Heart Of Glass

[jimmysuperlative]

In an attempt to develop a closer rapport with my fermenting wort, I think I'd like to acquire a glass fermenter. They look like they may be difficult to clean ...but, apart from that ...and that they will break instead of bouncing (as my plastic fermenter regularly does) ...yeah, apart from the obvious failing, I think a glass fermenter would be "cool" B)

I'd like to be able to watch my wort in action and see what the yeasties are up to ...my plastic fermenters have served me well - cheap, robust, never a bug (touch wood) ... and, depending on cost, availability, etc, etc, this is the direction I think I'd like to head in.

So, who out there uses them? Where did you get them? How much did they set you back? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using glass fermenters over plastic?

Your thoughts please, Gents and Ladies?

 

[Pumpy]

In an attempt to develop a closer rapport with my fermenting wort, I think I'd like to acquire a glass fermenter. They look like they may be difficult to clean ...but, apart from that ...and that they will break instead of bouncing (as my plastic fermenter regularly does) ...yeah, apart from the obvious failing, I think a glass fermenter would be "cool" B)

I'd like to be able to watch my wort in action and see what the yeasties are up to ...my plastic fermenters have served me well - cheap, robust, never a bug (touch wood) ... and, depending on cost, availability, etc, etc, this is the direction I think I'd like to head in.

So, who out there uses them? Where did you get them? How much did they set you back? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using glass fermenters over plastic?

Your thoughts please, Gents and Ladies?

23 litre ones They are about $65 from ESB

I always used to use them for secondary it is nice to see what is going on but the really are a bit dangerous when you have to pick them up with about 22kilos in them .

I have one I never use now with filtering

It now resides on a top shelf in my garage

Sad really

Pumpy

 

[Insight]

I have three of them and use them almost exclusively now. The only real advantages are that you can see what is going on and that you can be sure they are sanitary as glass isn't easily scratched.

The downsides are obvious - no tap, so beer has to be siphoned out. They are dangerous if you drop it with 23L of liquid in them, and awkward to carry. They are harder to clean as you need to get in there with a long handle brush. You need to keep them covered/in a cupboard/in a fermenting fridge to stop the beer becoming lightstruck.

I don't have to move mine around too much and have set-up a hot water hose in a deep trough to help with the cleaning. I am sure there are hundreds of brewers who have never had sanitation issues with plastic buckets, but 6 hours of my time making a beer is worth a bit of extra care & hassle with the glass fermenters.

 

[jimmysuperlative]

I didn't really think about the lack of a tap ...I guess that's why brewers in the U.S of A have "racking canes". I ferment in a temp controlled fridge so lightstrike wouldn't be a problem.

But, I've also been thinking about filtering (love your setup btw Pumpy) and I can see how glass would add to the degree of difficulty.

Still, food for thought. Thanks!

Hey Insight, do you rack to secondary? Or filter? If so, how does it work?

 

[Doc]

The idea is good.
The downside is like others have mentioned, getting the wort in and the beer out.
As you mentioned cleaning is also a bit more involved.
If you are going to watch the fermentation, you'll want to keep them away from light that will react with your hops and skunk your beer also.
Personally a few minutes on YouTube, and the curiosty was alleaved

Doc

 

[jimmysuperlative]

Personally a few minutes on YouTube, and the curiosty was alleaved

Doc

Doc, it was youtube that started me down this path ...all those vids of trub and yeasties cartwheeling about.

Although I'm thinking more and more that I'll just need to make do with the sights and sounds and smells of a bubbling airlock

 

[newguy]

I started off with a plastic fermenter, but only used it for perhaps 3 or 4 batches. I then switched to glass carboys and have stuck with them ever since. My reason for using glass is sanitation only - I don't trust plastic at all. This isn't to say that plastic is bad, it's just that when I sanitise my carboys, I know they're as close to sterile as they're going to get. I can't say the same about plastic, particularly old plastic.

Regarding cleaning, the only area of the carboy that gets ugly is the neck & shoulders. A rather short bottle brush, bent a bit, works very well at cleaning it. I rinse all the beer & yeast out of the carboy, then pour in about 2 tbsp of TSP (trisodium phosphate). TSP is available in hardware and home improvement stores here as a cleaner for use prior to painting. I then add about 2l of water and swirl it around. TSP is marvelous at removing the crud that builds up during fermentation. Then I rinse and store upside down to drain.

Occasionally you'll start to get some crud at the bottom of the carboy. PBW (powdered brewery wash) works well at dissolving this, but a very long carboy brush works too.

The only thing I'll caution you about is that you should never try to move a carboy, full or empty, with wet hands.

As far as cost goes, they're available here for $20-$30, depending on the store. Grocery stores actually carry them, and they're cheapest. The only problem is that they're often sold out. Homebrew stores are rarely sold out, but you'll end up paying about $30. I'm really shocked at the $65 price you guys apparently have to pay.

 

[Insight]

I didn't really think about the lack of a tap ...I guess that's why brewers in the U.S of A have "racking canes". I ferment in a temp controlled fridge so lightstrike wouldn't be a problem.

But, I've also been thinking about filtering (love your setup btw Pumpy) and I can see how glass would add to the degree of difficulty.

Still, food for thought. Thanks!

Hey Insight, do you rack to secondary? Or filter? If so, how does it work?

Hi mate

I don't usually secondary unless it is something that will sit for more than a month; mead for example. In these cases glass is excellent as you can see day by day the stratification of the yeast and how well it is floculating. I use a Fermtech Auto-Siphon to get the beer out and have to say its up there with my refractometer for favourite bits of kit.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/siphon.html

I do filter, but I do keg-to-keg. I first santise one keg and leave about 2L of sanitiser in it. Then hook up the filter and push the sanitiser into the other keg through the filter. Everything is now sanitary, and the filter is full of co2 (no oxygen). Dump out the sanitiser and rack you beer into one of the kegs, then push it through the filter to the empty keg. Voila.

That said, I don't see any reason why you couldn't use gravity to filter direct from fermenter to keg, ala Pumpy. You would just need to find the right tubing to hook your siphon to the filter input.

 

[jimmysuperlative]

The only thing I'll caution you about is that you should never try to move a carboy, full or empty, with wet hands.

As far as cost goes, they're available here for $20-$30, depending on the store. Grocery stores actually carry them, and they're cheapest. The only problem is that they're often sold out. Homebrew stores are rarely sold out, but you'll end up paying about $30. I'm really shocked at the $65 price you guys apparently have to pay.

$20-30 !!! ...we'd be lucky to get a plastic fermenter for that price!
The fragile nature of such a large glass container is one thing, add to this the cost and it becomes a bit prohibitive. I need to check if either of the two brewshops in my town will order one in for me ...otherwise I need to add the cost of postage/delivery!

Sanitation is a big positive ...although I've been fortunate using plastic so far - even some older fermenters (touch wood).

 

[Aaron]

If you want a glass fermenter with a tap you could go down the road of getting glass demijohns. They are available at most brewing and wine making places at a reasonable price. There are models available with taps so racking isn't such an issue. They also come with baskets for holding them which makes them a lot less dangerous to carry. You can get brushes specifically designed for cleaning them so they have a lot of upsides.

The only down sides I can think of is cost, weight if you have to move them around and chance of breakage. Less chance of breaking these than the regular glass fermenters as they have the baskets to move them around.

I am intending to go this way with my fermenters as they need replacing.

 

[jimmysuperlative]

I use a Fermtech Auto-Siphon to get the beer out and have to say its up there with my refractometer for favourite bits of kit.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/siphon.html

I do filter, but I do keg-to-keg. I first santise one keg and leave about 2L of sanitiser in it. Then hook up the filter and push the sanitiser into the other keg through the filter. Everything is now sanitary, and the filter is full of co2 (no oxygen). Dump out the sanitiser and rack you beer into one of the kegs, then push it through the filter to the empty keg. Voila.

That said, I don't see any reason why you couldn't use gravity to filter direct from fermenter to keg, ala Pumpy. You would just need to find the right tubing to hook your siphon to the filter input.

Thanks for the insight, Insight ...there's always another way to do things, hey?

 

[jimmysuperlative]

If you want a glass fermenter with a tap you could go down the road of getting glass demijohns. They are available at most brewing and wine making places at a reasonable price. There are models available with taps so racking isn't such an issue. They also come with baskets for holding them which makes them a lot less dangerous to carry. You can get brushes specifically designed for cleaning them so they have a lot of upsides.

The only down sides I can think of is cost, weight if you have to move them around and chance of breakage. Less chance of breaking these than the regular glass fermenters as they have the baskets to move them around.

I am intending to go this way with my fermenters as they need replacing.

Just did a quick google for glass demijohns and their prices fluctuate pretty wildly - depending on size and features (tap, basket/casing).
It's something worth looking into. I saw brewbyu in Brisbane has a 23L glass fermenter for $45 ...that's definitely the least expensive one I've seen around so far.
23L could be okay as a secondary, but I reckon you'd need a bit of extra volume for primary fermentations. 25 - 30L at least!

 

[reVoxAHB]

Hey jimmy,

I've been using 23L glass carboys exclusively for years. Like newguy, I use glass over plastic for sanitation purposes only. And with plastic, you have others issues like phenol permeation, poor seals of lids, etc.

Grain and Grape sell Italian imported 23L glass carboys for around $50.00; the same with spigot is $65.00 or $70.00. I wouldn't bother with the spigot variety.. Seems it would be all too easy to catch it on the edge of ANYTHING while cleaning, moving or otherwise, snapping it off and rendering your carboy useless.

Yeah, just rack. It was Warren who said, "You're not a brewer until you rack!"

G&G sell SS racking canes for $25.00 or so, or the plastic canes are $10ish. It's dead easy to start your siphon. I use diluted iodophor, simply filling the line and stopping the output end with my thumb. Drop it in your elevated carboy, release thumb, dump the iodophor solution in a catch jar until you're just running beer and transfer the line to secondary, priming bucket, keg, etc.

Apparently, those auto-syphons out of the States work very well and are quite popular. I do believe there's long-term issues with the seals or something, that need replacing every so often, depending on usage.

Definitely get yourself a carboy handle for each carboy you buy. And a tip I picked up from Warren is to cart the carboy around in a plastic milk crate. Added insurance is never a bad thing. On a final note, that's not been mentioned in the thread thus far, is glass being susceptible to breakage from heat change. So, if you were planning to nochill straight from boil to glass carboy, you'll want to rethink that.

Best of luck,
reVox

 

[peas_and_corn]

Just as an option, my LHBS sells carboys, all see-through and everything, that are made of plastic

 

[jimmysuperlative]

peas, is your LHBS on-line? How do you rate the carboys? Sturdy enough for the price? How much btw?

It doesn't solve the sanitation issue (plastic scratches) ...and I've heard of people brewing in spring water dispenser bottles, but if there cheap and of a good size it could be a winner?!!!

 

[peas_and_corn]

My LHBS is brewmaker home brewing, workd out of a suburb near my house. They have a website, but it's under a name of another HB business they bought last year; that one sells over the internet. If I remember correctly, the plastic ones are about $40, but I'm not 100% on that one. If you want, I'll give them a call tomorrow and get the info you need, and then either PM them or post them on this thread.

EDIT: I forgot, they don't open on Sunday. Make that Monday.

 

[jimmysuperlative]

If you want, I'll give them a call tomorrow and get the info you need, and then either PM them or post them on this thread.

Champion peas! I'd appreciate it :icon_cheers:

 

[Batz]

I had a glass jobby for a while....about 6 years ago actually



Lucky I still have two feet !

Batz

 

[Screwtop]

I had a glass jobby for a while....about 6 years ago actually

View attachment 17118

Lucky I still have two feet !

Batz

Hey Batz,

Listening to a podcast the other day, pretty sure it was of Jason Brett of Lodi Brewing in the US, said that he had a similar experience, now uses Milk Crates to move glass carboys around, sounds like a good thing!

 

[jimmysuperlative]

I had a glass jobby for a while....about 6 years ago actually

View attachment 17118

Lucky I still have two feet !

Batz

yeeooww Batz ...

Looked a decent size too? Are you advocating plastic fermenters then?