This is the part where you say welcome to the board dummy...

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Welcome. Glad no one was hurt by the exploding glass carboy. IMO, glass is just not worth the risk. Yes you can be careful and MAYBE you will get years without a broken carboy, or as others have written - "always very careful then - CRASH". Some with serious injuries. Tens of thousand if not hundreds of thousands or even more use only plastic, myself included, without issue. I do not fear that anything bad will come from the plastic. Stainless steel is probably the best choice, but far out of my price range.
 
You’ll love the Fermonsters. I have two that I use, both with spigots for easy transfer into kegs. Just make sure you use a soft sponge (NOT the scratch side!!) when cleaning them.

I’m cleaning a glass carboy that I used for wine and I hate the thing. Pain in the ass to clean and all you think about are the horror stories!
 
Great first post! I'm kinda new myself. I am using the big mouth bubbler kit, and I'm glad it's plastic.. Last Monday I tripped over the baby gate, I was able to control the fall and made sure somehow that the bubbler stayed right side up, the force of it hitting the bottom did pop the lid and I lost 1/2 gallon of porter in the livingroom, most of it into my eyes and face. My wife was not happy, but the beer lives! I hope you enjoy your second batch, and I love the name!
 
cat%20-%20i%20love%20this%20thread%20so%20much-2.jpg


If you have the cash, there have been a lot of great reviews for the 7 gal. Brew Bucket fermenter. It's not cheap, about $200, but people here seem to have good things to say about them.
 
mongoose33 said:
Good luck, and as you may have already surmised, we're not here to berate you. Rather, this is a rather impressive community of people who will help. Berating doesn't accomplish that.
Click to expand...

You are a nice guy, but @DublinOhioBrewer asked to be roasted. Breaking people down and building them back up works.
 
Wow. Just wow. I recently put my 5l Erlenmeyer flask on the stove to make a yeast starter, and even though the thing is explicitly designed to be used over open flame, I was edgy the whole time. When I got to that sentence about a 6+ gallon carboy on the stove ... I think my body went into a whole-body cringe.

But for what it's wort(h), any future mishap will appear minor to you. Infection? Spill a gallon or two? Exploding bottle? Blown air lock? Won't faze you a bit. And if you put your address on here, someone surely will send you a Speidel, free of charge.
 
zoned_post_meridiem said:
Wow. Just wow. I recently put my 5l Erlenmeyer flask on the stove to make a yeast starter, and even though the thing is explicitly designed to be used over open flame, I was edgy the whole time. When I got to that sentence about a 6+ gallon carboy on the stove ... I think my body went into a whole-body cringe.

But for what it's wort(h), any future mishap will appear minor to you. Infection? Spill a gallon or two? Exploding bottle? Blown air lock? Won't faze you a bit. And if you put your address on here, someone surely will send you a Speidel, free of charge.
Click to expand...

Agree with the exception of an exploding bottle. That has the potential to do a high level of damage. More than a carboy? Dunno. Hopefully nobody is pressurizing a glass carboy. When ppl talk about exploding bottles, that would cause me to treat the entire batch the exploding bottle came from as UXO in beer form. Ive never had one explode thankfully.
 
I've been brewing for 4 years now. Just last month I made something which was quickly named "basement floor cider". Caused by forgetting an important o-ring in the bottom of my fastferment.

Welcome to the family!

Sent from my SM-G903W using Home Brew mobile app
 
triethylborane said:
You are a nice guy, but @DublinOhioBrewer asked to be roasted. Breaking people down and building them back up works.
Click to expand...

I am, of course, a nice guy--that's apparent to all. :)

But I think if you go back and reread his original post, his attitude was more of being resigned to the fact than asking for it. :)
 
Thanks, you took my mind off this stupid leaky furnace.

Well at least you saved the yeast.
Wow, that was an intense first brew day.
I started our with a 2.4(?) gal little brown keg and hopped extract (Mr beer kit). Moved on to 2.5 gal batches with hops and 3 lbs of dry extract. Right now I have 5 gal of coconut oatmeal ale in my 6 gal brew pail, (my first attempt at BIAB with extract). We have a 5 gal glass water bottle around here someplace. I was going to use it's as a fermenter but decided a plastic bucket would be easier to clean and move. I'd love to have a conical fermenter someday though..
Your next batch will be better.
 
DublinOhioBrewer said:
So, I'm a pretty new homebrewer, in fact on Sunday I brewed for the very first time and quite frankly it was a disaster and I'm completely embarrassed about it. However I figured I would introduce myself to all of you with a story that will surely make you all laugh and shake your heads in either disgust or hilarity. Probably a little bit of both.

So I got my front porch pale ale extract kit that came with my Midwest Supplies equipment kit and I proceeded to steep My grains, bring it to a boil, add my extract and my hops for 60 minutes and then hook up my wort chiller to the sink and drop it 15 minutes before the end of the boil while adding my whirlfoc tablets and my yeast nutrient. After 20 minutes with the wort chiller it was down to about 74 degrees. I transferred it through a funnel into my six and a half gallon carboy and added three more gallons of cold distilled water. Unfortunately though, this dropped my wort down to 52 degrees.

This is where my numbskullness kicks in. I decide to put my 60 degree six and a half gallon Carboy on the stove with a light Flame to try to warm the Wort back up to a safe pitching temperature and it ends up shattering on my stove dumping 5 gallons of pale ale all over my floor not to mention hundreds of pieces of glass. I was demoralized.

Now, before you berate me and scream at me, it should be noted that never in my life have I ever been told or had any reason to know that putting glass on heat would cause it to explode. So I feel pretty stupid about that not to mention the fact that I'm an imbecile for ruining 5 gallons of perfectly good wort.

Here I was paranoid and worried about not having a blow off tube... and yet my yeast never even made it into my wort.

So I guess the moral of the story for you new Brewers is don't make the same mistake that I did. $85 later I will never make that mistake again.

My buddy who was an accomplice to this horrible crime and I, have decided that once we redo this pale ale this weekend, Sans the carboy on the stove, we will name it broken glass pale ale and it will live in infamy forever. I will probably keep an unopened bottle with the broken glass pale ale label on it for posterity sake.

Having thoroughly embarrassed myself it's a pleasure being part of this community and I look forward to hopefully sharing good results not terrible situations like this past one.

May the berating commence
Click to expand...

Since you did this indoors I hope you are single or have a VERY UNDERSTANDING WIFE.
 
I thought my first brew day was bad. I tried to pour my wort from the brew kettle into my carboy. I dumped about half of it down the drain and in an effort to have a reasonable amount of beer, I topped it off with Phoenix chloromine full tap water. The beer was probably less than 4% ABV, but it tasted like beer and I really enjoyed that I had made it. I use glass carboys, but it is my hope that because they are only 1 gallon that they will be easy enough to handle that I wont break them. I will not look at the broken carboy thread. There are some things you can’t unsee.
 
That thread is the only one I won't bother with on this whole site. I know what to expect.

So who uses glass for fermenting?
I do, using two 3gal, one 5, and one 6 gal depending on need. Would prefer steel instead.
My first mistake was leaving a glass 5 gallon in the kitchen where something was dropped on it, smashing the airlock. The same person (not me) also smashed a hydrometer in the process. So now, the glass gets stored in another room and nothing but steel and cheap plastic is out when human fruit flies float around my kitchen. :mad:
 
Here's how I view this.

1.) We are guys. We are allowed to do stupid things. Any spouse worth her salt knows that stupidity, and her man's creative process can tend to go hand in hand sometimes.

2.) This was done in the pursuit beer, the Necture of the Gods.

3.) Anyone that's says they haven't done something stupid like this, is a liar.

While yes, you did accrue some deductions for brewing style and overall performance, I don't think any of us can find fault with someone trying to brew their own beer. The mere thought of having to clean up that mess is punishment enough.

With that said, crack open another drink, or two, and go for round two.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Don't mean to drift too far on this topic, but many have referred to the famous "broken glass horror stories thread."
I've mentioned this before, but for those that simply cannot part with their glass, I would NEVER handle a glass carboy without a brewhauler. All of those nasty pictures of trips to the ER for stitches could have been prevented.
That said, years ago the bottom literally detached off my glass carboy dropping all my really nice looking Vienna lager wort to the ground. Never going back. I crawled in a corner and stayed in the fetal position for weeks......... :(
 
I am pleased to inform you all that round two went off without a hitch. This is a simple extract and hop only batch of cream ale from Midwest Supplies beer. Simply beer. Brand. Nothing spectacular but it's in my fermenter, it's 69 degrees and the yeast has been pitched and I did not break a Carboy or have any thermal shock or hurt anyone or make a mess. I would call it a rousing success and I applaud myself for accomplishing something so simple, yet so evasive. Thank you all for all the encouragement and I would like to add that I am honored and proud to be a member of your community. I will let you know how it tastes because when I sampled what I took for the gravity reading with my hydrometer, which was 1.05 by the way, I don't know if that's good or not, it tasted pretty strong for a cream ale but let's see what happens. I'm honestly thrilled to have something in my fermenter. The addiction is on!
 
DublinOhioBrewer said:
I am pleased to inform you all that round two went off without a hitch. This is a simple extract and hop only batch of cream ale from Midwest Supplies beer. Simply beer. Brand. Nothing spectacular but it's in my fermenter, it's 69 degrees and the yeast has been pitched and I did not break a Carboy or have any thermal shock or hurt anyone or make a mess. I would call it a rousing success and I applaud myself for accomplishing something so simple, yet so evasive. Thank you all for all the encouragement and I would like to add that I am honored and proud to be a member of your community. I will let you know how it tastes because when I sampled what I took for the gravity reading with my hydrometer, which was 1.05 by the way, I don't know if that's good or not, it tasted pretty strong for a cream ale but let's see what happens. I'm honestly thrilled to have something in my fermenter. The addiction is on!
Click to expand...

Congrats on your first and a halfth batch. Hope it turns out great for you. I'm throwing a name nomination in the ring;
Shattered Dreams.
Description - A cream ale from the streets of Dublin.......

....Ohio!
 
Been in my fermenter about 12hrs. It is i
20180106_113343.jpg
n a swamp bucket and it's sitting at 64 degrees. I don't see any action in my airlock but I've attached a picture of what the top looks like. Does everything look okay to you guys?
 
Lol. Welcome to the obsession! I mostly use 6.5 gallon cheap plastic buckets with spigots, unless I'm brewing something that doesn't require dry-hopping or is larger than 6 gallons. That's when I break out (snork) the 7.5 gallon super heavy duty scary glass carboy. I've been lucky so far, probably because I read all the horror stories here and elsewhere so I'm super careful when using it. I don't have a big enough round tub so it lives in a standard rubbermaid tub when in use. Just kegged an Arrogant Bastard clone out of it that turned out fantastic, making me think my buckets need to be replaced after a few nasty failures. That's the only downside to the buckets; eventually they will scratch and start to harbor nasties that will ruin your delicious beer. Hope to get me a Catalyst sometime next year.
 
Looks just fine! The lighter stuff on top looks to be the beginning of a nice krausen. Give it another several hours and it should be going gangbusters. Congratulations!
 
DublinOhioBrewer said:
I am pleased to inform you all that round two went off without a hitch. This is a simple extract and hop only batch of cream ale from Midwest Supplies beer. Simply beer. Brand. Nothing spectacular but it's in my fermenter, it's 69 degrees and the yeast has been pitched and I did not break a Carboy or have any thermal shock or hurt anyone or make a mess. I would call it a rousing success and I applaud myself for accomplishing something so simple, yet so evasive. Thank you all for all the encouragement and I would like to add that I am honored and proud to be a member of your community. I will let you know how it tastes because when I sampled what I took for the gravity reading with my hydrometer, which was 1.05 by the way, I don't know if that's good or not, it tasted pretty strong for a cream ale but let's see what happens. I'm honestly thrilled to have something in my fermenter. The addiction is on!
Click to expand...
Congratulations! You'll be seasoned airlock sniffer in no time [emoji48] [emoji482]
 
DublinOhioBrewer said:
Been in my fermenter about 12hrs. It is iView attachment 552642 n a swamp bucket and it's sitting at 64 degrees. I don't see any action in my airlock but I've attached a picture of what the top looks like. Does everything look okay to you guys?
Click to expand...

No peeking!

Oh wait. You're brewing. Just as you've got to test, you've got to peek. Never mind.
 
SEndorf said:
Arrogant Bastard's a good beer, but after seeing mark 0.23 on this video, you'll never be able to say it normally again...:D:D
Click to expand...


Seen something similar, that cracks me up every time. Was a bartender for 20+ years, started back when Red Hook ESB was "the" craft beer to drink. I bartend sometimes for my brewpub owner friend, we get some hipsters from time to time who snob about everything from the nose, the flavor, the color, what they've had elsewhere, ad nauseam. Many's the time I've wanted to slap the fedora off a head and say "shut up and drink it. It's good beer. Then have another."

On the flip side, used to bartend at a bowling alley in South Seattle. Can't count the times twenty-thirty somethings came in looking for PBR...in 16s. And when I would politely inform them we didn't carry it, but list the nice craft beers we had on tap, had listen to them say PBR is just about the best beer there is. Yes I know people have different tastes, but PBR???? Seriously???? Eeeew. I hate cows.
 
First, from one first time brewer to another, my condolences for your mishap. I made it to the same point in my first batch and had the exact same concern. First, I was worried about not having enough wort in the fermenter because I was worried about getting too much sludge in. Then, when I topped it off with water, I was worried about the temp being too low. I don't actually know if too low of a temperature is a problem, but I was worried about it. I ended up just switching to hot tap water half way through as I was topping off and crossing my fingers. It seemed to work as I had good action in the airlock for a few days. I didn't notice any bubbles after maybe 4-5 days so I'm hoping my yeast didn't quit on me... I just transferred to a secondary fermenter today and I'm getting some action in the airlock again. Not sure if that's normal.

Anyway, thanks for posting as I had some of the same concerns.

DublinOhioBrewer said:
This is where my numbskullness kicks in. I decide to put my 60 degree six and a half gallon Carboy on the stove with a light Flame to try to warm the Wort back up to a safe pitching temperature and it ends up shattering on my stove dumping 5 gallons of pale ale all over my floor not to mention hundreds of pieces of glass. I was demoralized.
Click to expand...
 

Similar threads

R
Yet another thing I learned on my last brew day
Replies
19
Views
1K
redrocker652002
R
A
Off flavour after kegging?
Replies
10
Views
1K
Adamkav
A
B
Looking for advice
Replies
6
Views
982
Bibbles's Bubbles
B
BeerNsteadofH2O
New to the show
Replies
1
Views
339
BeerNsteadofH2O
BeerNsteadofH2O
Langerz
First Brew - Question Time
2
Replies
41
Views
3K
Langerz
Langerz
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top