I have shoulder issues already...week ago last sunday dropped my bike on the side of a driveway ( it takes MEGA talent to wreck setting still) and it slammed my shoulder into the ground so it is near impossible for me to pick up a full carboy anymore. grabbed two buckets and have some beer going in em right now and I have to admit I like it better. I still like cold crashing in a bright tank so gotta figure that one out..... MIGHT have several 6.5 gallon carboys to part with.
slowly switching to buckets for primaries
- Thread starter OHIOSTEVE
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sputnam
Well-Known Member
what do you like better about it? I can't imagine using anything I couldn't see into
I am fermenting in a bucket for the first time right now. I absolutely can't stand not being able to see what is going on! Watching a fermentation lock just does not satisfy me. But I have to admit that I really appreciate how easy it is to move it around compared to glass carboys. I'm probably going to get a 6.5 gallon carboy, but I'm considering a wide mouth 6.5 gallon PET carboy.
Conan
Well-Known Member
Cleaning alone is way easier on a bucket. You do need to watch how you clean, though. No abrasive pads or brushes, and no metal anywhere near the inside of the bucket. Plus there's some light blocking capability in the bucket. If you ever build a temp control chamber or even use the wet t-shirt swamp cooler method you can't see what's going on anyway. Kyle
You should try out a stainless steel fusti. They are a bit pricey, but they are pretty awesome. Large opening, super easy to clean, 2 handles for easy transportation and highly customizable.
Here is an example.
http://www.ilfustino.com/p-43-25-liter-fusti.aspx
Here is an example.
http://www.ilfustino.com/p-43-25-liter-fusti.aspx
freisste
Well-Known Member
Please amend your statement to say "...still smells amazing like the last batch..."
I use buckets exclusively. Smell doesn't bother me a bit.
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
what I like about em.... WAY WAY easier to clean...easier to move around...no worries about breaking one and ending up in the ER...easier storage when empty.....WHAT I DON'T LIKE......cleaning the lid.. not being able to see.
Smell, what smell? I have only ever used buckets and have over a dozen of them. They have handles to carry with, they are durable, they are easy to rack into and out of, they are easy to pop dry hops in and they don't break!
Who cares if you can see fermentation, after years of brewing they all look the same. As for smell, if you properly clean them with oxy or PBW, rinse and sanitize when used they will last many years with no issues, in addition, they're cheap and easily replaceable when needed.
Who cares if you can see fermentation, after years of brewing they all look the same. As for smell, if you properly clean them with oxy or PBW, rinse and sanitize when used they will last many years with no issues, in addition, they're cheap and easily replaceable when needed.
Kevin79
Well-Known Member
I don't find carboys harder to clean. Both my carboys (one glass and one PET) have never felt the bristles of a carboy brush or the like. A one night soak in pbw takes away all that gunk no problem. I love my PET carboy. That thing is so light and easy to carry.
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
i have a BUNCH of carboys and even soaking in oxy I still have to brush em out... and how,in any way, is a plastic carboy superior to a plastic bucket? I get the glass ones and the idea they are cleaner but what advantage can a plastic carboy possibly have?
Kevin79
Well-Known Member
Kevin79
Well-Known Member
With plastic carboys there is no "every person who owns a glass carboy is eventually doing to drop it on their foot and slice an artery" stigma.
And...... I get to watch fermentation. It really is the best of both worlds. I really have nothing against fermenting in buckets, to each their own. For me, a rewarding part of the hobby is watching my beer ferment.
Plastic Carboy is PET, Plastic Bucket is HDPE
PET > HDPE in many ways.
Of course, I believe do what works for YOU. Drink what YOU like, how YOU like. Brew what YOU like, how YOU like.
I was a huge fan of plastic buckets until I started getting infections and figured out it was a specific bucket that kept "re-infecting" my brews. I started switching to plastic carboys and haven't had an issue. Although, I think I practice much better brewing practices now. I've got my system for cleaning PET carboys down and actually its easier than cleaning a bucket.
Fill with a gallon or two of hot water and poor man's PBW (Oxiclean and TSP-90), flip upside down into a cup and let sit for 24+ hours.
PET > HDPE in many ways.
Of course, I believe do what works for YOU. Drink what YOU like, how YOU like. Brew what YOU like, how YOU like.
I was a huge fan of plastic buckets until I started getting infections and figured out it was a specific bucket that kept "re-infecting" my brews. I started switching to plastic carboys and haven't had an issue. Although, I think I practice much better brewing practices now. I've got my system for cleaning PET carboys down and actually its easier than cleaning a bucket.
Fill with a gallon or two of hot water and poor man's PBW (Oxiclean and TSP-90), flip upside down into a cup and let sit for 24+ hours.
I love my buckets! The smell doesn't bother me and has never effected a batch of beer so who cares.... They are super easy to clean a quick oxy soak, a swipe of my bare hand b/c I can reach the bottom w/out needing some kind of brush. They are easy to get swollen bags of wet hops out of after dry hopping, and I think someone said it already I wouldn't be able to see fermentation in my chest freezer anyway even if I had a carboy. Oh & I'm not going to need stitches if I drop it!!! What's not to love??
I loved everything about buckets except having to pry the whole lid of to take a gravity reading, so I decided to pop the little grommet for the air lock out and drill the hole out big enough for a stopper. Now i just pop out the stopper, take my sample and put the stopper back in, just as easy as using a carboy. So much easier than prying the lid off and worrying about a bunch of O2 or contamination getting into the bucket.
Took less than 5 minutes to do, definitely recommend it!
Took less than 5 minutes to do, definitely recommend it!
I have a 6 gallon Better Bottle for the occasional secondary. Or a 3rd 5 gallon batch if need be. But getting bourbon-soaked oak chips past that narrow neck is a pita. I prefer my 7.9G "shorty" bucket from Midwest & my Cooper's Micro Brew fermenters, all with spigots to make life easier. Just remove the airlock centerpiece & use the spigot to take gravity samples. Remove & clean the spigots & their associated parts After soaking in water up to the top of the crud line & 3TBSP's of PBW.Everything soaks loose & a very light rubbing with my bottle brush & rinse. Sanitize with Starsan right before use & no scratches or smells. You have to remember that the brushes are plastic as well. Not at all like using a wire brush or other stiff-bristled brush. Never any scratches if done lightly. And no smells left over. Here's one of my gadget videos that shows some handy stuff.
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sfish
Well-Known Member
I place my carboys inside a plastic milk crates. The crate provives handles and a buffer.
I just bought a couple of $25 broken handled keg's off homebrewing.org with their cornelious stopper drilled lids and I now have several steel primary and secondaries for pretty cheap. If action is really stopped, I have used the regular lids for longer secondaries and just release any pressure periodically.
But steel secondaries for $25. For a few more bucks you can transfer from secondary keg to a clean new keg for force carbing without opening the lids and zero exposure to oxygen.
Fenduh
Well-Known Member
Although I slightly miss seeing the fermentation process by using buckets I enjoy the ease of them. I've held a flashlight to the side to see the krausen but for the most part I just leave it be.
All my buckets have spigots so taking a gravity reading is easy. I also have been using Domino Dots for bottle carbing the last 5 or 6 batches with great results so I don't have to transfer to another bucket to bottle. I ferment and bottle all from one bucket.
All my buckets have spigots so taking a gravity reading is easy. I also have been using Domino Dots for bottle carbing the last 5 or 6 batches with great results so I don't have to transfer to another bucket to bottle. I ferment and bottle all from one bucket.
I like(by like I mean prefer) my Big Mouth plastics to my buckets. I get to see the fermentation like carboys, have the ease of cleaning similar to buckets, lightweight and difficulty of being broken like buckets. Not to mention the ease of adding extra stuff to my beers.
Chops1867
Well-Known Member
+1 for the carboy in a milk crate idea. I use milk crates to transport my carboys and store my bottles.
dkevinb
Well-Known Member
Light, strong, unbreakable, light proof, easy to clean, built-in handle, inexpensive. Yep. I've seen beer ferment before. If I ever get the urge again I'll make a 1-gallon batch. This guy with a bad back and a fear of shattering glass will just keep his buckets.
Probably true, but I am fermenting my first 5 gallon batch, and the two before that were both Mr Beer kits! I still want to see what's happening cause I'm a newbie and I need the reassurance that everything is working right!
I've always fermented in buckets. What's to watch? It goes into the fermenting freezer and I never look at it again except a quick check for any blowout. Watching beer ferment is kind of like sitting in front of a fire and looking at the flames.
sputnam
Well-Known Member
Watching beer ferment is kind of like sitting in front of a fire and looking at the flames.
Exactly why I like it. - different strokes i guess
Exactly why I like it. - different strokes i guess
I like fermenting in a bucket. I think we can get *WAY* too paranoid about sterilisation, my dad has probably been using the same ail pail for the last 10 years and doesn't even know what an infection is! Its stained as brown as you like on the inside, but good basic cleaning practices and sterilisation keep it good for brewing.
For me:
Beer = Buckets
Wine = Glass
For me:
Beer = Buckets
Wine = Glass
Well I picked up a 6 gallon Better Bottle yesterday and a stopper, so my next ferment will be in that. As soon as I rack the beer currently in my bucket into one of my carboys as a secondary, I can drill the hole in it and install the spigot I got with it so I can use it for bottling as planned. So now I have two options for primaries!
