I am new to brewing and would like to know the best method for primary of a five gallon batch. I have a 6.5 gallon carboy and a 6.5 gallon plastic bucket with a spigot. Any and all incite is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Advantages of bucket:
-You can top-crop yeast if you harvest it
-its opaque and doesn’t let light in
-has a handle so you can move it
Disadvantages of a bucket:
-its opaque and you can’t see whats happening (some would put this under “advantages”, since most homebrewers like to check, and mess with brews when they should be leaving them alone)
Advantages of carboy:
-clear, you can see whats happening
-glass, so its less likely to develop scratches that can harbor bugs/bacteria (though I have had several beers place in comps that were brewed in plastic ale pails)
Disadvantages of carboy:
-its glass, a pain to move, and can break, leaving you with zero beer
-more difficult to clean the krausen, hops, trub and other gunk out once your ferment is done
Either one is fine is a shorter answer. In your situation, you may want to use the carboy, so you can rack the beer off of the yeast, and use your spigoted bucket for bottling (buy a bottling wand and attach to the spigot with hosing if needed).
What he said ^^^. It’s personal preference. You’ll find yours. Try 'em both and decide what works for you. There is not right or wrong answer here.
Both are good vessels for fermentation. I wouldn’t argue that one is better than the other. A lot of guys prefer buckets, because they are a bit easier to clean, easier to dry-hop in and they can be stacked for storage.
I like to use carboys simply because I like to observe the process, which cannot be done using a bucket. I use the plastic “Better Bottle” carboy. Cleaning them isn’t really that hard.
If you got the carboy and the bucket in a kit, chances are the carboy was intended for fermentation and the bucket for bottling. If those are your only two vessels, I suggest using them in that configuration in order to simplify the bottling process.
I’ve only been brewing since last year, and have done the majority of my primaries in a 6.5 gal pail. I only use a bucket with spigot for bottling. I don’t want the chance of it leaking. Buckets make transfer from kettle a breeze with a strainer, plus it helps aereation. One drawback with the bucket is that you don’t get to watch the party going on in there!! Have fun! :cheers:
Thanks for the feedback!
The problem with your bucket is that it is intended to be a bottling bucket because of the spigot. This device provides lots of places for nastiness to hide over time, but if it is brand new, you could certainly use it.
People posted the pros and cons of each, but I prefer buckets for primary, without the spigot.
While it is all personal preference I prefer glass carboys.
1)Easier to clean, to sanitize, and keep them that way. (oxyclean, starsan, tinfoil hat 
)
2)If properly handled one glass carboy will be good for your lifetime, and your sons for that matter. No matter how good of a care you take of a bucket, you will need to replace it. Eventually it will develope scratches which will harbor bugs.
3)Glass is impermeable to oxygen. Buckets let in more oxygen than a wooden barrel! I know for most beers they’re not in there long enough to matter, but why take chances?
4)Carboys look way cooler than a bucket. And this does count. If it’s cooler, it will give you more joy in brewing. The more you enjoy brewing, the more you will do it. The more you brew the better life is.
Sure if you are going to top crop, it’s easier with a bucket. If you are going to add a bunch of chunky fruit, it’s easier with a bucket. So, sometime a bucket might be a better choice, but for the majority of beers I think glass is the way to go.
[quote=“WiVikesFan”]
4)Carboys look way cooler than a bucket. And this does count. If it’s cooler, it will give you more joy in brewing. The more you enjoy brewing, the more you will do it. The more you brew the better life is.[/quote]
Dang, since I use buckets and really enjoy brewing, if I switched to carboys, I would never get any real work done!
I’m about 50/50 on Better Bottles and buckets.
I use the carboys for anything that’s going to be sitting in the fermentor for a long time, and also when I just feel like watching the fermentation.
I strongly prefer buckets for primary fermentation during the summer. I don’t have actual temperature control equipment, so there’s a fair bit of moving the fermentor around to manage the temperature. For that kind of situation, the bucket has two huge advantages over a carboy: It’s got a handle built-in, and it’s semi-opaque so you don’t have to worry as much about light.
[quote=“WiVikesFan”]While it is all personal preference I prefer glass carboys.
1)Easier to clean, to sanitize, and keep them that way. (oxyclean, starsan, tinfoil hat )
.[/quote]
How do you figure? Not trying to start a which is better debate, which these always turn into, but I have carboys, buckets, and better bottles. I have a use for each. Buckets are by far quicker and easier to clean than either of the other two.
I won’t claim its easier to claen a glass CB but it certainly isnt “hard”. I mean serioulsy folks. Dump in 2 tbs of cleaner (i like a Oxiclean/TSP combo). Let sit for 30 min (usually far less). By this time I don’t even need a brush (although my OCD requires the use of one). I literally will simply quickly turn the full (of cleaner) CB sharply back and forth a few degrees and can watch the gunk fall off the inside and fall to the bottom. Then it is a simple rinse. The only difference with a bucket is possibly the 15-30 min soak, and I would want to soak anyway so I didn’t have to scrub hard (and risk sratching that sof plastic). Not to start another spirited argument 
At the end of the day i have been achemist too long to like putting my beer in plastic. Yea I know it not “supposed” to be a problem with FG plastic, and if I ever graduate to a Cureg Drum fermentor I will just have to deal with it but it does make my chemisty spidey senses uncomfortable. May be completely pointless but I was leary of things leaching from plastic decades before it hit the news.
But a difference in the effort needed to cleal I just cant see Much diffence. Now getting Dry hops in or worse out is definitly tough with a CB. I rarely succed in getting the Hops stuffed panty hose out intact. But the beer has been racked off by then so no biggie.
This is one of those questions like, do you like button downs or v necks, Cash or Debit, Rock or country. Get one of each. You will most likely find some are better for u in certain situations others in others. Each of us does seem to develop a favorite. The like good forum folk we vigorouly defend our favorite.
Brew on,
Barry
Don’t think anyone said a carboy was “hard” to clean, just not as easy as a bucket. I have to soak my carboys/betterbottles overnight to get the grime off. 20-30min doesn’t cut it. Again, it’s not hard. Just a prolonged process.
[quote=“dobe12”][quote=“WiVikesFan”]While it is all personal preference I prefer glass carboys.
1)Easier to clean, to sanitize, and keep them that way. (oxyclean, starsan, tinfoil hat )
.[/quote]
How do you figure? Not trying to start a which is better debate, which these always turn into, but I have carboys, buckets, and better bottles. I have a use for each. Buckets are by far quicker and easier to clean than either of the other two.[/quote]
I guess when I think of easeir, I’m thinking on the physical labor side. I just dump in some oxyclean, let is soak overnight/until I remember I’m cleaning a carboy, then dump it out and rinse. Dump some star san in the bottom, cover it with foil, shake it/swirl it to contact the whole carboy. Then just put it somewhere as is. Because I’m anal, I swirl it/shake it again before use to “resantize” it, dump out the star san and it’s ready to go. I know you can do basically the same with a bucket, but it’s pretty hard to clean the lid in place. And the lids have the air lock hole in them, so you have to mess around with that if storing them with star san.
I do want to make this clear. You can make awesome beer in a bucket, and should use one if that’s what you like better. I just think the advantages of carboys outweigh the disadvantages when compared to buckets.
