Why A Carboy?

[MHB]

One reason and one reason only, I can think of a dozen reasons not to use a carboy, but 25 litre glass bottles are just too dam sexy more brewing porn.

MHB

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

Very Interesting to look at while the beer is in different stages of fermentation.

That was my thought too, especially if you have and aggressive yeast, my coopers starter ate my last brew up from 1048 to 1010 in 24 hours, that i would have liked to have watched!!

 

[Carboy]

25 litre glass bottles are just too dam sexy

MHB

+1 to that :super:

 

[tatmattd]

Ok, So let me get this straight, They're good for long term storeage of lambics. They're damn good for a perv on those naughty naked brews. So has anyone concidered selling a whole heap of fermenters to the Americans, surely there's got to be a quid in that! Cheers Matt

 

[thesunsettree]

Ok, So let me get this straight, They're good for long term storeage of lambics. They're damn good for a perv on those naughty naked brews. So has anyone concidered selling a whole heap of fermenters to the Americans, surely there's got to be a quid in that! Cheers Matt

I'd think this would be one reason - Edit Morebeer.com has 5 gallon carboys for about $33US

 

[white.grant]

longer funk is in contact with plastic the harder its going to be to kill also. and it stains and is hard to clean etc etc. not inmpossible just more difficuklt than glass.

and someone correct me if im wrong but arent carboys in the US dirt cheap?

They used to be but costs have gone up recently as they are no longer reliably manufactured. I recall there was something about it on the brewing network a year or so ago.

But Carboys were really cheap as there were literally millions of them lying around. They were originally used on office water coolers, but as plastics began to replace them in the 80s they found new duties (much like corny kegs did) in the home brew scene.

5 gallons seems to be a really useful volume. It's interesting to note that a Jerry can also holds about 5 gallons.

cheers

grant

EDIT: Tautology

 

[manticle]

Ok, So let me get this straight, They're good for long term storeage of lambics. They're damn good for a perv on those naughty naked brews. So has anyone concidered selling a whole heap of fermenters to the Americans, surely there's got to be a quid in that! Cheers Matt

Long term storage of anything, not just lambics. I currently have a cherry ripe porter maturing in glass as well as some funky beers. If you ferment in plastic but don't want to tie up a fermenter for several months, you might consider another vessel. Additionally, as was mentioned before, they are less susceptible to infection. If you've ever had one and had to chuck a fermenter away, you'd realise this is a boon.

 

[DUANNE]

im sure ive heard jamil on a few podcasts mention that he used to do sours in plastics but prefers glass now due to the extra oxygen leaching into plastics giving a stronger acetic character. on a more personel level i use glass on funky type beers because i can see whats going on better(im sure a pellicle looks a lot better in glass) and there is no doubt once cleaned and sanitised a glass carboy is clean and sanitised where in plastic i would always have my doubts.its also a lot less easy to take a sample so at the end of a 12 month ferment i will have some beer left! on a side note has anyone on here used the glass carboys with a tap in the bottom the same as a plastic fermentor and if so are they any good?

 

[schooey]

sheesh... nobody else here has a 9 year old son?

Why a carboy?

Because I can....

and because mans' curiosity is endless; we love to see **** happening

 

[[email protected]]

I use both.

The glass carboy is used for anything where I want to make the best beer possible.

While the glass carboy is a little more inconvenient (heavier, no tap, and less volume) compared to the plastic fermenter it has the following advantages:

* the narrow opening means that there is less chance of any dust etc getting in when the the fermenter is opened.
* I can flame the top before recovering yeast etc to sterilise.
* I'm more sure it is sanitary when fermenting any beers that I want to age - doesn't scratch.
* when you pick it up it doesn't flex and suck back O2 or airlock liquid into the beer.
* As I syphon from the top when transferring I don't pick what is on the bottom of the fermenter.
* You can see the yeast dancing away while they do their thing.

 

[zebba]

'Wild Brews' is a great little read if keen on some funky goodness in your brews. I highly recommend it as a read.

Thanks. Usually I'm a "brew as you feel" brewer, but if it's going to be sitting there for 18 months before I can try it I probably wanna get it right

 

[Mattese]

One reason and one reason only, I can think of a dozen reasons not to use a carboy, but 25 litre glass bottles are just too dam sexy more brewing porn.

MHB

Big stainless brewing vessels and big glass fermentation vessels... Oh yeah...

 

[mh971]

Better bottle - $49.95 for 23lt model

No personal experience with them, but the presenter at ANHC (admittedly the Aus importer, so not exactly impartial) said they were as impervious to oxygen as the glass carboys, and a hell of a lot harder to smash into a million pieces.

One reason I have been thinking of obtaining a glass carboy or a stainless steel fermenter is BPA. With a recent new addition to the family and the subsequent reaquainting ouselves with all the latest literature on do's and don't's for babies this BPA thing kept coming up. BPA is a compound often used in plastics. Check here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A and you can see why it has become an issue.

BPA is present in almost all disposable plastic water bottles, and I believe also those large spring water bottles that look suspiciously like the 23lt Beer bottle advertised here (although I am happy to stand corrected, with appropriate evidence). Until recently many plastic baby bottles and other products also contained this compound.

The almost necessary use of plastic fermenters unless you can afford $1000 for a conical or a few hundred extortionate $(is that a word) for an imported carboy has always seemed at odds to me with a hobby that has such a natural and almost organic feel to it.

We need a local glass producer to flood the market with cheap Aussie made carboys in my opinion. I'd take 3. Maybe one of our site sponsors could initiate a market research studty and get the movement away from plastic going.

 

[bum]

Stop giving babies beer and the plastic fermenters cease to be an issue.

 

[DUANNE]

One reason I have been thinking of obtaining a glass carboy or a stainless steel fermenter is BPA. With a recent new addition to the family and the subsequent reaquainting ouselves with all the latest literature on do's and don't's for babies this BPA thing kept coming up. BPA is a compound often used in plastics. Check here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A and you can see why it has become an issue.

BPA is present in almost all disposable plastic water bottles, and I believe also those large spring water bottles that look suspiciously like the 23lt Beer bottle advertised here (although I am happy to stand corrected, with appropriate evidence). Until recently many plastic baby bottles and other products also contained this compound.

The almost necessary use of plastic fermenters unless you can afford $1000 for a conical or a few hundred extortionate $(is that a word) for an imported carboy has always seemed at odds to me with a hobby that has such a natural and almost organic feel to it.

We need a local glass producer to flood the market with cheap Aussie made carboys in my opinion. I'd take 3. Maybe one of our site sponsors could initiate a market research studty and get the movement away from plastic going.

wouldnt you still have to use a plastic syphon?

 

[felten]

stainless siphon!

BTW the better bottles are, according to their website, BPA free. I'm pretty sure (from googling around) that the HDPE fermenters we use are BPA free as well, if they do contain it then HDPE is very stable and unlikely to leach it.

 

[[email protected]]

The almost necessary use of plastic fermenters unless you can afford $1000 for a conical or a few hundred extortionate $(is that a word) for an imported carboy has always seemed at odds to me with a hobby that has such a natural and almost organic feel to it.

I picked up my 23L glass carboy for $60. Where are you get a price of a few hundred from?

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

I use glass almost exclusivly. Bitch to lift, dangerous, heavy etc etc, but I've never had an infection issue, and (if I can continue to avoid smashing one and severing a femoral artery in the process) they last forever.

 

[Belgrave Brewer]

I use glass almost exclusivly. Bitch to lift, dangerous, heavy etc etc, but I've never had an infection issue, and (if I can continue to avoid smashing one and severing a femoral artery in the process) they last forever.

I use the glass carboys exclusively as well. I find them very easy to clean with a special carboy brush and the right cleaning ingredients. You can't use boiling water in them, they shatter, but you can buy a grip clamp that screws nicely onto the lip for easy carry and they also have support of additional equipment that allows them to be used upside down which gives it a conical bottom. The surface is very smooth and they are impervious to oxygen. It's smoother than stainless steel but who's ever seen a 1000l+ carboy or any glass used for commercial use in a large format? I've never had an infection with the glass carboys and I can't say the same with their plastic cousin.

I can easily rack from one carboy after primary fermentation, into a second carboy and let it sit for 2 weeks or more without worry.

Use what you feel comfortable with, experiment if you are passionate about it. Last time I bought a carboy, it was $55, with the exchange rate now, they should be a bit cheaper. Take good care of them and they should last longer than plastic. Plus, it's awesome watching fermentation at work!!!

 

[Zizzle]

I was a carboy skeptic until I moved to the US.

Turns out they are much easier to clean than I imagined. Soak and the big bottle brush does wonders if needed at all.

Have used glad wrap instead of the airlock a few times. Much easier to do on the smaller glass neck than a bucket.

Being able to see when the yeast has settled helps with knowing when to transfer to secondary or the keg.

I miss being able to take a sample easily via a tap. But doing that probably contributed to infections I have had in the past.

It seems me that the carboys are a lower infection risk, but I have no hard evidence to back that up.