[bosoxsbrews]

I just bottled my Sam Smith Taddy Porter clone and when I was rinsing my better bottle ( secondary ) and noticed a crack in the bottom of the bottle. Yes I know about the tennis ball trick BUT this was my secondary all I did was rack to it and hook up my brew hauler and carry it to the basement where it sat for a few weeks. Luckily the crack wasn't enough to jepordize the integrity of the beer. But I have the bottle out in the recycle bin because I can't use it again. I have one more better bottle and one glass carboy that I can still use for secondaries.

Anyone else have these issues with the Better Bottles.

[narvin]

What's the tennis ball trick?

I've had some of my better bottles for 3 or 4 years now and haven't had any cracks.  I don't subject them to sudden temperature changes and only clean with PBW.

[theDarkSide]

What's the tennis ball trick?

You put a tennis ball under the bump to shake it around so it doesn't hit the floor.  I used to rest it on my foot to shake it, but now use a mixstir in the kettle to aerate.

[Joe Sr.]

I've got one Better Bottle I must have had for close to 10 years.  Maybe more, but I can't recall.

The only issue I've had with it is I got some scratches on the inside cleaning it before I knew better.

But it still works just fine.  As a matter of fact, it's full of stout right now.  Next to my other Better Bottle (at least 5 years old) which is full of tripel.

I'd buy more, but I don't REALLY need them.  I'm down to one glass 6.5 gallon carboy, which I guess means I've broken two over the years.  Funny, as I can only recall one broken...

On a side note, you can skip the secondary unless you're dry hopping, oaking or need to free up a fermenter.  Not really necessary.

[bosoxsbrews]

On a side note, you can skip the secondary unless you're dry hopping, oaking or need to free up a fermenter.  Not really necessary.

My schedule can  sometimes get kinda hairy ( I can sometimes get pulled away for a few weeks) and I can't always make my bottling deadline. I don't like letting the beer sit on a full layer of trub for too long hence the secondary. I know the recent thought process on secondaries has changed but I have made some good batches with my methods and becasue of my aforementioned schedule I will need to continue to rack to a secondary. 

[tygo]

I'm down to one glass 6.5 gallon carboy, which I guess means I've broken two over the years.  Funny, as I can only recall one broken...

Or you have a forgotten beer sitting in a glass carboy in a dark corner somewhere...

[Joe Sr.]

I was actually sitting here trying to think where might it be...

It is possible it's still around and just buried.  But it would definitely be empty.  I do NOT forget beer.

If it's around and empty, it will need to be filled.

[Slowbrew]

I do NOT forget beer.

Unless, of course, too much beer was applied to the brewer the day it was filled.   

As for better bottles, I have 2 - 5gal BB and have never had a problem with them.  I have read a couple of other threads recently on people having so issues with cracks so you are not alone.

Paul

[Joe Sr.]

I've also seen those threads and reported that I have had no problems.

I wonder if they have changed manufacturers in the recent past?  Especially if the ones that are cracking are newer BBs?

Mine, as I've said, are definitely not new so if they changed manufacturers perhaps the quality has suffered.

[tygo]

I haven't had any problems either.  I have two six gallon ones, one of which is over 5 years old and the other is over 2 years old.  I also have a couple of the five gallon ones.

[dbarber]

I have 2 six gallon BBs for a little over a year and both of them have cracks in the bottom.  They haven't leaked yet.

[richardt]

I haven't broken one, but I have melted one by running hot water out of my IC into it (my *not-so-great idea* to clean the BB)--problem was that I got distracted and the long soak and high temps pretty much shrunk the 5 gallon container into a pruney 3 gallon container

[udubdawg]

my two oldest ones were junked last fall after developing cracks and in one case a leak.  Both were 3-4 years old and probably not treated as well as they should have been.  Not too worried though; have 6-8 more that are newer and I always check for cracks now.

cheers--
--Michael

[linenoiz]

I have one 5g BB that I probably won't be using again. I filled it up with some barleywine to age for a few months. I put it down in the basement, right on the concrete, purged the head space with CO2, plugged it up with a solid stopper, and put the box it came in over the top of it. Apparently my basement floor is really cold. When I decided to bottle it last week, the sides were all caved in. It didn't leak, but there are noticeable cracks now where it caved it and expanded back out once I removed the stopper.

[tubercle]

The only problem I have had with a better bottle was the one my sweet little Boston Terrier chew the neck off of.