12 gallon glass carboy

[triplehops]

hello all,
I was given a 12 gallon glass carboy and wanted to get a rubber stopper and air lock for it. The sucker weighs 77 pounds by itself! Any clue on size? (i read conflicting info; #12?)
Bottling my wildflower wheat ale this am.
LB
:rockin:

 

[mtnagel]

Holy hell. A 12 gallon glass carboy? I've seen lots of accidents from 5 or 6 gallon ones. Can't imagine a 12 gallon one. I had to google it because I almost couldn't believe it existed. Of course Amazon has one - for $800 for $80 in shipping (not prime eligible )!!

Maybe this sizing chart will help you.

 

[unionrdr]

Wow! I don't think I've ever seen one that big in my life. I'd hate to be the one to try & move that when it's full. I like the sound of wildflower wheat. Did you add wildflower honey or what?

 

[Bordy]

Wow! I don't think I've ever seen one that big in my life.

That's what she said...

 

[triplehops]

both wildflowers....and honey. i cant wait.
thanks to you all !! ^

 

[microbusbrewery]

That's what she said...

Always funny.

Ok, so I have to ask...how are you going to use it? I can't imagine you'd try to move it after it's full. So are you going to place it on a shelf then fill it so that after fermentation you can rack to a bottling bucket or keg?

 

[triplehops]

not 100% sure. but i will find a way. the bottom line it was being thrown out and they knew at work that i home brew. when i got home with it i saw its a 800.00 piece. i can sell it and upgrade my home brewing or make a 10 gallon batch in it and watch all hell break loose. it was so dam beautiful i couldn't watch it be thrown away. i agree too, impossible to physically move it, unless onto a ..... you're right. how the hell.....
i could also fill it with coins and when i retire in 15 years, Ill have a few hundred grand!
lb :rockin:

 

[unionrdr]

That's what she said...

The #1 complaint...it's never big enough!

both wildflowers....and honey. i cant wait.
thanks to you all !! ^

Hmm,I've used dandelion flowers in apple jack in the past. What kind of wild flowers in a wheat?

 

[mtnagel]

I can understand how you'll fill it and I assume you can use an auto siphon to get beer out (actually, are they long enough (another TWSS opportunity)), but what I want to know is: how are you going to clean this thing? Seems like more of a PITA than a help, but more power to you if you can make it work!

 

[microbusbrewery]

not 100% sure. but i will find a way. the bottom line it was being thrown out and they knew at work that i home brew. when i got home with it i saw its a 800.00 piece. i can sell it and upgrade my home brewing or make a 10 gallon batch in it and watch all hell break loose. it was so dam beautiful i couldn't watch it be thrown away. i agree too, impossible to physically move it, unless onto a ..... you're right. how the hell.....
i could also fill it with coins and when i retire in 15 years, Ill have a few hundred grand!
lb :rockin:

Sorry, don't me to be a buzzkill, but it does seem a little problematic. The only thing I could think of was maybe some kind of lift table or a hoist...but both of those present their own problems and might be more trouble than they're worth. If you have a pump you could place it up on a table/shelf then pump from boil kettle to fermenter. Then when finished you could gravity feed to bottle/keg.

Selling it might be the best long-term solution. It might take a while to sell it, but assuming you could get even half of what they're selling for online, that's a lot of money to work with on upgrades.

 

[devils4ever]

Wow! That sucker will be heavy. I have fun lifting my 5 gal carboy.

 

[Mozart]

Always funny.

Ok, so I have to ask...how are you going to use it? I can't imagine you'd try to move it after it's full. So are you going to place it on a shelf then fill it so that after fermentation you can rack to a bottling bucket or keg?

That'd have to be one sturdy shelf!

What about just racking *most* of the beer out of it into a bottling bucket (with the end of the siphon in the bucket just a few inches below the end in the monster of a carboy), and then gently move it when it's a lot less full?

Also, depending on what you're racking into, you don't need the height differential to be very much. Just setting it atop some 2x4s (before you fill it, of course) might create height enough for the siphon to still work assuming the other end of it is at the bottom of your bottling bucket.

Fill up one 5 gallon bottling bucket, switch, fill up the next.

But moving that sucker full? I certainly wouldn't try it.

 

[LowNotes]

You might be able to make a wood/plywood platform with some industrial strength caster wheels so you can roll it around? Of course if you have any stairs between points A and B...things would get complicated.

 

[thejuanald]

My local brewery, Marble, makes a great wildflower wheat. Good luck with it and with that monster carboy.

 

[m3n00b]

In before someone says a carboy that big will attack you and eat your family and to use a 12 gallon bucket instead.

 

[kh54s10]

Also, depending on what you're racking into, you don't need the height differential to be very much. Just setting it atop some 2x4s (before you fill it, of course) might create height enough for the siphon to still work assuming the other end of it is at the bottom of your bottling bucket.

I don't believe this is true. I think that once the levels of the 2 vessels are equal the siphon would stop.

If I were to use that carboy it would get installed permanently over, or in, some sort of tub to catch cleaning solution and I would clean it in place and NEVER move it.

Sell it!

 

[SpeedYellow]

...
If I were to use that carboy it would get installed permanently over, or in, some sort of tub to catch cleaning solution and I would clean it in place and NEVER move it.
...

+12.

How can you clean this thing, scrub it, remove the cleaning solution, and rinse it? Maybe mount in something like a car rotisserie. Otherwise, no thanks.

 

[thisisbeer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzfLipeZidk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

You could rig something up like that to vacuum siphon so you dont have to build a shelf, you can siphon while both containers are level.