Who here is happy with glass carboys?

[beerocd]

I'd like to see how people are storing their bazillion carboys. Are you building 2x4 racks, or a shelving system, or do you really have that much free floorspace to hold all those carboys?

-OCD

 

[coryforsenate]

I like my glass carboys. Something about them being clear and letting you see what's happening inside just fascinates me.

Of course, they are covered and kept in the dark 99.9% of the time.

 

[mattmcl]

20+ years of brewing with glass and I'd never switch. I have four of them, I keep them lined up against the wall in the basement. I get the handles that attach to the neck for hauling them around.

 

[thantos]

15 + and cant live with out them! I have a morbid fascination about watching my fermentation's.

 

[humann_brewing]

I purchased my second glass carboy last saturday, I was excited because it was a 6.5 gallon one and well I am a beer nerd I guess. Anyways, I was draining it when it fell over onto the cement and I no longer have it.

So that sucks, never even got to use the thing and had to use a dang bucket to ferment in. I am still getting another one but will only drain over my grass now.

 

[Buffman]

All glass here. I recently got rid of my old bucket after I noticed small scratches and a distinct beer smell in the plastic. The walls on glass carboys are pretty thick; I don't worry about breaking them with minor bumps. I do, however, make sure my hands are dry before trying to move a full one.

 

[TerapinChef]

3 primaries and 6 secondarys here...I've already broken one primary when I dropped it nose down into a concrete sink, which was nice enough to contain the broken pieces for me. I love my glass for it's impermeability, ease of cleaning, and most of all I really enjoy the show. I always crate them to move them, even if they're empty. I do use oxyclean, which makes them slippery, but I clean them on a counter that drains into my basement sink so I never have to carry them anywhere.
+1 on not drinking during brewing anymore, I have one or two beers tops. The closer you get to the end of the day, the more you need your wits about you.
Plus chicks dig scars.

 

[ZBrewMan]

Plus chicks dig scars.

FTW! :rockin:

 

[Clayton]

that thing is so bad ass i cant belave noone comminted on it
1 5 gal pyrex carboy, kick ass!
but hey i love lab glass.

I'm a relatively new brewer (1.5 months, 3 batches) and have been browsing the forums... I just came across this and jumped for joy! I had no idea about the Pyrex carboys. I looked online and saw a 5 gallon one listing for $150.

Here's the story... I got into homebrewing when my brother-in-law gave me all his equipment. He had never used it. He got it from a friend who moved out of the country and couldn't take it with him. That guy had used it a few times. He worked in a chemistry lab... you see where this is going...

In the bundle came three carboys: a standard 5 gallon, a 6 gallon, and a 5 gallon Pyrex no. 1595 solution bottle. I never thought to research it.

I've not used it yet since it has a huge bung hole (snicker) #12. I ordered a couple of stoppers and they just arrived in the mail today. I plan on using it for Apfelwein.

Here's a pic... You can see my new drilled stopper on top and the labels the previous owner had on it.

my god look at the price of thoes things
http://www.wilmad-labglass.com/group/779

 

[enderwig]

I love my carboys, but I have one rule that I strictly adhere to: 2 dry hands on the carboy at all times when moving. Following that rule, I have never broken one!

 

[carnevoodoo]

I have six 6.5 gallon carboys and two 5 gallon carboys. I've broken two. I chipped the neck of one and threw it away because I didn't want to deal with the potential of cutting myself on it.

The other I dropped a wrench on and it made a nice spider crack. It was full, so I let it go. I ended up duct taping the side because it had started to crack down the side pretty heavily. The crack was about 7 inches long when I racked into the keg. I know I was lucky, but I'm glad I got my beer!

I always have a pad to put them on instead of concrete, and I store them out of the way. I've bumped a couple of them into things (mostly walls) and have been ok. If they ever clunk together, I cringe a little.

 

[Tim27]

I hink my problem was carring my carboys by hand while full. I really was very careful with them other than that. They never got set down hard, I never put anything hotter than luke warm water in them. The cracks do not go through. They are just on the outside, the thing about it is that they are almost identically cracked. The cracks are on the bottoms of both carboys. They were not cracks on the sides or the necks. I always kept them on carpet and I never carried by the neck. I would just monkey carry them, if anyone knows what carry is. It is like carrying a big stack of booksbut hunched over a bit. It is a good work out.:cross:

 

[malkore]

I inherited two 40 year old glass carboys that my wife's grandfather used for wine making.

Unfortunately they appeared to have some hairline cracks/stress fractures in the bottom, so I never used them. Not worth the risk.

But my other 5 carboys are all glass. Glass is easier to clean than better bottles, and less risk of scratching.

 

[jtrainer]

I say 'Bucket' to your carboys...

Buckets are lighter, easier to clean, cheaper and goes against the glass purists....

I switched after hearing/reading/witnessing a broken carboy. Thankfully with the witnessed breakage, no one was hurt.....

 

[Vuarra]

I have 2 glass 6 USG carboys, and 4 54L glass demijohns. I also have one plastic 6½ USG primary, and one 30 L fermenting bucket. I've rinsed out the primary a few times, and it still smells like Cascade hops, and the bucket is used as storage for my racking canes.

I was a dumb-ass once, and heated a carboy... well, at least my stove is clean

 

[Shooter]

I only have one glass carboy. It's a little three gallon one I use mostly for mead. At that size I think it's manageable, but couldn't imagine trying to handle a five or six gallon carboy.

 

[RBlagojevich]

+1 on jajabee's "cool looking" comment.

Cars are dangerous too but you won't find my fat a$$ hopping on a bicycle to get to work instead

hence the fatness of your a$$

 

[z987k]

8 glass carboy's 0 plastic. Very happy with them.

 

[MBasile]

So you guys that stick to glass because you like watching the fermentation, why do you stick with glass instead of the Better Bottle clear plastic ones?

 

[z987k]

So you guys that stick to glass because you like watching the fermentation, why do you stick with glass instead of the Better Bottle clear plastic ones?

Easier to clean and sanitize. It doesn't scratch and make a place for bacteria to hide. I already replace everything plastic every 6 months or so. I don't need to be replacing fermenters to.

 

[ZBrewMan]

Suction of star-san back into fermenter when moving. Ability to use a brush if necessary. I like both, but I'll definitely stay with glass.

 

[Synovia]

Easier to clean and sanitize. It doesn't scratch and make a place for bacteria to hide. I already replace everything plastic every 6 months or so. I don't need to be replacing fermenters to.

i"m curious as to why you people seem to have trouble cleaning a better bottle. Fill with Oxi, dump. Rinse with starsan, done.

 

[mattmcl]

Personally I'm worried about small scratches that can develop in plastic. Over time, IMHO plastic discolors and stains, and that just doesn't seem clean to me. I like the sparkle of crystal clear glass, where I can easily see if anything is still stuck on the inside.

 

[GearBeer]

+1 to above.

I'm also lazy, so I like the option to leave a carboy sit for a day or two before I get to it.

 

[z987k]

i"m curious as to why you people seem to have trouble cleaning a better bottle. Fill with Oxi, dump. Rinse with starsan, done.

yeah but you scratch the hell out of them with the carboy brushes... therefore I would not use a carboy brush on it making it much more difficult to clean.

 

[hopvine]

When people talk about milk crates, is it safe to carry a full 6.5 gallon carboy in one of those?

Also, is it possible to remove the logo from a Better Bottle?

 

[springer]

I have both like I stated prior in the thread .... The cleaning thing I have never had to use a brush to clean any fermentor little water some oxyclean and its done and if there is a stubborn spot just a dishrag swish it around a little and done. I dont even fill them up when I clean then I just put a gallon or so in let it sit then put a cap on it and invert into a bucket to clean the ring and neck . If you put nothing inside a better Bottle that would scratch it it will never get scratched



I also use the gripper gloves when I handle the glass. Moving I use a milk crate for the carboy and as for the 54L Demijohns they came with baskets ... Still I never attempt to move glass with them full.