Curious how NB’s “The Bubbler” compares to a Better Bottle. There aren’t a lot of details on the product page.
they look identical to me. I seriously doubt there’s any discernible difference. Just another container to ferment in.
the bubbler is slightly less expensive, so i’d probably go with that.
Most likely made by the Better Bottle company.
That’s unfortunate.
Nothing against BB -they certainly make great stuff- but what’s really needed is a 6.5 gal (or preferably 7 gal) version which BB seems to think would not generate any interest.
I agree…
“We’ve gone to the drawing board to focus on the important dimensions that help deliver a more consistent and high-quality product. This is no plastic water jug, it’s a carboy with details where they count.”
…It would be nice to know what those details are.
[quote=“mahoni”]I agree…
“We’ve gone to the drawing board to focus on the important dimensions that help deliver a more consistent and high-quality product. This is no plastic water jug, it’s a carboy with details where they count.”
…It would be nice to know what those details are.[/quote]
maybe it’s got electrolytes…“it’s what beer needs”
Anyone know if there would be any problems using a nestle 5 gallon water jug to ferment in? I have a jug I saved and a bung for the air lock but havent used it yet. Seeing the bubbler reminded me about trying it. I mostly do 2.5-3 gallons batches so it’d be perfect.
Short term use, fine. Long term (aging), possible trouble. The bottles available at the home brew stores are designed to have a very low/no oxygen permeability.
The “water” bottles don’t have to worry about that.
That’s unfortunate.
Nothing against BB -they certainly make great stuff- but what’s really needed is a 6.5 gal (or preferably 7 gal) version which BB seems to think would not generate any interest.[/quote]
Agreed. I’ve started cutting back my batch size by 1/2 gallon to reduce blowoff.
For what it’s worth - this is why I got the 7.9 gallon plastic buckets. Plenty of headspace for those 5.5-6.0 gallon batches. I use my Better Bottles for secondary - mostly when I’m lagering and occasionally dry-hopping (If I want to reuse the yeast that’s in the bucket). I also have a 6-gallon plastic Mini-Brew conical that is great for fermenting/dry-hopping.
I see Austin has similar ones on sale for about $31 for a pair. I noticed Austin says they make great secondary fermenters but NB says they can be used as a fermenter. Is there a difference or is there a reason to only use it as a secondary (maybe ability to clean well)?
Thanks,
Mike
I see Austin has similar ones on sale for about $31 for a pair. I noticed Austin says they make great secondary fermenters but NB says they can be used as a fermenter. Is there a difference or is there a reason to only use it as a secondary (maybe ability to clean well)?
Thanks,
Mike[/quote]
I’m certain they will work for either. :cheers:
I see Austin has similar ones on sale for about $31 for a pair. I noticed Austin says they make great secondary fermenters but NB says they can be used as a fermenter. Is there a difference or is there a reason to only use it as a secondary (maybe ability to clean well)?
Thanks,
Mike[/quote]
I’ve used BB’s for both. They clean easily, so no worry about using them for primary.
If they really wanted to do something to differentiate their product from BB or the AHBS PET carboys, they would add graduation lines to the bottle.
The lower price is appreciated, though.
[quote=“kcbeersnob”]If they really wanted to do something to differentiate their product from BB or the AHBS PET carboys, they would add graduation lines to the bottle.
quote]
Here Here to that. + 1 for sure
[quote=“fullhousebrew”][quote=“kcbeersnob”]If they really wanted to do something to differentiate their product from BB or the AHBS PET carboys, they would add graduation lines to the bottle.
[/quote]
Here Here to that. + 1 for sure[/quote]
…but only if they are accurate. I got a 5 gallon bucket fermentor from a nameless home brew supplier coughNortherncough where the 5 gal mark was printed about a quart too low. There’s no point to pre-printed graduations if you just have to make sharpie lines anyway.
[quote=“JMcK”]
…but only if they are accurate. I got a 5 gallon bucket fermentor from a nameless home brew supplier coughNortherncough where the 5 gal mark was printed about a quart too low. There’s no point to pre-printed graduations if you just have to make sharpie lines anyway.[/quote]
Why do you need perfectly accurate graduations on a carboy that’s used for homebrewing? If you were making pharmaceutical products, sure. But for homebrewing, ballpark is close enough for carboy graduation lines.
[quote=“JMcK”][quote=“fullhousebrew”][quote=“kcbeersnob”]If they really wanted to do something to differentiate their product from BB or the AHBS PET carboys, they would add graduation lines to the bottle.
[/quote]
Here Here to that. + 1 for sure[/quote]
…but only if they are accurate. I got a 5 gallon bucket fermentor from a nameless home brew supplier coughNortherncough where the 5 gal mark was printed about a quart too low. There’s no point to pre-printed graduations if you just have to make sharpie lines anyway.[/quote]
hmm… I have to say I have a bucket (from Midwest) but I never actually checked their markings. never even thought too… maybe I will, just to be sure.
[quote=“kcbeersnob”]
Why do you need perfectly accurate graduations on a carboy that’s used for homebrewing? If you were making pharmaceutical products, sure. But for homebrewing, ballpark is close enough for carboy graduation lines.[/quote]
a better question is “why NOT be perfectly accurate with graduation lines”, it’s easy enough to do. I prefer to know how much beer i’m getting and it makes it easier with recipe formulation and efficiency calculation.
to each his own, i suppose
[quote=“S.Scoggin”]
a better question is “why NOT be perfectly accurate with graduation lines”, it’s easy enough to do. I prefer to know how much beer i’m getting and it makes it easier with recipe formulation and efficiency calculation.
to each his own, i suppose[/quote]
According to the fine people who make the Better Bottle
http://www.better-bottle.com/products_master.html
, it’s not not easy to do. From the Better Bottle site:
So, even if your graduation lines are perfectly accurate, they cannot be consistently read accurately by the human eye.
Either way, the margin of error is small enough that it doesn’t really matter when you’re simply trying to determine whether you have five gallons in your carboy. I’m all about precision in other parts of the process. But here, approximately five gallons is good enough.
If you really want accuracy, get a precision balance and weigh your carboy. 
