quite a bit of information on the net. We have an old 10 gallon acid carboy that has not been opened for over thirty years. I use a large cork to seal the top. Here is a link

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pHbhAPQ8_8[/ame]

 

[lumpher]

your 6.5gal carboy fits in a milk crate?

That's what I carry my 1 donated 6.5 carboy around in when I use it