Who can tell me about Better Bottles?

[cuttsjp]

Better Bottle users assemble! Recently, I had an unfortunate incident that destroyed two of my 5-gallon glass carboys. At the moment, all I have left is my 6.5-gallon glass carboy, a bucket and a couple of 1-gallon jugs. I really want to replace my lost carboys, especially as I am starting to brew more again, and I am seriously considering some Better Bottles. I am particularly interested in the ones with racking attachments, but I'm definitely interested in BBs in general for the lowered breakability, lightness, and slightly lower price point. Can some people tell me about the experience of using (and cleaning) Better Bottles? I am ready to pull the trigger, just want a few firsthand accounts before I take the plunge. Thanks, and cheers!

 

[Snicklefritz]

I have not had any issues with them and I've been using them exclusively for at least 3 years now. Glad I ditched my glass carboys before I had the inevitable accident. As for cleaning I soak mine in a PBW solution over night, dump and rinse. That's about it.

 

[Buzzbeer]

I have switched to them from glass. Love how light they are and for cleaning I use Oxyclean to soak and then drop in a small piece of washcloth to swirl around inside, then I rinse them out. Can't complain and glad I made the move.

 

[TheHappyHopper]

I use a 6.5 gallon BB as well as buckets - I prefer the buckets because they are easier to clean.

For cleaning the BB, I put a few gallons of water with some Oxyclean Free in it, shake it up, and then leave it upside down (with a stopper in it) for a few hours to loosen up the stuck-on krausen. If I have any really stubborn spots, I put a soft cloth inside the BB (you don't want to use anything like a brush that could potentially scratch it) and shake it around until I get those tough spots, then I rinse thoroughly.

It's probably more of a pain to clean than the glass carboys since you can't use a brush, but it is a whole lot lighter and unbreakable, so I would say the pros outweigh the cons.

 

[bu_gee]

I use a BB as my secondary fermenter. Thus far I have all good things to say about it.

If I can complain about anything, it is that the ridges on the sides of the bottle collect sediment which is woefully easy to knock into your beer when racking. With a little bit of care, it isn't a real issue.

 

[d3track]

Hate them. Cleaning is a pain and I hade two crack at the bottom. I think if I go plastic again it will be the vintage shop models.

 

[dobes]

I have 4 that I use now. No issues at all with them.
I clean them with oxy-free and a soft rag if needed.
My kids got a hold of one and used it for a soccer ball held up fine.
I still use glass as well. Main reason is cause I have them.
I do prefer the BB's just for the reason of not having to worry about breaking them.
Also have heard stories of O2 permeating through the plastic but I have had no issues with that. I've lagered in them but nothing in the 6 month or longer range so I can't speak about that.

 

[Paps]

Go to wal-mart or sams club and buy the water jugs for 4 bucks. (i thinnk they hold 4 gallons and not the normal 5)
The BB bung fits them and they are 1/4 the cost.

 

[jbaysurfer]

I have 6 of them, all 3.5 years old. Never ever have I cracked one. They're not at all brittle, have no idea how you could crack one under normal use tbh, but I digress.

Don't melt them, and don't use a carboy brush on them and you're golden. Most cleaning requires a short soak, a good shake and a rinse. On the odd occassion the Krausen has really baked on there I put in a wash cloth with a very small amount of liquid and use it to mechanically clean the inside soiled surfaces.

They're great. I have 2 conicals and still use my Better bottles if they're available. Easier to clean, you can see what's inside.

 

[jbaysurfer]

Go to wal-mart or sams club and buy the water jugs for 4 bucks. (i thinnk they hold 4 gallons and not the normal 5)
The BB bung fits them and they are 1/4 the cost.

BB makes 6G which I use for primary. I only own 1 5g and only use it to carry water because I don't secondary except when using spices or the like.

 

[Xpertskir]

Go to wal-mart or sams club and buy the water jugs for 4 bucks. (i thinnk they hold 4 gallons and not the normal 5)
The BB bung fits them and they are 1/4 the cost.

That is not the same plastic.




They are great OP, only thing I use. I had one glass carboy that I loaned out and I don't really care if it ever comes back. I think I have 15-20 BB's.

 

[glick]

I have used them for the last 2 years and last week one of them developed a crack on the bottom about 2 inches long. Thankfully the fermenter was full of PBW and not beer at the time. I never abused the fermenter so I am not sure why it cracked. I chose to replace it with the 60l Speidel fermenter. I just got that yesterday and havent had a chance to use it yet, but it looks awesome! Much heavier duty then the better bottles, and I can ferment 10 gallons in one fermenter. I see this lasting a lot longer then 2 years.

 

[botigol]

When you lift them, you have to be aware that the body will flex just a bit and cause air to be sucked in. This could cause whatever is in the airlock to end up in your beer. Every once in a while the krausen is a pain to remove, but like others have already recounted, you just pop a soft towel/rag in with some detergent and water. Better Bottle has a pretty thorough document about how to clean them. it is in the menu on the left in this link:

http://www.better-bottle.com/technical.html

I have an apfelwein that's been in a six-gallon Better Bottle of almost two and a half years without sign of oxidation.

 

[ndinh]

I've used the 6g and 5g for a couple of years now without any issues at all. I use a milk crate to carry them. Also, to clean, I just rinse a couple of times to get the main crud out, then I put oxyclean and enough water to cover the krausen line when inverted. I use a solid bung and keep the BB inverted for a day or two. Then I dump and use a carboy cleaner+drill to clean out the remaining stuff. I just started using a Speidel and I have to say, they're pretty awesome so far.

 

[MT2sum]

This is just a thought, If you want to experience what it would be like to use BBs, do like one gal on You Tube does ..... she goes to WalMart and buys a 5 gal jug of Primo water, uses the water for brewing, uses the empty jug for a fermenter, and takes the bottle back for another after 5 or 6 batches - she says she can use it for about 5 or 6 5 gallon batches without having to return it in between! (You could take it back each time if you wanted, that way you would never have to worry about infections becuz some small piece of krausen escaped your notice- just rinse it out - you would still have to pay for the water, but not the jug deposit - which is OK if you live in a locality like where I do and can't use the local water). NOTE: the plastic in these jugs is the BPA-Free good kind, not the harmful ones! ..... and even tho you can only get 3 & 5 gallon ones they work fine as primaries and secondaries! The 3 gallon ones work great for split brews and small batches if you'd like to do that once in a while - the deposit is what hurts, not the cost of the water.
Just my 2 centavos ..........

 

[heckels]

I have used them for the last 2 years and last week one of them developed a crack on the bottom about 2 inches long. Thankfully the fermenter was full of PBW and not beer at the time. I never abused the fermenter so I am not sure why it cracked. I chose to replace it with the 60l Speidel fermenter. I just got that yesterday and havent had a chance to use it yet, but it looks awesome! Much heavier duty then the better bottles, and I can ferment 10 gallons in one fermenter. I see this lasting a lot longer then 2 years.

The only time I've had one crack was when letting PBW soak for an extended (couple days) period of time.

Outside of that I like the BB for the simple safety aspect. I recently moved to conicals but will keep a few BBs around for sours and extended aging.

Honestly though, if I were starting all over I think I'd go with the plastic big mouth bubblers.

Also, I have never used the BBs with a racking port. However, given the thinness of the material at the bottom I'd be afraid of them developing a tear.

 

[BrotherGrim]

I have been using a pair of them for about 2 years. I bought both of them with the racking valve. I love them. Transferring directly from primary to keg is a simple hose connection, adjust the racking valve to clear the trub/yeast cake, and open the drain valve. Shut the valve, swirl up the yeast a bit, pour out half the yeast, fill with cooled wort and away we go!

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I have 6 of them, all 3.5 years old. Never ever have I cracked one. They're not at all brittle, have no idea how you could crack one under normal use tbh, but I digress.

Don't melt them, and don't use a carboy brush on them and you're golden. Most cleaning requires a short soak, a good shake and a rinse. On the odd occassion the Krausen has really baked on there I put in a wash cloth with a very small amount of liquid and use it to mechanically clean the inside soiled surfaces.

They're great. I have 2 conicals and still use my Better bottles if they're available. Easier to clean, you can see what's inside.

I'll take your conicals. I'll send you my 4 better bottles in return. They just sit on the shelf since I got a conical.

 

[JRAvpro]

Quick story:

Last fall I "discovered" one of my BB's had a compound fracture along the bottom while racking a porter into it for secondary! What a mess! (Didn't begin to leak until about 1/2 full.) So I hit the BB website which (at the time) featured a picture of a man holding a BB in one hand and a mallet in the other along with the word "UNBREAKABLE!" in all caps and underlined. (That word has since been removed I notice... but the bottle and the mallet are still there!)

I then poked around til I found a "Contact Us" email form and sent them the whole sad story, expecting some kind of consolation-oriented reply. On the contrary I got a reply that blamed ME for (essentially) ABUSING my BB's by cleaning them over an extended time period with "aggresive" cleaners intended for CIP cleaning of stainless steel vessels in large commercial operations!

I replied to the sender indicating that the bottle in question was a Christmas gift less than a year ago, and the only cleaners I'd ever used were industry standards like One Step, Straight A, PBW, etc. He replied back and said that the only cleaner they recommend is made by Seventh Generation, and I should check out the "Technical" tab on their website for more information. I did so, and found a chart summarizing the results of their own testing of percarbonate cleaners which indicates they are "OK" to use on a variety of plastic carboys including PET which is the material that BB's are made of. The chart in fact specified those very same cleaners BY NAME, indicating that they passed their tests even after soaking for six hours!

So I wrote back again, pointing this out and again asked if he could explain how my "unbreakable" BB had become fractured, hoping there would be some offer of restitution or at least an explanation. Instead the reply indicated they test BB's by dropping fully loaded units from 5' high at the factory, and they never break. (This left me to assume that he was calling me a liar, even though I had sent him a photo of my fractured BB, and even offered to drive it to the Wilmette IL site where their URL indicates they are located.)

So I will never buy another BB again, and have urged everyone in my brew club (one of the largest in the midwest) to join me in my little quest.

Now lest you think I'm a weirdo, I just want to explain that I have worked in the customer service side of different companies for over 30 years, and currently work for a national grocery store chain known for OUTSTANDING customer service; so when I have an experience as bad as this was it does make me a little bit nuts. While I was tempted to pursue the matter further, I decided it wasn't worth any more of my time. But I formulated another plan:

Understand that I had no receipt or record of purchasing the bottle as it came as a gift. But since I regularly buy supplies from Northern Brewer, and my wife and kids would likely order from them as well I decided to send them the same basic email that I first sent to BB. And do you know what they did?

After one more email exchange between me and one of their "brewmasters" along with a copy of the same photo I had sent BB,...

They sent me a brand new 5 gal "Bubbler" from their own stock at NO CHARGE, not even for freight! Just based on my saying that it was "probably" bought from them!

Now THAT'S customer service! And that's why I am so enamored with Northern Brewer!

And, BTW>>> their new Wide Mouth Bubblers are wonderfully easy to clean cause you can get your whole arm down in there to gently remove a stubborn spot if need be.

Long live Northern Brewer and their new Bubbler carboys! (Which incidentally seem to be made of a little thicker PET than BB's are.)

 

[OneImpBrewery]

Nobody asked me but.... What about Big Mouth Bubblers.....(crowd hisses) Alright alright. I have 3 and I love them Optional lid for temp probe... Just saying. Either way the plastic is a lot nicer than I thought it would be

-Imp

Ps Last year for fathers day midwest did a buy one get one with an brew kit. Heck of a deal

 

[govner1]

I have not had any issues with them and I've been using them exclusively for at least 3 years now. Glad I ditched my glass carboys before I had the inevitable accident. As for cleaning I soak mine in a PBW solution over night, dump and rinse. That's about it.

+1 on this. I have all BB's (3,5,&6g).
Lighter, don't break and/or shred you. A good one hour soak w/ hot water & 1 Tbsp of B-Brite does the trick 99.9% of the time.

 

[j1n]

Nobody asked me but.... What about Big Mouth Bubblers.....(crowd hisses) Alright alright. I have 3 and I love them Optional lid for temp probe... Just saying. Either way the plastic is a lot nicer than I thought it would be

-Imp

Ps Last year for fathers day midwest did a buy one get one with an brew kit. Heck of a deal

The big mouth bubblers are good but they dont seal well (plastic on plastic). they need a gasket to make a good seal which they do not have and should implement. im not buying any more of them.

 

[Paps]

That is not the same plastic.

The water jug is PET # 1
Coincidentally, the plastic the store bought apple juice for cider making is also residing in PET # 1 containers from it's factory.
While it might not be EXACTLY the same plastic as a BB i cannot say but PET # 1 works just fine......for 1/4 of the cost.

 

[SeraW]

Love my 3 Gal Better Bottle as my primary for my 2.5 gal batches. Makes apartment brewing easy and non-cluttering, which is very important to the wife. Easy to lift for aeration at pitch time and for shaking the heck out of to clean (I use OxyClean, too). The weight helps - I'm not the strongest gal around, and if I ever bumped to 5 gal batches, I'd probably just use a 2nd one of these.

 

[jimmayhugh]

I've used the ported 5 and 6 gal BBs for the better part of 4 years with only one problem. I made homemade rootbeer in one and the flavor/aroma permeated the bottle, so that one is now exclusively for rootbeer .

I've recently switched to Stainless Steel Carboys, but will definitely keep the BBs.

 

[Esmitee]

I have 2, 6 gal, ported BB, I love them, My go to for primary's. Lightweight yes, But the racking valves are the best part. I got my 2 ported BB used for $30. bucks each. That's a steal, With the racking tube, and the spigot, I think they would cost close to $ 85. bucks each. Fermentation is over, Star San the valve on the BB and your racking hose, drop in your bucket or keg and drain to it while watching the racking tube. Move the racking tube down as needed to get as close to trub as you dare. I crash cool down to about 33-34 for at least 2 days. That makes the yeast cake pretty hard and it don't move around ,almost at all, Hence, no trub stirred up. Very easy

 

[GRBC]

I am a fan of Better Bottles, however, I had 2 develop cracks on the bottom before I learned that you shouldn't fill them w/PBW for a soak, and never rock/swirl them when full.

Trouble is, you can't buy the 6 gallon ported version, and haven't been able to for months. My LHBS told me in Oct/Nov that they have been out of stock & not available for reorder. I have been checking online since then & they are still generally out of stock. I emailed the company at the "sales" email link from their website about 6 weeks ago to inquire about the status and never got a reply. Hope it is just an extended production issue and not a safety issue...

 

[thatfatbastard]

So... as I wrote in a different thread, I just opened a LHBS.

I'm a huge fan of Better Bottles, I'm not sure how many I have at home. When I went to place my initial inventory orders all of the suppliers were out of them. I was able to get my hands on one 5 gal BB.

What I've been told is that manufacturing has been shut down at BB for a few months. They are supposed to be starting back up, but who knows how long it's going to take for them to get back in to the distribution channels.

I placed an order yesterday with a vendor and they had some other PET carboys that I am going to give a try.

I reached out to Northern Brewer's wholesale arm about the Bubblers, but they seem to be awfully proud of them.

 

[OneImpBrewery]

Midwest 4 pet big mouth bubblers 69 bucks. Love mine. Long term fermentation I would recommend glass but I haven't had troubles with mine for up to a month.

 

[Artifishal]

I've used the ported 5 and 6 gal BBs for the better part of 4 years with only one problem. I made homemade rootbeer in one and the flavor/aroma permeated the bottle, so that one is now exclusively for rootbeer .



I've recently switched to Stainless Steel Carboys, but will definitely keep the BBs.

Where can we buy one of those ss milk cans? I really like what you have there.

 

[schematix]

I've got 4 of the vintage shop 6 gallon plastic fermenters. Overall I'm a big fan and I'd highly recommend them to a beginner over a glass carboy. They are barely more expensive than a bucket but much cheaper than glass.

Only negatives I can see are:
-Extra head space of 6.5G is nice to prevent loss of beer during blow off.
-I can't find anything that seals solidly around the neck. I'm sure something exists but the orange caps suck.

BTW they are easy to clean with about 1.5G of HOT water and about 3T of PBW. Just cap and shake. Let it sit for a few. Shake again. Let it sit for a few. Shake it again. Then hot rinse, hot rinse, cold rinse cold rinse and set upside down to drain.

 

[thatfatbastard]

Use a #10 stopper or one of the buon vino stoppers. The orange and burgundy caps are made for glass carboys.

 

[JRAvpro]

I will NEVER buy another BB, and advise everyone to not do so either!

Some time ago I contacted them because I found a number of small fractures at the base of one of my units. It actually began leaking slowly as I was transferring a porter into it. (What a mess to clean up! PLUS the disappointment of losing a half gallon in the process!) Anyway, I had always thought BB's were "unbreakable", so I checked the website which (at the time) prominently displayed a picture of someone about to whack a Better Bottle with a mallet along with the word "UNBREAKABLE!" in all caps.

So I emailed them and asked if they could explain how my "unbreakable" Better Bottle had become broken. The reply I got from someone named Walter indicated it was my fault for using "corrosive" cleaners which had weakened the PET over time. I wrote back that the unit was barely 1 year old, and that the only cleaners I had ever used were industry standards like Easy-Clean, Straight-A and PBW.

He wrote me back and re-iterated that those are all "aggresive" cleaners designed for CIP use on the stainless steel fermenters found in professional breweries, and suggested I check out the Wash/Sanitize section, under the Technical tab, at their Web site.

I did so, only to find a lengthy article where they chart their own test results of various cleaners on various container materials including PET. The chart includes percarbonate cleaners such as PBW as being "OK"! It even specifies PBW, B-Brite, One Step, and OxiClean by name and says they're all "OK"!!

It also shows that based on their own tests, sanitizers like Star-San, IO-Star and even household bleach are all "OK".

So I wrote back and brought all this to Walter's attention, and offered to personally drive my broken carboy up to Wilmette IL so he could inspect it himself; but he was not interested in helping in any way other than to recommend I use some product made by Seventh Generation to clean with.

So.... Just wondering if anyone else has had the pleasure of such an experience with old Walter... Who IS this guy, anyway? He acts like he's the owner of the company, but in fact BB is just a division of something called High-Q. I think he's a Whack-O!

On the other hand, after losing patience with Walter, I decided to send the same (original) email to Northern Brewer, along with an aside that I thought it was probably purchased from them; though I had no receipt or copy of the order as it was probably a gift from either my wife or kids. And you know what they did?

They sent me a brand new "Bubbler" carboy for FREE including shipping, with no questions asked other than a follow up email to confirm it had arrived safely and that I was satisfied!

Now THAT'S customer service!

God Bless Northern Brewer!

(And Better Bottle can kiss my grits...)

BTW: It's been over two years since this was originally posted, and my Bubbler carboy has been used at least a dozen times with NO issues despite regular use of PBW or OxyClean. Go Bubblers! NB rocks! BB's suck! (IMHO)