Why A Carboy?

[tatmattd]

Noob alert. Don't get me wrong, I am genuinely mystified. I've read and read, and researched and researched, and I cannot find any particularly good reason for using a carboy. It seems to me my system of primary fermentation for 1 or 2ish weeks in the Primary fermenter then Bottle conditioning for a month or so seems to do the job just fine for run of the mill ales. So can somebody answer me why is there such a huge addiction to the use of a carboy? Am I missing something? It does seem to be more of an American thing then Australian. I just can't work it out, can someone answer this one for me please. Cheers Matt

 

[raven19]

I think they are great for long term beers like Lambics, as glass wont 'breathe' like plastic.

Glass is a good solid surface harder to scratch hence should be a smoother surface to clean and keep clean. you can flame the lip of the vessel when yeast harvesting

Problems are the narrow neck re: cleaning, drop one and its cuts ahoy, can be a pain in the ass to siphon out of too.

The yanks to love them for sure. I still prefer on a typical brew to use my plastic fermentors, easy to access for cleaning.

 

[jbirbeck]

I've found they are easy to siphon out of. Love mine...but the ease of a tap in plastic is best.

Don't know why one would use the carboy over the plastic fermenter but for those bug like beers. But I do like mine

 

[Tanga]

Winemakers use them because they are impervious to oxygen (whereas plastic fermenters aren't). This is good because many wines takes a lot longer to ferment (a few months at least) and wine oxidises in the present of oxygen (giving some damn nasty flavours).

 

[legham]

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

 

[zebba]

I think they are great for long term beers like Lambics, as glass wont 'breathe' like plastic.

Is it really an issue for lambics? I mean don't the pro's often use oak barrels and stuff for lambics?

This is an honest question. I've really grown fond of lambics and gueuzes and wanna have a go myself. I hear that glass is best because it doesn't breath, but I'm worried that when it comes to lambics this advice is the same as the advice told by many audio salesmen - sounds good until you dig deeper and realise you are spending far more than necessary for no gain whatsoever...

 

[Supra-Jim]

Zebba, I don't think (IMHO) it is necessarily Lambic specific, more a reference to long or extended fermentation, where oxygen permeation can be an issue. Some lambic bugs take a long time to finish out (not really experienced here), also meads which have extended fermentation and conditioning times.

Cheers SJ

 

[brettprevans]

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?

 

[Supra-Jim]

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

Given their fairly prolific use, I'd say it is a fair assumption.

Cheers SJ

Edit Morebeer.com has 5 gallon carboys for about $33US

 

[WarmBeer]

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.

 

[Supra-Jim]

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.

To me, they just seem that much more difficult to clean, given the shape and the limited neck opening. Glass carboys however are lovely and smooth inside.

Cheers SJ

 

[zebba]

Zebba, I don't think (IMHO) it is necessarily Lambic specific, more a reference to long or extended fermentation, where oxygen permeation can be an issue. Some lambic bugs take a long time to finish out (not really experienced here), also meads which have extended fermentation and conditioning times.

Cheers SJ

That's a good point re: meads and other types. I'm really only concerned about lambics atm, if I lived closer to a store that sold the cantillon range i'd be broke by now...

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?

I'm not concerned about getting rid of the funk, as in my mind I'll have a series of lambics going non-stop, so the fermenters for the lambics will stay with the lambics. Good points about the stain and cleaning, and if the glass was as cheap here as it is in the uS that would be a very compelling argument. Alas, it' ain't as cheap as the US!

 

[zebba]

Someone just sent me a G&G link and it turns out the prices aren't what I thought... And I"m sure I looked just a few days back and decided that the sizes were inconvenient and the prices excessive... I was wrong on both counts. Good range of sizes, reasonable prices. Sounds good.

edit: ahhh, the good list is under winemaking, not beer making.

 

[bcp]

The reason they're used in the US is that they were, as suggested, dirt cheap and available in the US due to the bottled water market.

I'll eventually get some for things I want to ferment long term, such as lambics or barleywine. I prefer the idea of glass to HDPE or other plastics, although the better bottle is a tempting alternative.

 

[bear09]

Seriously being able to see the brew fermenting is unreal. I could watch it for hours. I really like being able to see it.

Cleaning is a breeze. I use this stuff called Oxypher from G&G. Dump it in there and 48 hours later it is sparkling.

I have never looked back.

 

[katzke]

We use glass because that is what we used to get and use. Now we use plastic buckets with lids.

I have never seen a plastic fermentor like you use in the USA. But I have not looked either.

 

[tatmattd]

Thanks for all the replies. I checked online about oxygen permeability an it appears pretty negligable, anyway not so much that anyone tasting a beer would complain "Ah, yes I can taste this was brewed in HDPE plastic not glass!". Interesting point about brewing Lambics in a carboy, I'm still not quite sure why when you could bottle condition them. I also reckon in bottles a long term brew could be stored easier and more discretely than a great hulking carboy taking up space. I do appreciate being able to see the fermenting action. My HDPE fermenter has a clear top which allows some peeping so I'll have to conceed I am jealous of the viability aspect. Cheers Matt

 

[zebba]

Thanks for all the replies. I checked online about oxygen permeability an it appears pretty negligable, anyway not so much that anyone tasting a beer would complain "Ah, yes I can taste this was brewed in HDPE plastic not glass!". Interesting point about brewing Lambics in a carboy, I'm still not quite sure why when you could bottle condition them. I also reckon in bottles a long term brew could be stored easier and more discretely than a great hulking carboy taking up space. I do appreciate being able to see the fermenting action. My HDPE fermenter has a clear top which allows some peeping so I'll have to conceed I am jealous of the viability aspect. Cheers Matt

Lambics take 12+ months to ferment. I reckon if you bottle them as you seem to be implying after a few weeks, you'd have a lot of broken glass to clean up.

 

[tatmattd]

Lambics take 12+ months to ferment. I reckon if you bottle them as you seem to be implying after a few weeks, you'd have a lot of broken glass to clean up.

Ah,I get it now, Thanks Zebba. Sorry to anyone who thought this was patently obvious. Matt

 

[raven19]

Is it really an issue for lambics? I mean don't the pro's often use oak barrels and stuff for lambics?

This is an honest question. I've really grown fond of lambics and gueuzes and wanna have a go myself. I hear that glass is best because it doesn't breath, but I'm worried that when it comes to lambics this advice is the same as the advice told by many audio salesmen - sounds good until you dig deeper and realise you are spending far more than necessary for no gain whatsoever...

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

There is discussion in that book (or somewhere on the net iirc!) between permeability of various vessel materials. With some being ultra low, others permeating a high amount of oxygen into the brew.

Sorry if I'm dragging this thread a little :icon_offtopic: Off Topic.