A jug like container characterized by a narrow opening at its top. Often made from glass however plastic is becoming more popular. Used for primary and/or secondary fermentation and storage of beer, wine and/or meads.
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What's the point of secondary fermentation?
I've always bottled directly after the primary fermentation has finished. What's the point of the secondary fermentation? Can I use a bucket or is it something that really necessitates a glass carboy?
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12
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2answers
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5 or 6 Gallon Glass Carboy
I'm looking to pick up a glass carboy, but I'm not sure which size. I brew in 5 gallon batches (just starting out) and I'm wondering if I should go with the 5 gallon or 6 gallon carboy.
Thoughts? ...
11
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5answers
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How Do You Sanitize Your Carboys?
When sanitizing your carboys, do you fill them all the way up (6+ gallons) with sanitizer or do you put in less and swirl it around?
This may depend on what type of sanitizer is being used. I'm using ...
8
votes
3answers
311 views
Holding a glass carboy by its neck
Is it safe to carry a filled glass carboy by its neck, using one of these carboy handles?
The weight of the glass + beer, combined with the brittleness of glass, makes me nervous (compared to a PET ...
8
votes
7answers
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of Buckets vs Carboys?
Currently I use glass carboys because the glass seems easier to keep sanitary and you can fill them with your spare change if you ever stop brewing. I'm wondering if having a bucket would be an ...
8
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4answers
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Why is a carboy used for secondary fermentation?
It seems like you could a second bucket for the secondary fermentation. Is there any drawback to not using a carboy for this purpose?
8
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1answer
565 views
Cold Conditioning in carboy vs keg
I have a wheat and a golden ale, both in 5 gal carboys, that have been in secondary fermentation for 2 weeks. I was planning on letting them settle for another week and then transferring them to kegs ...
6
votes
3answers
268 views
Spotless Carboys
I've acquired a handful of different size carboys over the years and all of them are serviceable, but one has some deposits/staining inside. It's near the top of the vessel, a few inches down from ...
5
votes
8answers
537 views
How can I permanently mark my carboys?
I have several glass carboys which I would like to permanently mark with gradations to measure liters and gallons. I've tried using permanent marker as well as heavy-duty tape, but inevitably both ...
5
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2answers
222 views
Lagering in plastic carboy vs glass
I use plastic PET carboys ("Better Bottle" brand) for fermentation, mainly because they're cheaper, lighter, and safer. I use only chemicals to clean them (no brushes), so I'm not too worried about ...
5
votes
4answers
439 views
Glass Carboy Drying Tips
Does anyone know of any tips to help a 5 gallon glass carboy dry faster? I have it in a bay window in the sun, upside down in a carboy drying rack. It is mostly dry in 24 hours but there is still ...
5
votes
3answers
728 views
How long can I let my fermentation go in the original bucket?
I'm brewing a Belgian Tripel. I don't typically use a secondary fermentation. The Tripel however, is my biggest beer so far, and requires much more time. Should I transfer to a secondary?
All I have ...
5
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2answers
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Secondary Fermenter Temperature — Colder?
My American Pale Ale has been fermenting away nicely for the past few days and I'm certain I'll be racking to secondary within a few days (after SG gets stable).
I'm curious: I've been keeping my ...
4
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3answers
698 views
checking gravity during and after fermentation?
How could I pull out a little from my carboy to take gravity readings during fermentation?
I tried to use a auto-siphon but it was a mess.
3
votes
4answers
2k views
Confused about using a carboy
I am BRAND NEW to home-brewing having just got a kit yesterday. The nice gent at the supply store gave us so much information that my head was swimming when we left. After reading web sites and "How ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Adding oak chips to a carboy
I use bourbon-soaked oak chips in my scotch ale. My last batch got infected, but that's another story.
I want to add the chips to a carboy, as I'll be aging it for over a month. It's easier to add ...
2
votes
4answers
1k views
How can I clean an old carboy?
I received a 5 gallon carboy that I want to use but it has some crud in the curve of the bottle. What's the best way to clean this off?
2
votes
1answer
2k views
1
vote
2answers
78 views
Carbonating cider
I'm carbonating my cider in 1 gallon glass carboys and my solid rubber bungs popped off a few times so I tied them down with cable ties. Can anyone tell me if this is ok and the carboy can take the ...
1
vote
3answers
147 views
Building Custom Sized Carboys
I have a chest freezer that I want to use to control fermentation temperature, that I'm hoping to use to with two five gallon beer batches. Unfortunately, the bottom of the freezer has two levels, ...
1
vote
3answers
95 views
105 Day Fermentation?
I am half dozen or so batches into my homebrewing "career" (Saison du Buff, Jasmine IPA and Midas Touch among my highlights) I found a recipe for a darker saison. I made some modifications (chocolate ...
1
vote
2answers
340 views
Ported carboy vs. siphoning?
I'm considering purchasing a couple of these plastic ported carboys. From reading the description, it seems that I'd be able to rack directly into secondary and/or bottles without the need for ...
0
votes
1answer
235 views
Can't get my glass carboys completely clean
I've been relatively active on homebrewtalk.com, have read the cleaning chapter of How to Brew half a dozen times, and watched the instructional video that came with my kit on how to clean carboys. I ...
