What do you use for your primary?

Mashing
1

Just curious - what do you guys use for your primary? A bucket? A plastic carboy? A glass carboy? A Conical fermentor?

I’ve just upped my game to all grain but have been still using the standard bucket for primary and plastic carboy for a secondary. Based on advice on this site I’ve skipped the secondary a few times and gone straight to my kegs.

Thanks for your help.

2

glass carboys here, got 4 of 'em. this way i can do 2 10 gal batches in one day

3

I started with 2 glass carboys and later added 2 plastic ones. I liked the plastic so well I sold the glass ones and bought 2 more plastic.

4

I use brewer’s buckets, which are fine for an extended primary. If I need to go to secondary I go to a carboy since they are basically impermeable and easier to top up with beer and/or inert gas to prevent staling via air contact.

The buckets are much easier to clean and I feel they are less likely to be dropped or otherwise break than carboys - this is also a personal safety benefit.

Buckets are also pretty affordable. Mine last a long time since I never wash except with a smooth sponge, and take care not to scratch them on the inside surface.

5

Started with 2 glass carboys. Broke one about 8 years later. Now I use 8 brewing buckets from our host. I pretty much only do mead in my remaining glass carboy.
:cheers:

6

For primary, I currently use a 6.5 gal glass carboy (replacing my 23 year old 7 gal glass carboy which I stupidly broke a few months ago). I also have an 8 gal bucket that I can press into service if I need to.

For secondaries (which many consider optional, but for me is a must for just about all my beers) I have a bunch of 5 gal glass carboys. I also have two 3 gal carboys which don’t get used very often except for the odd experiment.

7

I have a 10 gal corny (actually firestone) keg 3 6.5 gal carboys and 1 5 gal carboy. (the one I started with)
I also have 2 of these plastic jugs that held 12 gals of LME that I got from the LHBS. Those are kinda big and hard to move so I don’t use them often.
I primary in the 10 gal and a carboy.

8

55 liter Curtec drums or buckets for primary.
[attachment=0]wide neck drum 55 liter.jpg[/attachment]

9

I think I have 9 or so regular sized plastic buckets and 2 of the 7.9 gallon Beer / Wine buckets.

Good Luck

10

I have (4) of the 55 litre Curtec wide mouth plastic kegs for primary fermentation and (8) glass carboys for secondary fermentation.

11

1 - 55 liter Curtec Drum
1 - 6.5 gallon glass carboy
1 - 6.0 gallon glass carboy
2 - 6.5 gallon plastic buckets

12

Buckets here, 4 of them. I also have 2 five gallon better bottles and 2 five gallon glass carboys for secondaries, they haven’t seen much use the last few years.

13

Buckets for me…I have maybe 8-10 of them. I’ve also got a dozen or so carboys, but I don’t use them any longer after breaking several. I’ve also got a couple 10 gal. cornies that I sometimes use.

14

Used my 55 liter curtec drum for the first time yesterday for a 10 gallon batch. Seems a lot simpler (don’t need to be as carefull) than my glass carboys, and I can dump 10 gallons in and only pitch one starter. I wish I would have ordered two.

15

30 gallon pool filter housings with corny keg tops welded on…

16

I’ve always used buckets for primary. I used to use 5 gal carboys for secondaries, but then I found out that for most beers, secondaries aren’t really nessasary. For those that are, I use kegs or occasionally 10 liter PET water jugs if I don’t have an empty keg available.

I’ve also read so many horror stories about broken glass carboys that I’m glad I moved away from them before I had a serious accident.

17

5 or 7.5 gallon kegs.

18

I use a sanke keg for primary, then straight to cornie keg.

19

I brew outside and ferment in my basement, and so have to move my wort down stairs to the basement. Otherwise I would use the Curtec drum to keep ferment temp even for the entire batch, and for the yeast management reason you mention. Only problem is that I just am not as big as Greg Muller so use buckets which I can carry! :slight_smile:

20

[quote=“brewsumore”]Only problem is that I just am not as big as Greg Muller so use buckets which I can carry! :slight_smile: [/quote]Well this past year, I have started using my son to help carry these down to the basement. I had a few close callswhere after carrying these down myself, I was unable to catch my breath and thought my time had come. Now we each grab a handle and share the motherload.