single fermentation: plastic or carboy?

[twoheadedboy]

I'll be probably doing a lot of single stage fermentations in the next few months and want to invest in another fermenter; the question is, should I get a plastic ale pail or another glass carboy? Which would yield better results with this method?

Thanks!

 

[Germelli1]

Take a look here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/

It comes down to what you prefer in the end

 

[VonMessa]

I'll be probably doing a lot of single stage fermentations in the next few months and want to invest in another fermenter; the question is, should I get a plastic ale pail or another glass carboy? Which would yield better results with this method?

Thanks!

I used to use carboys exclusively.

They became a real PITA to clean.

Back to buckets I went for primary. I still secondary in carboys.

 

[twoheadedboy]

Thanks a bunch guys! VonMessa, your first pic made me drool.

 

[Atl300zx]

i like glass, it doesnt wear out, but it 10x the work to clean a carboy vs a bucket.

 

[Golddiggie]

Stainless steel all the way. :rockin: I've been using sanke kegs for the past several months now and love it. Cleaning is easy and IF it ever gets an infection (or I do a brett) I can boil it to sanitize. :rockin:

 

[HomebrewMTB]

I use carboys, buckets, and recently picked up a 3 gallon better bottle too. Carboys are not that difficult to clean. I find a good soak with a scoop of oxyclean works overnight to remove any krausen build up. They are really heavy though especially with 5.5 gallons of beer. Ale pail is a lot cheaper, comes with a handle, and much easier to carry. Just have to be careful not to scratch it. Again, I like a good oxyclean soak to clean the bucket too. Obviously still need to sanitize everything before it touches the wort.

 

[Jubilee]

Stainless steel all the way. :rockin: I've been using sanke kegs for the past several months now and love it. Cleaning is easy and IF it ever gets an infection (or I do a brett) I can boil it to sanitize. :rockin:

How do you use a sanke keg for fermentation?

 

[Germelli1]

How do you use a sanke keg for fermentation?

Remove the valve, slap a carboy cap on it...that how I do it with my 7.75 gal sanke keg.

 

[Golddiggie]

How do you use a sanke keg for fermentation?

It's actually rather easy. You remove the valve/spear from the keg (if it has one), clean it (PBW/Oxyclean), get a large universal bung (not the one for Better Bottles, the other one) and then proceed as normal. Depending on the keg, and batch size, you can use a blowoff tube in the bung as needed.

I'll try to take some pictures of mine setup over the next few days and post them up.

Benefits of using a keg include no light or air penetration of the fermenter. Plus the kegs are small enough that they are easy to move. Plus they're cheap when compared wit conical fermenters. The most I've paid for one (to date) was $115 for a new 25L keg. The lowest was $25 for a 1/6 bbl. I picked up a 50L for $40 and a tall only for $45 (plus shipping). Look on ebay, or local sources, for the size(s) you want. Craigslist can be another good source, just be ready to act when one shows up.

So far I have four 1/6 bbl, two 25L, one 50L, one short pony (1/4 bbl), one tall pony, and one 5 gallon corny (two lids, so I can either ferment or serve with it).

 

[Germelli1]

Here is my little 7.75 in action (video):

 

[Jubilee]

Nice, thanks guys.