Which fermintation vessel to buy?

[BrunDog]

No problem submerging the spigot but in the rare circumstance it leaks, it might allow for an infection. There is a chrome spigot that is supposedly better.

I have 3 speidels and love them.

 

[1bottlerocket]

I am new to brewing and just bought a Speidel. They are easier to come by here and I saw it as an upgrade to using buckets. I am getting ready to start another batch this weekend.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

Love my siphonless big mouth bubbler. Sold my glass carboy after using only once.

 

[PADave]

Came home to boxes on the porch today! Got my Speidel and can't wait to get some wort in it this weekend. Along with it came the ingredients for my first 5 gal batch. Got the chrome spigot too. Now I should be set as far as equipment goes for a while. I can do 1 gal, 3 gal, and now 5 gal batches. Time to get the pipeline flowing.

 

[GORILLA]

Contact whoever you bought the EVO2's from. There is a replacement lid available that presses into the top instead of screwing on. It fits securely and seals very well.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/big-mouth-bubbler-universal-lid-single-port.html

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/big-mouth-bubbler-universal-dual-port-lid.html

Midwest provided me a replacement lid at no cost. Even if you end up having to pay for the lids they are about $6 each and completely solve the sealing issue.

I've had both... Not very happy with either

 

[aprichman]

I have 3 gallon glass carboys, a 6 gallon PET carboy, and a 5 gallon plastic BMB with the screw top. I also have some PET plastic buckets.

The 3 gallon glass carboys are pretty awesome. They are thick and I would be genuinely surprised if they broke without a decent bump on a hard surface or pretty serious thermal shock. I bought two of these when I started homebrewing, one went to a buddy to make cider and the other one is used for small batches. To clean the carboy I just rinse it out and then give it a soak with hot PBW.

The 6 gallon PET is what I currently use as my main fermentation vessel. I currently brew 5.5 gallon batches and target 5.25 gallons for the carboy. I always make sure to have a blow off tube handy I even bought some cool volumetric stickers from brewhardware. I really like how lightweight the carboy is and I'm glad I never have to worry about shattering it. Cleans up great with a quick rinse and then a hot PBW soak.

Can't say many nice things about my 5 gallon BMB, it doesn't seal properly although it is easy to clean. I lent this to a friend who was making a beer back in November ... should probably get it back but I pretty much used it to help haul 10 gallons of RO water for my batches. Now I just use some of my buckets to haul water. I've also used the buckets for fermentation and I've had better luck getting them to seal then the BMB.

I like my 6 gallon PET carboy and 3 gallon glass carboy the best. Why? They seal really well. I can leave my beers in my fermentation chamber for 4-5 weeks if life gets crazy and I don't have to worry about oxidation issues. If you use PBW carboys are also easy to clean out. I just leave them in the bathtub while they are soaking.

After that I would go with plastic buckets. They are cheap, seal decently (especially if you can find a lid that has a grommet - although make sure to keep that clean), and are really easy to clean. BMB comes in dead last, which is a bit funny since it was my most expensive fermentation vessel. I don't have a great opinion about most Northern Brewer products although some of them like my Silver Serpent are actually pretty good.

The Speidel fermentation vessels look fantastic and I wouldn't mind trying one out myself. Congrats on your purchase. Did you decide to get the metal sampling valve?

 

[JunkCatsOnThePorch]

Started with glass carboys. They certainly look awesome! Didn't like them. I moved to plastic wine buckets with the gasket lid, and some BBs when secondary is essential. Much more happier.

Just recently Re-bought some glass carboys for making and aging sours. Had a friend help me move it full of wort to my brew shelf (that is made of metal). I moved it later to inspect it and it made a loud CLANG! HOLY ****. That sent shock waves through my body. There is carpet and neighbors down there! All is well and I quickly placed my gf's expired yoga mat under the carboys and buckets so nothing like that will ever happen again!

 

[Puddlethumper]

I've had both... Not very happy with either

Sorry to hear that. I've made at least a half-dozen batches since getting the replacement lid (single port). It has sealed well and done a good job. I like it about the best of any fermenters I've owned and would buy another if I needed one.

But that's why it's good that we have so many choices, huh? Each to his own.

 

[dsniegocki]

+1 for the SS Brewtech Brew Bucket. Easy to clean, do not have to keep out of the light during fermentation, does not break, do not have to tape threads, valve at the bottom let's you run a hose to the bottom of the bottling bucket. The list goes on. It also just looks cool

What he said. I absolutely love my SS Brew Bucket. Plus the optional temp control system works VERY well, for heating or cooling.