My advice is to go to 3 gallon glass carboys and use the brew hauler. Split your brew to 2 carboys. This also creates opportunity to experiment with additions in the carboy.
Now, regarding better bottles, first I hate the name. I did buy one 3 gallon bottle because the shop was out of 3 gallon glass when I needed a spare. I had to buy new stoppers, drilled and undrilled. Use the undrilled while moving. So far I really like that little bottle. There are videos on how to clean by pushing in a cloth and swirling rather than using a brush.
As for buckets that seal, the wine bucket from the NB starter kit has a gasket and seals great. The lid will bulge up during heavy fermentation.
Speaking of which, what is the life span of a bucket and other plastics used in fermentation? I’ve always heard to replace all plastics every few years. The glass carboys on the other hand will be with you for life if you are careful.
[quote=“dobe12”]I’ve read a lot of posts that would contradict your statement. It’s plastic. It scratches easily. Bacteria can get into those scratches and can be very hard to get out. I have no scientific proof to back this… just what I’ve read many times.[/quote]They will not scratch if you don’t scratch them, which means you can’t use a brush on them. Easiest way to clean is to do a warm-water soak with a mild detergent (I used to recommend PBW but apparently that’s a no-no) and then dump most of the water out and insert a washcloth, then swirl the BB to get at any crud still on the sides. None of my BBs have any scratches at all.
All I use is Better Bottles. I have 6 of them now. All 6.5gal. I’ve done close to 100 batches and all of my BBs are in great shape. As long as you clean them right away there is no need for detergent soaking. I haven’t soaked any of them, ever! After I bottle or keg, I fill the BB up with some water and turn it upside down in a stoppered sink so the water covers the krausen ring. The warm water will get into the gunk and then a carboy brush can be used to remove it.
[quote=“mvsawyer”]The warm water will get into the gunk and then a carboy brush can be used to remove it.[/quote]Unless you’re really careful to not let the wire core contact the BB sidewall, you’re likely to scratch the BB with a regular carboy brush.
[quote=“Vulkin’”]I want to move to the Curtec drums but sourcing them has been interesting.
I am a Carboy brewer. 3 - 6 gal and 5 - 5 gal. I would like ot get two Cutrec drums and relegate all my glass to secondary (and cut my # of brew days in half).
Barry[/quote]
Thanks for the Google lesson …I have 2 of those at home, came with the batch of equipment I picked up.
They are the 14.5 gal size, and set up as fermenter’s.
I have 2 Better Bottles as well, a 5 and a 6 I also have never had to scrub them. cleaning them up as soon as the bottles are capped i fill with warm water and let sit for ten min. then dump and fill again and flip over and sit again, third time one gal water and a little soap. then use my jet carboy washer to rinse and final clean. Cheers
I never use a brush to clean mine. I dump the yeast/trube and rinse with a sprayer. Then I add ~1.5 gallons of hot water, a bit of OxiClean or PBW, install a stopper and turn upside down to soak until the krausen ring is dissolved. Then dump and rinse.
They have a slightly larger mouth than glass carboys, so may be a bit easier to dry hop in–although not nearly as convenient as a bucket would be.
They do discolor a bit over time, but that’s purely a cosmetic thing. I have not detected any odor retention.
[quote=“Vulkin’”]I want to move to the Curtec drums but sourcing them has been interesting.
I am a Carboy brewer. 3 - 6 gal and 5 - 5 gal. I would like ot get two Cutrec drums and relegate all my glass to secondary (and cut my # of brew days in half).
I don’t know how many years or how many batches have run through my better bottles but they are all I use anymore. I had a couple glass carboys but they left my house in bags of broken glass (fortunately no blood loss in the process)
They are easy to lift with out sucking air into them if you tilt the carboy slightly by the top of the neck & place your other hand under the bottom rim. You can always put them in a milk crate or similar if that’s difficult.
Cleaning is usually a simple oxyclean soak. Stubborn debris can be dislodged by dropping an old cotton undershirt into the carboy w/ a little bit of warm water…swirll it around and it can safely remove debris w/o scratching the surface.
I have two 5 Gallon glass carboys that I got from my father-in-law. He got them from an estate sale in the early 80’s. They are at least 30 years old.[/quote]
I still have (and still use) the first carboy I ever bought. I picked it up at a yard sale back in the mid 1970’s for $2.
I’ve made a lot of sours and I will use my plastic buckets and BBs for regular beers afterwards. I’ve done this at least a dozen times. These bugs aren’t any more resistant to sanitization than Sacch. as long as you wash the container out well and sanitize thoroughly, you are very unlikely to see an infection in a subsequent batch. Yes you’ve read the other advice many times, and I’m not too sure that this is based on any real experience. I think a few people decided it was a bad idea and perpetuated the meme that plastic harbors bacteria/wild yeast. I could see keeping it out of a commercial operation since CIP can sometimes be less effective.
[quote=“tom sawyer”][quote=“dobe12”][quote=“dustinwwww”]
I’ve read a lot of posts that would contradict your statement. It’s plastic. It scratches easily. Bacteria can get into those scratches and can be very hard to get out. I have no scientific proof to back this… just what I’ve read many times.[/quote]
They are all I use and I haven’t had a problem. I’ve done about 15 brews. I’m no expert and I know plenty of people here have done much more than that, but thus far they have been perfect for me.[/quote]
I’m not saying you WILL get an infection or have issues using a better bottle. All I’m saying is they are more likely than other options due to the fact that they are plastic, do scratch easier, and are harder to clean. Read up on infections and plastic. Once you get an infection, you don’t want to use any plastic equipment that touched that beer for another beer again… unless you’re fermenting a sour.[/quote]
I’ve made a lot of sours and I will use my plastic buckets and BBs for regular beers afterwards. These bugs aren’t any more resistant to sanitization than Sacch. as long as you wash the container out well and sanitize thoroughly, you are very unlikely to see an infection in a subsequent batch.[/quote]
[quote=“dobe12”]A lot of people would disagree with this.[/quote]And a lot of people would be wrong. If the given surface is free of places for wild yeast to hide, you can sanitize as usual - I use corneys for sours and make sure that every part gets a thorough PBW soak and a long bath in StarSan and haven’t had any issues.
[quote=“kcbeersnob”]I use BB’s and am very happy with them.
I never use a brush to clean mine. I dump the yeast/trube and rinse with a sprayer. Then I add ~1.5 gallons of hot water, a bit of OxiClean or PBW, install a stopper and turn upside down to soak until the krausen ring is dissolved. Then dump and rinse.
They have a slightly larger mouth than glass carboys, so may be a bit easier to dry hop in–although not nearly as convenient as a bucket would be.
They do discolor a bit over time, but that’s purely a cosmetic thing. I have not detected any odor retention.[/quote]
Pretty much this. I’ll add that if I have stubborn stuff that won’t come off in a soak I’ll put a dish cloth in the BB and swirl around to finish the scrub. I’ve probably done close to 40 batches in each BB and never had an issue. As far as your airlock solution getting sucked back in when lifting, I figure the 1 tablespoon of star san that gets sucked in is less than the foam you’re racking on top of in the first place.
…I have 2 of those at home, came with the batch of equipment I picked up.