Starter kit glass or plastic

[elkhorn98]

I am going to buy a kit and wonder if I should get glass or plastic fermantation vessels. Any comments about either? Thanks.

 

[ScottT]

Do a search on this forum and you'll find volumes. Glass is the way to go. It's only slightly more expensive in the begining but you'll be glad you did.

1 - It's easier to sanatize
2 - You can see what's going on and will help you determine what to do next.
3 - Better temperature monitoring/control due to the thermal conductivity of glass.

 

[Mindflux]

I love my glass carboys but am scared I'll break them (If you search other forums you'll see horrendous stories).

If I were starting out and couldn't afford conicals I'd suggest better bottles. They're plastic PET bottles (sort of like ozarka bottles) but less oxygen permeable. Don't bother with the ones with the racking port and rotating racking arm.. that makes a plastic bottle w/ arm 50+ dollars, just get the basic non ported versions for 22 bucks (6 gallon) and 19 (5 gallon) and an autosiphon.

Good stuff, you can watch your ferment (unlike plastic pales).. they wont break (like glass) and are still easy to clean/sanitize. Just use PBW/Oxyclean to clean the crud out and your favorite sanitizer (star-san is my fav) to sanitize.

 

[Tony]

I love watching a glass primary while it's mid "furious" during the inital ferment. So cool!

Anyway, I love doing my ferments in a 6.5 Carboy and secondary in a 5 gallon. Glass is easy to clean and doesnt absorb anything.

 

[elkhorn98]

I am actually considering glass vs better bottle carboys? Anyone using the better bottles?

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

i use 6.5 g glass primary and 5 g glass secondary. i prefer glass over plastic. i use carboy carriers (brew haulers) on both, and a carboy handle on my 5 gallon carboy. never had troubles.

 

[woodstone]

I'm with most here...I've been using nothing but a 6.5G glass as primary and 5G glass as secondary...I don't bother with blow off tubes because I think it is a pain and x-fer to secondary within a week or so anyway...would not use buckets...but will begin to switch over to the better bottle system or something new in the future if/when my glass stash gets low...it SUCKS when they break and your lucky not to loose a hand, literally.

Cheers.

 

[david_42]

I've only used plastic buckets and would not use glass carboys, too heavy and too easy to break. Also, there's always that chance of getting skunked. Both locations I use for fermenting have flouresent lights. I've never had any problems with odors or cleaning. My only problem is with four bucket lids I have three stopper sizes. One of these days, I'll re-cut the small ones. Better bottles are tempting, but I think I'll wait until I'm rich enough to go to stainless steel conicals (next year with luck).

It's one of those decisions that works either way.

 

[tnlandsailor]

Issues like skunking and breakage are really non-issues. It's all about the beer. Plastic is plastic is plastic. It scratches easier than glass and absorbs odors. If you get aggressive on cleaning you will scratch it which will effectively render it useless. Glass, at least for the homebrewer, cannot be beat as far as the beer is concerned.

Can glass break? Of course. But there is this thing you can do called "being careful". It means that if you have to carry a full carboy a long way, you either need to move your brewery closer to the fermentation spot, or you need to devise a better way to carry it so you won't drop it. There are lots of carriers and straps and other doohickeys to help you do this. And skunking? Give me a break. Wrap a towel around it, or make a cover. I used to use a T-shirt with the air lock sticking out of the neck hole. Better yet, turn off the light, or find a dark closet somewhere. This is really a non issue.

I broke a carboy once. It was ugly. I was also being stupid. Learn from the mistakes of others and you won't break your carboy. Be careful, use glass, and your beer will thank you.

Prosit!

 

[JOHN51277]

I started out with the plastic, and quickly moved to all glass, for the cleaning, and the view of what is happening inside. It is up to you but all the info out there on the net leads toward glass. but this is just my opinion, and everyone has one.

 

[Mindflux]

Issues like skunking and breakage are really non-issues. It's all about the beer. Plastic is plastic is plastic. It scratches easier than glass and absorbs odors. If you get aggressive on cleaning you will scratch it which will effectively render it useless.

I hear this excuse time and time again. What makes scratching plastic so bad? How is one's plastic pale ruined with scratches? When sanitizing, the liquid sanitizer surely can get into those scratches at the molecular level.. so it's a moot point. Can those places harbor bacteria? Sure... can star-san or iodophor get into those places? You bet.

Moot. Point.

 

[elkhorn98]

Anyone have any comments on the better bottles?