What is your favorite plastic primary and secondary fermenter?

[ajstrider]

I have done a primary and secondary (clarifier) fermenter every time so far. I have a 6.5 and a 5 gallon glass carboy. I joined up here and all the sudden you guys have me afraid of breaking my glass carboys and me bleeding to death on my kitchen floor! Anyways, I am looking at all these plastic style fermenters and wonder what are you guys using and liking the best?

I guess so far, these Better Bottles have my attention the most. I may also try just a single fermenter batch soon because it seems a lot of you do that instead of a secondary (clarifier) fermenter and say it doesn't make a difference.

 

[sputnam]

better bottle all the way. just don't get the one with the racking adapter. and make sure you follow the cleaning instructions. Super easy but you will ruin them if done wrong

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I'm a fan of these 6 gallon carboys made by The Vintage Shop. Unlike Better Bottles, they have straight walls, and also unlike Better Bottles, they don't suck in any liquid from your airlock when you pick them up. Price is comparable, too.

There's also the relatively new comer to the market called Big Mouth Bubblers, but I've never used one, so I can't really comment on those.

I only transfer to secondary carboys when adding fruit or other specialty ingredients for extended aging. Other than that, I always use just one primary carboy and keg it right from there.

 

[AnOldUR]

There is a vocal group here on HBT who feel graphic examples of their shortcomings will make them less accountable for their actions. That their failure is proof that glass has no place in homebrewing. If it makes those using glass more careful, it's a good thing, but don't let the fear mongers control you.

 

[HopinJim]

Big Mouth Bubblers here, and I love them! I see others on here that complain about the difficulty to get them to seal, but I've never seen that with mine. Just have to make sure to get the ring screwed down nice and tight.

 

[Chrisbrewbeers]

I bought 3 name brand of online homebrewshop or just generic 6 gal better bottle type carboys before I bought a name brand better bottle one and the #10 stopper and carboy hood fits much tighter in name brand. I have solid stoppers that I could easily lose inside the generic ones and almost have. The generic do work fine but for 2 bucks or so more I would just get the real better bottle.

 

[Gareth68]

I have two big mouth bubblers.

Positives..

Big mouth.

Light.


Negatives.

Could definitely be a little thicker.

The idiotic embossed pattern with is a pain in the ass to clean as stuff "sticks" in the dimples.

That stated I just purchased one of these carboys from morebeer:

http://morebeer.com/products/plastic-carboy-5-gallon.html

It is VERY heavy duty and has no idiotic embossed pattern.

I was impressed enough that I ordered two more.

ALL three will be pressed into cider service.

Apfelwine is fermenting in the first one as I type.

I would really like something like the big mouth but heavier and with smooth walls.


Spiedels have caught my eye as a possibility.

 

[opiate82]

I like buckets for ease of cleaning. I have 5 different bucket fermenters and the one I love is the Austin Homebrew Supply 7.9 gallon bucket. Great seal, just make sure you also get the lid-removal tool. People say good seal doesn't matter because you'll have a protective layer of CO2 in there, but my oxidation issues with other bucket fermenters that didn't have an air-tight seal gave me enough correlation to disagree (not claiming causation, just inferring). It should be noted I tend to do long 2 week+ primary fermentations)

I do use a 5 gallon Better Bottle bucket for bulk aging and haven't had an issue. I also am not afraid of my glass carboys, they get regular use as well.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I like buckets .

I would second this. Can't beat a bucket for your average beer, cheap, large enough to avoid a blow off, easy to clean, easy to move while full, etc.

Not the best for for long term aging, or watching fermentation if that's your thing.

 

[Sparge]

I just ordered me another plastic Big Mouth Bubbler. I use a bucket also, but when I ordered an extra fermenter, it was the Big Mouth.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I also use buckets. I have 2x 6.5 gal buckets that I use as primaries, and a 5 gallon glass carboy if I want to secondary (most times I just use the other bucket.) I have a 6.5 gal priming bucket as well.

I've been really wanting to get a 6.5 gal big plastic mouth bubbler. I like the dual port option in the lid. That way I can easily siphon or take a sample without removing the whole lid, I just have to remove one of the stoppers.

The biggest negative I've read about the 6.5 gal plastic version is that it is taller and tends to "flex" because it is plastic. The thicker ribs around the vessel is supposed to give it rigidity, but I still read that it likes to bend when it is full.

 

[dmcman73]

When I first started brewing I used buckets for my fermentation, it's what came with my "starter" kit. The buckets are great, as most have said wide opening, easy to clean, etc. BUT, there are cons. I started noticing that the buckets started holding the smell of my last batch of beer no matter how well I cleaned it. Hot water, PBW, soft cloth, the smell was still there. It was more noticeable when I would store the bucket when I wasn't brewing and the lid was on to keep up dust and such and then take the lid off to give it another cleaning before use.

I'm sure that the wort smell from brews past might not impart the flavor of a new brew but, I stopped using the bucket for that reason and moved onto glass carboy's. Liek you I had a fear of dropping or even having the carboy cracking while moving it. I started putting all my glass carboy's into these half milk crates from the container store: http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10000531&N=&Ntt=milk+crate. That way the glass was protected from anything tapping it from the sides and I figured that if the carboy did crack, the milk crate would contain the shards that could possible maim me. The milk crates make it safer to move around and doesn't put unnecessary stress on parts of the glass to cause it to crack. It might be overkill but, I used to use those stainless mess gloves when I would carry the milk crate with the full carboy so as to not lose an appendage in the event the glass cracked inside the crate.

If you go with the Better bottles or any of the other plastic vessels, that milk crate is still a good investment for those as well. Cut a piece of ply wood to fit at the bottom of the crate, put your better bottle in and fill. This way now, when you move your better bottle around while full, the bottom won't flex and suck in anything from the air lock.

I've recently moved onto a Stainless steel conical since I only brew one 5 gallon batch at a time. If I want to brew another batch while my conical is full, I still have my glass carboy's standing by.

There is always a danger to anything you do in brewing, if the glass doesn't get you then a wet slippery floor will.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I started noticing that the buckets started holding the smell of my last batch of beer no matter how well I cleaned it. Hot water, PBW, soft cloth, the smell was still there. It was more noticeable when I would store the bucket when I wasn't brewing and the lid was on to keep up dust and such and then take the lid off to give it another cleaning before use.

This is actually 1 of 2 things that I dislike about the buckets. They hold smell from previous batches, even after letting it soak in Oxyfree overnight. And they tend to become offcolored. I currently use IoSan iodine sanitizer, and it has an orangey tint to it. If I need a sanitizer bucket, it will take on the orangey color, and it can be very difficult to get out.

These 2 problems are leading me to seek out plastic carboys instead of buckets.

 

[Caboose]

I have the 6.5 plastic Big Mouth Bubbler, I love it. Its so easy to clean, but I agree it could be thicker.

 

[wolves63]

I am a big fan of the Vittles Vault on Amazon. I know that seems really strange to use a dog food container, but they are large enough to hold 15 gallons so you have plenty of head space in there and it is the perfect size for my 5 cu ft freezer I am using as a fermentation chamber, all of the other 15 gallon fermenters were too big. They are also only $30 so that is a bonus as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Vittles-Vault-50-50-Pound-Stackable/dp/B0002DJOOI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413293244&sr=8-2&keywords=vittles+vault

 

[dmcman73]

I am a big fan of the Vittles Vault on Amazon. I know that seems really strange to use a dog food container, but they are large enough to hold 15 gallons so you have plenty of head space in there and it is the perfect size for my 5 cu ft freezer I am using as a fermentation chamber, all of the other 15 gallon fermenters were too big. They are also only $30 so that is a bonus as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Vittles-Vault-50-50-Pound-Stackable/dp/B0002DJOOI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413293244&sr=8-2&keywords=vittles+vault

I was actually looking at those, or the stack-able ones, to start storing grains. I would have never have thought abut using them as a fermenter, I assume since you've been using it you've had no issues with sterilizing them?

 

[wolves63]

I was actually looking at those, or the stack-able ones, to start storing grains. I would have never have thought abut using them as a fermenter, I assume since you've been using it you've had no issues with sterilizing them?

I have fermented many times in it and I have had no issues with contamination. I just drilled a hole in the top, tossed in a bung stopped and airlock and went to town. I am also using 2 others for grain bins. I like them and I really liked the price. I feel they are the best bang for your buck.

 

[lousbrews]

Buckets for normal beers. Better bottles for sours.

 

[Komocabo]

Buckets are good. But stainless is wonderful! I have used a sanke keg for a while. It worked wonderfully and allowed to ferment 10 gal batches in the same fermenter for cheap (~$35-50 depending on how you can acquire one). I eventually cut the top off of one and made a plexiglass lid, and food grade rubber for a seal.Kind of a fun project, but the benefit with that is I can easily monitor fermentation, easy to clean, and it's easy to harvest yeast. Plus, I prefer stainless. Doesn't shatter, or stain, and pretty hard to destroy, so you could call it a permanent solution.

I also do not secondary. I dry hop directly into the primary. Secondary fermentation should be when adding fruit, aging on oak chips, etc.

Disclaimer: get your kegs legally. There, I avoided the "you're a thief if you have a sanke" crowd.

Cheers

 

[Yooper]

I only transfer to secondary carboys when adding fruit or other specialty ingredients for extended aging. Other than that, I always use just one primary carboy and keg it right from there.

Me too, except I use one bucket usually instead of a carboy. I have these huge 8 gallon buckets that are great, but I never see them for sale any more. They are easy to carry, as I'm a weakling.

 

[Caboose]

I am a big fan of the Vittles Vault on Amazon. I know that seems really strange to use a dog food container, but they are large enough to hold 15 gallons so you have plenty of head space in there and it is the perfect size for my 5 cu ft freezer I am using as a fermentation chamber, all of the other 15 gallon fermenters were too big. They are also only $30 so that is a bonus as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Vittles-Vault-50-50-Pound-Stackable/dp/B0002DJOOI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413293244&sr=8-2&keywords=vittles+vault

Thanks for sharing that! I'm going to have to try them out. $30 is hard to beat for something of that size.

 

[ryan_george]

I've been using 20 and 30 gallon Brute bins (white) for over a year with good results. The beer will only spend 1-2 weeks in there, and then it goes into a keg for further aging/serving.

 

[John53189]

Spiedel is not mentioned here...they are pretty nice.