Brewing Master

Question:

Hi, Having just moved into a larger place (with a basement!) my roommate and I have decided to delve into the wonderful world of homebrewing.  We have both done some introductory reading (including the FAQ), but one thing is not clear…  why would one choose to use a glass fermenter over a plastic fermenter? Most of the starter kits we have seen include plastic ferementers, but a couple of the more expensive ones use glass carboy for their ferementers?  Is it worth the extra money to buy the glass?  Is the difference as simple as beer fermented in glass tastes better but the glass is more expensive and fragile? Or is there something more? Thanks for your insights, and if anyone has any general advice/tips/words of wisdom, they would also be appreciated -Dave P.S.  If you have any knowledge of the homebrew suppliers in or around Pittsburgh, we’d appreciate hearing those types of comments, too!

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi, Having just moved into a larger place (with a basement!) my roommate and I have decided to delve into the wonderful world of homebrewing.  We have both done some introductory reading (including the FAQ), but one thing is not clear…  why would one choose to use a glass fermenter over a plastic fermenter? Most of the starter kits we have seen include plastic ferementers, but a couple of the more expensive ones use glass carboy for their ferementers?  Is it worth the extra money to buy the glass?  Is the difference as simple as beer fermented in glass tastes better but the glass is more expensive and fragile? Or is there something more? Thanks for your insights, and if anyone has any general advice/tips/words of wisdom, they would also be appreciated -Dave P.S.  If you have any knowledge of the homebrew suppliers in or around Pittsburgh, we’d appreciate hearing those types of comments, too!

Plastic fermenters are fine as long as you realize they need more effort to clean and sanitize than glass.  At Ambleside Brewing Co. we do the following: wash with hot and cold water until the fermenters "look" clean; wash with a strong caustic cleaner (Diversol*); rinse again; wash with an acidic iodine-containing cleaner (Divosan*).  So far we’ve had no problems with beer quality, and have avoided the major problems associated with glass – breakage from being dropped and from thermal shock.  A broken glass carboy is a very dangerous object! *these are trade names for chemicals we buy in Canada.  You should be able to get equivalents in the US.

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David- I use glass simply because it’s fun to SEE the beer while it’s fermenting! Sure it’s heavy, fragile, hard to clean, etc, but watching the foam rise and the yeasties work outweighs the practicality of plastic. Good luck! -Eric – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, Having just moved into a larger place (with a basement!) my roommate and I have decided to delve into the wonderful world of homebrewing.  We have both done some introductory reading (including the FAQ), but one thing is not clear…  why would one choose to use a glass fermenter over a plastic fermenter? Most of the starter kits we have seen include plastic ferementers, but a couple of the more expensive ones use glass carboy for their ferementers?  Is it worth the extra money to buy the glass?  Is the difference as simple as beer fermented in glass tastes better but the glass is more expensive and fragile? Or is there something more? Thanks for your insights, and if anyone has any general advice/tips/words of wisdom, they would also be appreciated -Dave P.S.  If you have any knowledge of the homebrew suppliers in or around Pittsburgh, we’d appreciate hearing those types of comments, too!

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: : : Hi, : : Having just moved into a larger place (with a basement!) my roommate and I : have decided to delve into the wonderful world of homebrewing.  We have both : done some introductory reading (including the FAQ), but one thing is not : clear…  why would one choose to use a glass fermenter over a plastic : fermenter? : : Most of the starter kits we have seen include plastic ferementers, but a couple : of the more expensive ones use glass carboy for their ferementers?  Is it : worth the extra money to buy the glass?  Is the difference as simple as beer : fermented in glass tastes better but the glass is more expensive and fragile? : Or is there something more? : : Thanks for your insights, and if anyone has any general advice/tips/words of : wisdom, they would also be appreciated : : -Dave I am getting rid of my plastic fermenters.  I have no more patience for the extra cleaning required.  Despite my best efforts, it seems there is a smell that will never come out of the plastic buckets.  Every time I’ve used glass for primary fermentation and blown the krauesen, I seem to end up with a better beer.  On the down side, I have had problems with clogged blowoff tubes leading to the carboy cap blowing off.  As an added precaution, I cut a hole in the bottom of a grocery paper bag and put it over the carboy — cuts down on light exposure, and contains the mess if a blow out occurs. I also think that thermal shock is a danger, but it you are careful with pouring wort into a LOT of cool water (if you do extract brewing), then you should never have a problem.  If you want to do all grain, then just get a wort chiller. My advice — go with glass.  You can often find them at garage or estate sales for a few dollars.  My dad just found one for $5 that was used for winemaking — it includes a wooden cage so that the carboy can be stood on its plug end to collect sediment. Good luck

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                       On the down side, I have had problems with clogged blowoff tubes leading to the carboy cap blowing off.

Use a 1" ID (1.25" OD) blow off tube.  It fits nicely into the mouth of a carboy without a stopper and it will never clog.                                                      As an added precaution, I cut a hole in the bottom of a grocery paper bag and put it over the carboy — cuts down on light exposure, and contains the mess if a blow out occurs.

An old sweatshirt works nicely and will insulate the fermenter in cool temperatures. — Phil

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David, why would one choose to use a glass fermenter over a plastic fermenter?

I just started brewing myself, & had to make the same decision myself. An experienced friend steered me to plastic, and I’m happy with it. Plastic’s advantages: #1 It’s easy to clean because the entire top comes off. Glass just gives you a relatively small opening for cleaning #2 It won’t break if you drop it. My freind knew someone who dropped a carboy full of wort. It was a bigger mess than I’d care to imagine. Years ago, maybe the lids did not seal well on plastic fermenters? But this is not the case now. Plastic is subject to getting scratches internally, which could hide bacteria. Just use a plastic spoon instead of a metal one & you’ll be OK. Relax, have a…(homebrew) Mark Maslar

Response:

Hi, Having just moved into a larger place (with a basement!) my roommate and I have decided to delve into the wonderful world of homebrewing.  We have both done some introductory reading (including the FAQ), but one thing is not clear…  why would one choose to use a glass fermenter over a plastic fermenter? P.S.  If you have any knowledge of the homebrew suppliers in or around Pittsburgh, we’d appreciate hearing those types of comments, too!

The big problem with plastic is that you have to be very careful to never scratch it.  If you scratch it, bacterial and other beasties can hide in there and spoil a batch of beer.  A single lost batch will cost you more in wasted beer than the glass carboy (about $15 around here). As for finding homebrew suppliers in or around Pittsburgh, check the yellow pages under beer-homebrewing. -Mike Riley An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold on to one blade of grass and not fall off the face of the earth.

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why would one choose to use a glass fermenter over a plastic fermenter? I just started brewing myself, & had to make the same decision myself. An experienced friend steered me to plastic, and I’m happy with it.

<snip Plastic is subject to getting scratches internally, which could hide bacteria. Just use a plastic spoon instead of a metal one & you’ll be OK. Relax, have a…(homebrew) Mark Maslar

The scratches that would harbor bacteria are microscopic.  They will be caused by *anything* that scrapes along or against the surface.  Using plastic-only utensils and taking particular care when cleaning will extend the life, but *eventually* the scratches will occur and if you’re not diligent, you will lose a batch of beer (the ingredients of which will probably cost more than the glass carboy would have). Cleaning a glass carboy is not any more difficult than avoiding scratching a plastic one.  They make carboy brushes to reach the inside (every home- brew shop I’ve ever seen has ‘em) and I find it helps to let it soak a couple of hours filled with warm water and 1 cup of household ammonia.  The thing absolutely sparkles after the soak, a few swipes of the brush, and a rinse. I have no evidence that the beer tastes any different from either but, back in the days when commercial beer was all I knew, I was always partial to beer in a bottle.  I also get a kick out of watching the little yeasties boiling around when the ferment is really churning. Whatever you like and whatever works best for you. Happy brewing. Mugs up! "I should have known! Only a lager will kill a vindaloo."  -  Red Dwarf – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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The scratches that would harbor bacteria are microscopic.  They will be caused by *anything* that scrapes along or against the surface.  Using plastic-only utensils and taking particular care when cleaning will extend the life, but *eventually* the scratches will occur and if you’re not diligent, you will lose a batch of beer (the ingredients of which will probably cost more than the glass carboy would have).

I am curious to know whether anyone has any actual evidence of failed batches that could be directly attributable to the use of scratched plastic fermenters? I ask, not in the spirit of flame wars, but because I teach a lot of new brewers, and I’m not interested in passing along information simply because it’s "common knowledge." At this point, I think the advantages to open fermenters far outweigh the problems in scratching plastic.  First of all, I have no idea why anyone would be putting a spoon into the fermenter in the first place, unless they were using it to aerate the wort.  If that’s the case, I know for a fact that no effort is required to keep the spoon off the side of the bucket. Secondly, my own experience has been that cleaning a plastic fermenter is a snap.  All it requires is water under pressure, and occasionally some TSP in solution for soaking.  Very little wiping is required, and there’s no reason why something soft can’t be used. "I am free only in so far as I recognize the humanity and respect the liberty of all the men surrond me." –Bakunin

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What are your thoughts on using 5 Gallon Plastic Water Jugs as a Carboy? Thanx

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To cover my glass fermenters I use a OD green military laundry bag (available through military surplus shops).  This is strong enough to pick up a full carboy in an emergency, has draw strings, and is a good fit.  The manila color ones are made of cotton/poly blend and shrink too much to use  on 6.5 gallon carboys, but the green ones will still fit after 100 washings.  I like the manila ones for gifts to new brewers, my wife embroiders something nice on the muslin (usually the name of the brewer and the word "Homebrew is next to Godliness")

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The scratches that would harbor bacteria are microscopic.  They will be  <snip Secondly, my own experience has been that cleaning a plastic fermenter is a snap.

<snip On this line, I have to ask a seemingly simple question. Even if you get ‘microscopic’ or even visible scratches, why won’t the normal (for me) soaking in a sufficient bleach solution take care of any nasties hiding in them?  Seems to me that if the bacteria can get in there, so can the bleach. — Stand in the place where you live and now look west  - R.E.M.

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writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The scratches that would harbor bacteria are microscopic.  They will be caused by *anything* that scrapes along or against the surface. Using plastic-only utensils and taking particular care when cleaning will extend the life, but *eventually* the scratches will occur and if you’re not diligent, you will lose a batch of beer (the ingredients of which will probably cost more than the glass carboy would have). I am curious to know whether anyone has any actual evidence of failed batches that could be directly attributable to the use of scratched plastic fermenters? I ask, not in the spirit of flame wars, but because I teach a lot of new brewers, and I’m not interested in passing along information simply because it’s "common knowledge." At this point, I think the advantages to open fermenters far outweigh the problems in scratching plastic.  First of all, I have no idea why anyone would be putting a spoon into the fermenter in the first place, unless they were using it to aerate the wort.  If that’s the case, I know for a fact that no effort is required to keep the spoon off the side of the bucket. Secondly, my own experience has been that cleaning a plastic fermenter is a snap.  All it requires is water under pressure, and occasionally some TSP in solution for soaking.  Very little wiping is required, and there’s no reason why something soft can’t be used. "I am free only in so far as I recognize the humanity and respect the

liberty of all the men surrond me." –Bakunin

Hi Guys, I’ve been using modified 20 gallon acrylic hex aquariums for primary and secondary fermenting for over 5 years.  (I’m a plastic fabricator)  Although I’ve lost a batch or two over the years, I’ve generally attributed it to contamination due to letting the brew sit in the secondary fermenter unneccessarily long.  I’ve got scratches all over these things (I have 5 or 6 of them,) but I fill them with Iodophor solution for a good 4-5 hour soak before use.  Every once in a while I’ll throw in a little conc. HCl to dissolve the mineral deposits that start developing. Skoal!! Erick

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