# Carboy's Or Fermenting Buckets? Why Use One Over The Other? Carboy



## Blueweb (7/1/12)

Carboys seem a hassle?​


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## DU99 (7/1/12)

why is it a hassle..cleaning use napisan overnight,fermenting using some glad wrap,dispensing easy


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## CONNOR BREWARE (7/1/12)

The carboy gives great viewing but its dangerous, I still wouldn't do without it.
My fermenters, plastic, are great as well and move around easily. But of course they are plastic and have bigger openings and more areas to clean.

Both have a place for my brews.


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## manticle (7/1/12)

Glass:

Suitable for long term aging
Easier to clean/sanitise (or at keast more stable - get an infection in plastic and it's better to throw it away than risk it again)
Transparent

Plastic:

Cheap
Replaceable (because it's cheap)
Usually comes with taps or the means to attach one.
Copes with boiling water and being dropped

Both have merits and I have and use both for different beers/purposes. Anything that requires ageing gets racked from plastic to glass.


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## Blueweb (7/1/12)

Du99 what I'm trying to ask is what are the advantages of using a carboy over a fermenting bucket?


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## jakethesnake559 (7/1/12)

Hi Bluewebbrewer,

I like using glass carboys because you can see exactly what's happening during fermentation.
To clean you can just soak with Five Star PBW or any other cleaner...make sure you rinse it well.
Without a tap, you will have to syphon to get the beer out.

So if you aren't comfortable with syphoning, go the plastic type.
But you mention bucket, so you are probably planning to syphon anyway?

My 2c worth  ...but both will ferment beer.


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## Blueweb (7/1/12)

I actually use a coopers fermenting bucket with a spigot tap so no need for syphoning, I was just curious because I have only ever seen and used the fermenting buckets and was checking out a YouTube vid and one was being used so I did a bit of research and found out what they were, also a lot of people use them for secondary fermentation?


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## pk.sax (7/1/12)

Plastic buckets/drums etc are not impervious to air penetration.

So, 2 things happen. Long term storage in those will cause beer to stale. That's easy to imagine.
Also, storing under pressure in them long term will be ineffective due to the carbonation loss through porous plastic walls.

Besides that, glass is far easier to clean without risking scratches.

This means beer kept for longer aging/secondary is preferably kept in glass/steel. Also, beer brewed with more than just brewers yeast is also preferably brewed in glass as it can be more effectively sanitised than plastic can be.

Rest is aesthetics.


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## jakub76 (7/1/12)

Plastic is porous, glass carboys are not. Air (and therefor oxygen) permeates plastic. 

Plastic scratches easier than glass. Bacteria like Brett- or Pedio- can live inside those scratches, or even in the pores of the plastic. So glass is easier to sanitize.

Obviously there are logistical reasons that make plastic fermenters more practical - cost, weight, ease of cleaning, bounciness etc.

I have always used plastic with good results though most agree it should be retired every few years or if you find you have a run of infections (touch wood).


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## DU99 (7/1/12)

was speaking about fermenter..


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## Blueweb (7/1/12)

Ok so glass seems like the logical step if you are worried about infection?! So 316 stainless sheet metal sounds like it would be perfect to make a fermenter! Lucky I'm a boilermaker lads! Think I'll have to add a sheet of stainless to my next job order! 

But in all seriousness it sounds like plastic is just fine for me as an amateur hobby brewer at the moment.


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## pk.sax (7/1/12)

Absolutely is. Dam boilermakers! Access to all that stuff... n bling n skills!

Look towards steel or glass only when you decide to brew Belgians that have souring bacteria or any high gravity beers that need aging in bulk. Then again, rather spend that money on steel corny kegs!


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## felten (8/1/12)

You can get the best of both worlds with a betterbottle (if you believe their advertising), but they can be pricey. Their tap setup comes separately, and other accessories, but IIRC it costs more to buy the tap than the fermenter itself. 

I have one myself, but its not drilled for a tap.


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## QldKev (8/1/12)

To me, who never want to age my beer long term in a fermenter, the main difference is plastic can get tiny scratches easily which allow bad crap to grow and cause issues with infections. But I have never used a glass carboy due to the price. Anytime I think any one of my fermenters look scanky / scratched internally I just chuck it and get a new one. Under $20 for the Bunnings fermenter, it is wort less than the wort we are putting into it. 

Side note, anyone see Bunnings now have square 30L drums with the large round opening, they are only just a bit taller, and still under $20. When ever I need to replace mine these are the new puppies.

QldKev


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## katzke (8/1/12)

QldKev said:


> But I have never used a glass carboy due to the price. Under $20 for the Bunnings fermenter, it is wort less than the wort we are putting into it.
> 
> QldKev



Have never paid more then that in UD$ for any of mine. I have a small one that worked great for a Barley Wine that I talked someone in to making. I have lots in the 5 gallon (20 liter?) size and one large one that is 6.5 gallons. I had so many of the 5 gallon ones that I gave one away as a raffle prize. All of the 5 gallon ones I have are old water bottles that have turned blue with age. I also have one fermenting bucket that I use as well as a bottling bucket that I have fermented in. I like glass, just dont trust plastic. It is not natural.

I bet I have a better chance finding used carboys in second hand stores, as there must be more floating around in the USA. You should be able to find old water bottles unless you never used them.


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## DUANNE (8/1/12)

QldKev said:


> Side note, anyone see Bunnings now have square 30L drums with the large round opening, they are only just a bit taller, and still under $20. When ever I need to replace mine these are the new puppies.
> 
> QldKev




thats what i use as a hlt. just put a couple of kettle elements in and it works a treat.


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## Blueweb (8/1/12)

ok so if i do my fermentaton is my plastic fermenter and then tranffer my beer into one of my kegs i can rest and age it in them yes??? i am also seriously considering trying to make a munich dunkel so a carboy would be better for aging that style of beer??? 

thanks heaps for all ur tips and all this great info guys its helping me out in so many ways.


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## going down a hill (8/1/12)

I use demijohns, so far I have broken two- one was thermal shock and the other I rolled in the bath and the seam cracked (now I place a towel down before emptying it whilst cleaning). 

Being able to watch what goes on during fermentation is totally worth it.


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## Wimmig (8/1/12)

I like carboys. Using a better bottle at the moment. Thinking of going to glass soon, if i do i'll order a holder for each of the glass carboys, using a milkcrate at the moment. Transfer is only easy, quickest i've gotten down to is 15mins from bottle to keg, sealed with co2 and rinsed off.

The big thick transfer silicone hose, and a SS racking cane makes it simple. Does anybody make some kind of risers, so i can stack 2 milkcrates with carboys in them?


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## Blueweb (8/1/12)

demijohn's are just bigger versions of carboys right? i can definitly see the advantages of the carboys and demijohns but unless ur a serious all grain brewer i dont see them being any better then a plastic fermentaion bucket with a spigot tap, for me as a partial grain brewer im still leaning toward me good old plastic fermenter. im only fairly new to the sport lads so any and all info is greatly appricated.


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## manticle (8/1/12)

Bluewebbrewer said:


> demijohn's are just bigger versions of carboys right?



You can have small demijohns too. Just a different name for the same thing although you can also get ceramic demijohns. Synonyms essentially (you can also have a plastic carboy)



> unless ur a serious all grain brewer



Many of us are



> i dont see them being any better then a plastic fermentaion bucket with a spigot tap, for me as a partial grain brewer im still leaning toward me good old plastic fermenter. im only fairly new to the sport lads so any and all info is greatly appricated.



They're not better. They're different. If they don't suit your current purpose and a plastic fermenter does, then your decision is made. If you have reason to buy one, based on the qualities they do have then your decision is also made.


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## Blueweb (8/1/12)

Mantical and u have a good point!! Iv only recently made the change from amature extract brewer and bottling my brew to semi confident partial grain brewer and kegging my brew so what I wanna know is is there a point? Will I make noticely better beer or should i have just gone all grain?? Is it hard to brew a good beer with partial grain method? I may have mentioned earlier that a mate of mine has been a partial brewer for about 15 years now and he brews some of the best beer iv ever tasted and I traveled europe and spent many hours at micro brewies across australia.


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## manticle (8/1/12)

My opinion and experience only:

You can make decent beer with all methods (kit, extract, partial AG) and shit beer with all methods.

All things being equal, I think the better and fresher the ingredients, the better the result will be. Therefore the more grain you use (caveats aplenty but I did say all things being equal), the better the beer should be. 

Nothing wrong with doing partials - I made some great partials that were better than most of my extracts. Some brewers go through every step, some go straight to AG, some go straight from kit to AG. Find what works for you. None of these are wrong or bad.

There's a point to every step you choose to take as long as you learn from mistakes and successes alike and stay passionate, curious and creative.


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## DUANNE (8/1/12)

my 2c(if its really worth that much) if you are doing partials then you may as well be doing all grain. all the steps and time are equivelent but can make a better beer all things being equal. thet being said i still make the occasainal can beer and with what ive learnt along the way they can come out pretty damned good, not as good as my equivelent ag beer but freshness of ingredients most likely have a large part to play. but if you feel confident in your procceses doing the partials then have a go at biab. if its not for you then nothing is stopping you from going back to extract or partials after all.


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## freezkat (8/1/12)

katzke said:


> Have never paid more then that in UD$ for any of mine. I have a small one that worked great for a Barley Wine that I talked someone in to making. I have lots in the 5 gallon (20 liter?) size and one large one that is 6.5 gallons. I had so many of the 5 gallon ones that I gave one away as a raffle prize. All of the 5 gallon ones I have are old water bottles that have turned blue with age. I also have one fermenting bucket that I use as well as a bottling bucket that I have fermented in. I like glass, just don't trust plastic. It is not natural.
> 
> I bet I have a better chance finding used carboys in second hand stores, as there must be more floating around in the USA. You should be able to find old water bottles unless you never used them.


they were always blue. It was a marketing ploy to make the water more appealing. Or if they were left in the sun trace elements of cobalt or copper could turn them blue to green


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## lickapop (9/1/12)

I used a Better bottle carboy for the first time last brew. If you believe the hype on their site it should be 'better than glass' lol
I like it. I can see that fluffy foam stuff on the top of my brew, its light and I can fit 2 no problem in my fermentation chest freezer where I couldnt fit 2 square cubes.
Also they are suppose to be non air permeable.


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## muthead (10/1/12)

QldKev said:


> Side note, anyone see Bunnings now have square 30L drums with the large round opening, they are only just a bit taller, and still under $20. When ever I need to replace mine these are the new puppies.




+1 - I do the same. Coupled with gladwrap. No frills fermenting but just as effective :icon_cheers:


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## stux (11/3/12)

I switched to use 25L pail style fermenters a few years ago. I just got pissed off with cleaning the barrel style ones

they look like this





Benefits, all my fermenters stack inside each other, which means I can store 3 in virtually the same space as 1, and they're so easy to clean... I just use a bung to block the tap hole, then put everything, even the lid and spoon in, and fill with PBW.

drain, rinse then I toss a few L of starsan in and seal the lid and shake.

I also use a 60L fermenter, which has a two part lid so I can seal it easily.




Will be much easier to clean once I get some fermenter bags from craftbrewer


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## wynnum1 (11/3/12)

What about large champagne bottle 28 L


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## homebrewkid (11/3/12)

Bluewebbrewer said:


> Ok so glass seems like the logical step if you are worried about infection?! So 316 stainless sheet metal sounds like it would be perfect to make a fermenter! Lucky I'm a boilermaker lads! Think I'll have to add a sheet of stainless to my next job order!
> 
> But in all seriousness it sounds like plastic is just fine for me as an amateur hobby brewer at the moment.




if you are looking at making one you should look into a conical fermenter it wouldnt be hard to make and the benefits are HUGE. 




BEERHOG said:


> thats what i use as a hlt. just put a couple of kettle elements in and it works a treat.



so you heat up in plastic? can you post photos please i think you might have saved me some cash here........


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## ekul (11/3/12)

wynnum1 said:


> What about large champagne bottle 28 L


Where do you get these from?

You could just cork it, add some sugar and age indefinitely!


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