Wide Mouth Glass Fermentor

[Milan37]

Yesterday I got an email from NB touting these. Not two hours later I got an email from Midwest for the exact same thing. Just a coincidence, I guess.

 

[CBelli]

Man, ya crazy, man! I'm in agreement with Bobby. Would be nice to be able to clean my carboys with a rag instead of soaking them. Could scrub and get them cleaner without using so much water. I'd have to use a different method of siphoning, but that's not a big deal. I typically use the carboy caps and start the siphon by a blast of co2 to push the beer out. Would maybe pick up an autosiphon or something.

I use carboy caps and 6lbs of co2 to push my beer into a cornie as well, but for me, this is 'closed transfer' is more important than easily cleaning a standard carboy....

I would love to get a few of these 6.5 ones but I am not willing to go back to an open transfer.....

If anyone figures out how to modify the cap to take a CO2 please share!!!

 

[Homercidal]

Yesterday I got an email from NB touting these. Not two hours later I got an email from Midwest for the exact same thing. Just a coincidence, I guess.

Not much of a coincidence if you consider that Midwest Supplies is basically a satellite of Northern Brewer...

 

[Homercidal]

I use carboy caps and 6lbs of co2 to push my beer into a cornie as well, but for me, this is 'closed transfer' is more important than easily cleaning a standard carboy....

I would love to get a few of these 6.5 ones but I am not willing to go back to an open transfer.....

If anyone figures out how to modify the cap to take a CO2 please share!!!

This doesn't seem like much of a challenge. It's a plastic cap, so it could easily be drilled and fitted with a QD, if nothing else.

 

[Robusto]

I would love to get a few of these 6.5 ones but I am not willing to go back to an open transfer.....

If anyone figures out how to modify the cap to take a CO2 please share!!!

Here you go:

http://www.kelvin.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=710112

or get a solid #5.5 and drill it out your self...

 

[beersk]

I use carboy caps and 6lbs of co2 to push my beer into a cornie as well, but for me, this is 'closed transfer' is more important than easily cleaning a standard carboy....

I would love to get a few of these 6.5 ones but I am not willing to go back to an open transfer.....

If anyone figures out how to modify the cap to take a CO2 please share!!!

Agreed. I really like the pressurized transfer. I soak my carboys with PBW solution in hot water for 24 hours. So cleaning, while wasting a bit of water, is easy enough.

 

[exc503]

As long as it seals as well as a standard carboy, I would be game. In fact have been dropping hints to wifey for three weeks (hope she catches them).

 

[Newsman]

Love it! Great idea!

 

[Newsman]

I, too, would love one of these in PET plastic. I even emailed NB about it. They basically said "we'll take it under advisement" or "yeah... when pigs fly."
I figure if we get enough people emailing them and asking for a PET Plastic version, they'll get the message. So, if you want a plastic version of this, go email NB or Midwest (or both!)

 

[rico567]

It's still glass, and I have better alternatives.

 

[diatonic]

Just saw these on the cover of the Northern Brewer catalog I just got. Anyone using them that can comment on them?

 

[ultravista]

I bought one from Midwest. Real nice but haven't used it yet. I'm trying to figure out how to use my thermowell with it. I'll have to drill the lid.

 

[zdbrown1]

A plastic version would be sweet

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[POAS]

I got one for X-mas and have used it twice. I love it. Easy to clean and it's glass. I did buy the hauler that's made for it to tote it around. Would be very hard to move without it.

 

[POAS]

Seals very well too.

 

[Yesfan]

If Better Bottle made a version of these, I think I would replace what I have now. Just curious, but are they the same diameter as standard carboys?

 

[jchawk]

For what it's worth I've been using Curtec plastic containers for fermenting.

I drilled a hole in the top using a step bit big enough to fit a rubber grommet and an airlock. I run a blow off tube to the airlock and put it into a bucket of sanitizer. I did this because the lid screws on tightly and has a really nice rubber gasket that keeps things nice and air tight.

I have yet to create a beer fountain with this method. You can typically find these second hand on eBay in various sizes. The 26 liter/6.9 gallon wide neck drums seems to work best for me as I normally do ~5ish gallon batches. I have some of the larger 55 liter/14.5 gallon drums but I think they are entirely too heavy to try and move with 10+ gallons of liquid so I just use them for bulk grain storage.

I'm intrigued by the better bottle but I think the Curtec has a nicer lid and they don't break when dropped...

 

[eastoak]

genius.

 

[Yesfan]

^^ I like those, but one thing I don't like is how wide they are. Wider vessels take up more space if you're using a temp controlled freezer to maintain fermenting temps.


That's what I'm wondering about the Big Mouth Bubblers. If they are wider in diameter than standard carboys, then that would be another disadvantage to me. I have a pretty good sized chest freezer. It can fit 3 six gallon buckets or 4 six gallon carboys. I can fit 8 five gallon ball locks too.

I would like to see a 6-6.5 gallon PET bottle that was narrow in diameter and had the big screw on lids like the big mouth bubblers. Then one could fit a lot of carboys in a small space. You can't ever have too many carboys.

 

[63belair]

^^ I like those, but one thing I don't like is how wide they are. Wider vessels take up more space if you're using a temp controlled freezer to maintain fermenting temps.


That's what I'm wondering about the Big Mouth Bubblers. If they are wider in diameter than standard carboys, then that would be another disadvantage to me. I have a pretty good sized chest freezer. It can fit 3 six gallon buckets or 4 six gallon carboys. I can fit 8 five gallon ball locks too.

I would like to see a 6-6.5 gallon PET bottle that was narrow in diameter and had the big screw on lids like the big mouth bubblers. Then one could fit a lot of carboys in a small space. You can't ever have too many carboys.

I agree with you on the whole width issue. I'd love to see 6-6.5 gallon PET bottles that were the diameter of a ball lock, or even pin lock keg, but just taller and with a large/wide opening. It would make swapping kegs and fermenters in/out of temp controlled fermentation chambers much more seamless.

 

[Duncan83865]

Has anyone used the 15/16"blowoff hose kit that they sell as an option?

 

[Hello]

I think I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these. I wanted to use it for secondary on a stout I'm doing but the headspace will be 1.75 gallons in a 6.5 gallon BMB. I think that is too much but I worry the 5 gallon won't be used as much and for $73 with all the extras, that's a lot for something I won't use. I think the headspace would be a problem if I plan to let the beer sit on coco nibs for 7-10 days, right?

 

[mpcluever]

Granted, I've only seen the ones on display at Midwest's retail store and the one I bought. All of them have multiple bubbles and imperfections in the glass. Granted you should always be careful with glass carboys, but with imperfections like these, I'll be extra careful.

 

[Randzor]

Works great for a primary. I wouldn't secondary due to headspace and seals.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Trox]

I think I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these. I wanted to use it for secondary on a stout I'm doing but the headspace will be 1.75 gallons in a 6.5 gallon BMB. I think that is too much but I worry the 5 gallon won't be used as much and for $73 with all the extras, that's a lot for something I won't use. I think the headspace would be a problem if I plan to let the beer sit on coco nibs for 7-10 days, right?

Get a bunch of glass marbles to sanitize and place in the fermentor to raise the level of the beer to reduce head space. I would also them place them in a hops bag or something to keep them from rolling all over while inside.

 

[Hello]

Works great for a primary. I wouldn't secondary due to headspace and seals.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

Really? That is a huge ass bummer then. Maybe it would be reserved for dry hopping in primary.

Get a bunch of glass marbles to sanitize and place in the fermentor to raise the level of the beer to reduce head space. I would also them place them in a hops bag or something to keep them from rolling all over while inside.

Second time this week I've heard of the marbles. Guess it makes that much of a difference huh?

 

[Randzor]

Well even if you tried the marble trick, this Carboy has a wide mouth that is four times bigger than normal. The seals work, I just don't want to trust in them over more than a monthstime without a fermentation.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[ultravista]

Who makes these? I want to order a few extra lids. I have not seen lids for sale, only the seals.

 

[Roondy888]

FWIW there are a few negative reviews about the glass being thin and breaking on amazon, but they could be bogus reviews. I dont own one yet but am looking hard at pulling the trigger on one.

 

[Thedutchtouch]

while i like these as eye candy, i don't see them as much of an upgrade over a bucket. ease of cleaning, sure, but if im worried i've scratched a bucket (hasn't happened yet) i can pick up a new one for less than 10 bucks.