Glass Carboys are soooo awesome!

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Moose_MI

Moose_MI

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Been brewing for 5 years and have never had a glass carboy. I scored one for $5 from a guy down the street and OH MY GOODNESS! My beers alive! It’s so cool watching the process!

I’ve read and seen the carnage they can produce but man it’s cool to watch fermentation!

The next time you hear from me I’ll be in the hospital with pictures of deep lacerations but until then.....ENJOY!

01BB2839-56D8-4024-92F1-0AFF8AA376D4.jpeg
 
Yay for glass carboys! I personally like em. Almost moved to stainless steel brew buckets, but I eventually decided against it. It's nice to see how fermentation is coming along :)
 
Still using mine from 18 years ago when I started brewing. I use my conicals primarily but why let fermentation vessels sit empty if you have them? But yes, watching the process is pretty cool.

Cheers!
 
+1 to the PET carboys as well, I have a 6g one, but my big 7.5g glass carboy sees a lot of use as well. Easy to clean, sanitize, and pretty to look at, but heavy as poopy to move. I'm lucky to have a heavy-duty milk crate that it lives in while fermenting, but cleaning it gives me the heebiejeebies every time since I have to do that in my bathtub. But I do still squat and stare at it for minutes at a time while primary fermentation is going on...those yeasties are so fun to watch!
 
I'm paranoid that I will drop something, so I would like to switch from glass, but I don't.

Maybe I'll get a steel conical someday.
 
Ive been using glass for a very long time. Had a few drunken close calls but still have all my tendons in tact.

Get a carboy hauler. It makes it a lot easier
 
Just wait until you gettransfer and you can easily see when you’re getting close to the trub. That’s the beauty of glass/PET for me.

+1 for Fermonster.
 
I remember the first brew after I switched from buckets to a fermonster. Same reaction as you. Really fun to finally see what it's doing.
 
i’ve backslid...i’m back in buckets but still love my glass even thought it was harder to clean...
 
Kent88 said:
I'm paranoid that I will drop something, so I would like to switch from glass, but I don't.

Maybe I'll get a steel conical someday.
Click to expand...

Put a cup and a half into a pint jar and set the lid on loosely so it can let the excess CO2 out. Now you can watch the fermentation without the danger that a broken carboy can bring. You won't likely miss the small amount of wort.
 
I've got two 3-gallon carboys and four 1-gallon carboys. Love watching the yeasties go to work. Don't think I'd want a full size glass carboy because I don't think my back could handle it, but then again I don't do full size batches very often anymore.
 
+1 on Fermonster and PET Carboys. I love how i can stand the Fermonster upside down on the opening to drain same with the PET carboys.
 
Got a nice set up. Reminds me that I still need to get my nephew one of those straps or push using a milk crate with him.
I do miss seeing the fermentation since I use buckets. I'm stuck using a flashlight to see the krausen or just staring at the air lock. Does make bottling day sort of like opening a present on Christmas to see what I got, so that's nice.
 
I love glass, but have found I use my Big Mouth's and other HPDE fermenters mostly. They are just easier to use.

Glass is heavy, and have to be careful when moving it. I just use it for Brett beers these days to prevent possible contamination of my HPDE fermenters ...... but I'm not really sure that would be a concern using Brett in the HPDE fermenters anyway.
 
It's all fun and games until you are cleaning it on it's side, and it cracks! Lost my Big Mouth Bubbler in 6months. I like that glass does not breathe, but get 5.5 gal of brew in it and it gets pretty heavy.
I am using my plastic Big Mouth with Spigot and it works well coupled with a 10" 20 micron filter at time of bottling. It's light, I see what is going on, has a spigot with no transfer to bot bucket.
Enjoy your upgrade from not seeing to seeing, pretty cool to see Krausen and activity. Until you don't, like my last batch, no Krausen but airlock activity (another Post)
 
I would not equate a glass Big Mouth Bubbler to an actual carboy. Those BMBs - especially the first series - were ridiculously thin.
I'm not surprised one failed when set on its side considering they would fail when lifted in a Brew Hauler...

Cheers!
 
Calder said:
I love glass, but have found I use my Big Mouth's and other HPDE fermenters mostly. They are just easier to use.

Glass is heavy, and have to be careful when moving it. I just use it for Brett beers these days to prevent possible contamination of my HPDE fermenters ...... but I'm not really sure that would be a concern using Brett in the HPDE fermenters anyway.
Click to expand...

For the price of another HDPE bucket fermenter why not just dedicate one to Brett? Mark it well and you won't have to worry about contamination.
 
day_trippr said:
I would not equate a glass Big Mouth Bubbler to an actual carboy. Those BMBs - especially the first series - were ridiculously thin.
I'm not surprised one failed when set on its side considering they would fail when lifted in a Brew Hauler...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

That's what kept me away from the glass BMBs. Some of those were thin as a lightbulb, and others were thick on one side, thin on the other. Shiatty blow-moulding. Then they heard all the bad press and came out with the second-gen, "now with a millimeter more glass!" Woo hoo.

The Italian-made carboys are fairly robust, and if carried in something like a plastic milk crate, will last a long time.
 
Jayjay1976 said:
Oh sorry, I meant a crystal clear, full open-top fermenter at a price point lower than a stainless brew bucket.
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity what interests you with the Tritan? Just the rigidity of it over something like the fermonsters/PET ones, or less permeability? I started out with a catalyst. Lasted a year before the bottom valve started leaking. It was also unfortunately very very easy to scratch even with simple things like plastic. Can't beat a 30 dollar fermonster in my opinion.
 
day_trippr said:
I would not equate a glass Big Mouth Bubbler to an actual carboy. Those BMBs - especially the first series - were ridiculously thin.
I'm not surprised one failed when set on its side considering they would fail when lifted in a Brew Hauler...

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Just bought it in Dec 2017...So should be a newer one, has embossed lettering in it as well. I'd consider a carboy but washing it looks to be a PIA. I like being able to get in there and wipe it out with a soft cloth.
To note even the PET BMB is thin and does not look to last long around the spigot, due to remove and clean with each use. I imagine the torque of tightening the gasket down will take a toll. I could design one that would last and satisfy all quandaries, however with experience of being an inventor, patent attorneys, and a factory....Never mind, I'll just buy a new one every year or so.
 
Corny keg with a spunding valve, just watch the pressure build (and release) for peace of mind. Plus you have all the CO2 adding a little bit of carbination to the beer for free and keeping everything well protected. I can hook a picnic tap up and grab a sample at any point using the natural CO2 in the keg.
 
I have a stainless pressure conical with a viewing port in the top and a clear collection bottle at the bottom. It's not the same as a carboy for view ability but better than a semi-opaque bucket and far better than a normal stainless vessel. Works great.
 
Just get a PET fermenter that doesn't have a spigot. I have Better Bottles, the first two were first used on July 1, 2011. I now have about 6 or 7 of them. Not sure, some are in storage.... I have never retired one and don't see that happening for many more years.... And you don't have to worry about anything regarding the cheap plastic spigots or anything growing in them while fermenting.
 
kh54s10 said:
I have Better Bottles, the first two were first used on July 1, 2011. I now have about 6 or 7 of them. Not sure, some are in storage.... I have never retired one and don't see that happening for many more years.... And you don't have to worry about anything regarding the cheap plastic spigots or anything growing in them while fermenting.
Click to expand...

I'm not a fan of spigots either. Just a place to leak and cause problems.

I am still using 2 of 3 HPDE fermenters I bought about 35 years ago (from 'Boots' in the UK when I lived there). One developed a very small leak at the base about 2 years ago - I think it served me well. I use them as Primary for every beer (Yes, I still rack to secondary to collect yeast before adding hops or other additions). I've brewed probably 300 - 400 batches of beer and wine over that time with these fermenters.

I bought a plastic BMB about 2 years ago, I only used it for secondary. It developed blisters in the plastic and I retired it after only about 15 beers. I don't know what caused the blisters (bubbles in the plastic), but I lived with them for a while, until I found one of the blisters had ruptured on the inside of the fermenter, and I didn't want to risk an issue with a place for contamination to hide.
 
I also like the glass, sometimes afraid to drop them but this way i can see whats going on during fermentation. And it looks nice.
IMG-20181027-WA0001.jpeg
 

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