Brilliant Carboy Design
- Maritimer
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Brilliant Carboy Design
Beer.
- mr x
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
And a 6.5gal too!
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- LiverDance
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
quick, somebody patent a plastic version 

"Twenty years ago — a time, by the way, that hops such as Simcoe and Citra were already being developed, but weren’t about to find immediate popularity — there wasn’t a brewer on earth who would have gone to the annual Hop Growers of American convention and said, “I’m going to have a beer that we make 4,000 barrels of, one time a year. It flies off the shelf at damn near $20 a six-pack, and you know what it smells like? It smells like your cat ate your weed and then pissed in the Christmas tree.” - Bell’s Brewery Director of Operations John Mallet on the scent of their popular Hopslam.
- Tony L
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
They already have... it's called a plastic bucket..LiverDance wrote:quick, somebody patent a plastic version

- mr x
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
I'd rather knock over an empty carboy and smash it on a tile floor in the dark in my bare feet than use plastic.LiverDance wrote:quick, somebody patent a plastic version
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- GAM
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
I don't dread plastic or glass but having the stainless option, no matter how hard to clean is great.
Sandy
Sandy
- GuingesRock
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
I never did fully understand carboys and the need for them, and the impracticality of them. But what's the difference between that and a clear plastic bucket with a snap on lid?
-Mark
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
Less chance for potential sites of bacteria growth and infection. A scratch in plastic can harbour some nasty stuff that isn't easy to get rid of. I'm with X, glass or stainless only here.GuingesRock wrote:I never did fully understand carboys and the need for them, and the impracticality of them. But what's the difference between that and a clear plastic bucket with a snap on lid?
- GuingesRock
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
Oh. I meant what's the difference between this plastic carboy with a big lid and a plastic bucket with a lid? I use stainless steel.jeffsmith wrote:Less chance for potential sites of bacteria growth and infection. A scratch in plastic can harbour some nasty stuff that isn't easy to get rid of. I'm with X, glass or stainless only here.GuingesRock wrote:I never did fully understand carboys and the need for them, and the impracticality of them. But what's the difference between that and a clear plastic bucket with a snap on lid?
-Mark
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- jeffsmith
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
I misread. Been a long day apparently.GuingesRock wrote:Oh. I meant what's the difference between this plastic carboy with a big lid and a plastic bucket with a lid? I use stainless steel.jeffsmith wrote:Less chance for potential sites of bacteria growth and infection. A scratch in plastic can harbour some nasty stuff that isn't easy to get rid of. I'm with X, glass or stainless only here.GuingesRock wrote:I never did fully understand carboys and the need for them, and the impracticality of them. But what's the difference between that and a clear plastic bucket with a snap on lid?

- GuingesRock
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
Do glass carboy users use rubber bungs? I wondered if rubber might hold yeasts and bacteria, particularly if it is old and crazed, and does that defeat the purpose of using glass carboys?mr x wrote:I'd rather knock over an empty carboy and smash it on a tile floor in the dark in my bare feet than use plastic.
Jeff, My question wasn't written clearly and could have been interpreted either way. I guess we all have long days.
-Mark
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- mr x
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
Carboy nipple are what I use.
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- bluenose
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
I like it... but did anyone else' sphincter pucker when they saw the price? 

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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
Rubber for sure is more susceptible to bacterial growth than glass. When I started brewing I did quite a bit of digging into the research literature to see what materials would be best. Glass is by far least susceptible to bacterial growth, followed by stainless steel (around 2x higher), then copper (5-10x higher), and finally then plastics and rubber (more than 100x higher than glass). However, I have no problem using rubber bungs in my glass carboys as the rubber never comes in contact with the beer directly, and it is pretty easy to sanitize them with boiling water or star san. If they start to crack though, I replace them, as they are quite cheap.GuingesRock wrote:Do glass carboy users use rubber bungs? I wondered if rubber might hold yeasts and bacteria, particularly if it is old and crazed, and does that defeat the purpose of using glass carboys?mr x wrote:I'd rather knock over an empty carboy and smash it on a tile floor in the dark in my bare feet than use plastic.
Jeff, My question wasn't written clearly and could have been interpreted either way. I guess we all have long days.
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- GuingesRock
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
That's interesting. I may have mentioned beforegm- wrote:Rubber for sure is more susceptible to bacterial growth than glass. When I started brewing I did quite a bit of digging into the research literature to see what materials would be best. Glass is by far least susceptible to bacterial growth, followed by stainless steel (around 2x higher), then copper (5-10x higher), and finally then plastics and rubber (more than 100x higher than glass). However, I have no problem using rubber bungs in my glass carboys as the rubber never comes in contact with the beer directly, and it is pretty easy to sanitize them with boiling water or star san. If they start to crack though, I replace them, as they are quite cheap.GuingesRock wrote:Do glass carboy users use rubber bungs? I wondered if rubber might hold yeasts and bacteria, particularly if it is old and crazed, and does that defeat the purpose of using glass carboys?mr x wrote:I'd rather knock over an empty carboy and smash it on a tile floor in the dark in my bare feet than use plastic.
Jeff, My question wasn't written clearly and could have been interpreted either way. I guess we all have long days.

-Mark
2nd place, Canadian Brewer of the Year, 2015
101 awards won for beers designed and brewed.
Cicerone Program - Certified Beer Server
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- dexter
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
I might be wrong but isnt there something about plastics being able to "breath" for things like a flanders or a sour beer? I have gone away from plastic entirely and only use glass it's just easier and cleaner. But, if Im not mistaken someone on the BN said that for certain beers plastic is a must because even sealed they allow some air through.
- blacktip
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
I just covered this section in "How to Brew", and it pertains to oxygen permeability of HDPE plastics(brewing buckets).
Conversation here on the topic here... http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/oxygen ... ic-298055/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Conversation here on the topic here... http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/oxygen ... ic-298055/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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- OldMalt
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
I'm not sure who or if someone might have said plastic is a must, but there are a few styles where flavours attributed to oxidation are typical or acceptable. Sherry-like flavours are common in old ales and English Barleywines, Flanders Brown Ale, possibly aged Weizenbocks and wood-aged beer, musty flavours in cellared styles like Biére de Garde. I would suspect for most homebrewers there is enough oxygen naturally occurring from the mash, boil, racking and bottling for the yeast to feed on and to possibly impart these optional flavour characteristics over time that it wouldn't be necessary to intentionally introduce more oxygen by selection of a breathable fermentation vessel.dexter wrote:... if Im not mistaken someone on the BN said that for certain beers plastic is a must because even sealed they allow some air through.
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Re: Brilliant Carboy Design
Just a heads up I'm running a group buy fr these in the group buy forum.


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