[coastsidemike]

I dropped a 6.5 gallon glass carboy. 

It's been 10+ years of usage and taking extra steps to be cautious with them.  I usually work with them on top of wood and carry/store in a clean plastic trash can, but looked past the wood part just this one time.  My hands were soapy as I was cleaning/moving it.  I simply lost friction while holding, like only glass can do, and it shattered something fierce with the 1.5 foot drop over textured cement.  No injuries, but two extra hours to clean up with so many tiny tiny chips and shards.

Now switching over to 100% plastic, picking up 5 22L food-grade buckets. Wow, these things are much more practical.

Why post this?  I'm sure there are others like me who are aware of the dangers but use them anyway.  Simply a data-point that continued use of them was more risk than I realized.

Cheers.

[Stevie]

I'd recommend going bigger. I use 6 gallon better bottles and my initial volume is 5.5 gallons, it works but isn't ideal. I use a blow off on every batch and some batches blow a lot off. I know John (Hoosier) uses 7 or 8 gallon buckets intended for wine.

Edit - sorry to hear this and glad you made it out unscathed.

[brewinhard]

I am still a glass user, and constantly remind myself to be extremely cautious when working with them.  These posts are great reminders for that.  Sorry for the breakage, but I am glad no one got hurt.  At least there wasn't any beer in it! 

[HoosierBrew]

surfin_mikeg - I feel your pain. I broke two carboys, got cut both times. Being a Dad, enough was enough. I use these big wine fermenter buckets and love 'em :  http://shop.greatfermentations.com/product/7-9-gallon-fermenting-bucket/plastic-fermenters

[johnnyb]

I'd recommend going bigger. I use 6 gallon better bottles and my initial volume is 5.5 gallons, it works but isn't ideal. I use a blow off on every batch and some batches blow a lot off. I know John (Hoosier) uses 7 or 8 gallon buckets intended for wine.

Edit - sorry to hear this and glad you made it out unscathed.

I recently switched to 6 gallon better bottles and needed a blow-off on 4 out of 5 batches so far. I wish the came in 6.5 gallon or 7 gallon.

[coastsidemike]

surfin_mikeg - I feel your pain. I broke two carboys, got cut both times. Being a Dad, enough was enough. I use these big wine fermenter buckets and love 'em :  http://shop.greatfermentations.com/product/7-9-gallon-fermenting-bucket/plastic-fermenters

Thanks.  I'm a dad as well, and the dogs were more of a problem.  It's not so much of a loss as realizing I'm lucky to not be cut like yourself.

The beer turned out well, trying for a Session IPA style SMaSH - 5.2% ABV of floor-malted Pils, Belgian blend yeast, and Centennial hops.  Hop-forward and about 40-45 IBU, the yeast and hops blend well together, no dry-hop.   Right time of the year for it.

[HoosierBrew]

surfin_mikeg - I feel your pain. I broke two carboys, got cut both times. Being a Dad, enough was enough. I use these big wine fermenter buckets and love 'em :  http://shop.greatfermentations.com/product/7-9-gallon-fermenting-bucket/plastic-fermenters

Thanks.  I'm a dad as well, and the dogs were more of a problem.  It's not so much of a loss as realizing I'm lucky to not be cut like yourself.

The beer turned out well, trying for a Session IPA style SMaSH - 5.2% ABV of floor-malted Pils, Belgian blend yeast, and Centennial hops.  Hop-forward and about 40-45 IBU, the yeast and hops blend well together, no dry-hop.   Right time of the year for it.

Sounds good to me !

[coastsidemike]

I'd recommend going bigger. I use 6 gallon better bottles and my initial volume is 5.5 gallons, it works but isn't ideal. I use a blow off on every batch and some batches blow a lot off. I know John (Hoosier) uses 7 or 8 gallon buckets intended for wine.

Edit - sorry to hear this and glad you made it out unscathed.

I recently switched to 6 gallon better bottles and needed a blow-off on 4 out of 5 batches so far. I wish the came in 6.5 gallon or 7 gallon.

I hear you, but I don't want to lift anything like that.  Splitting the larger batches into two buckets for now, targeting the 5 gallon keg size.  Cheers!

[Stevie]

I recently switched to 6 gallon better bottles and needed a blow-off on 4 out of 5 batches so far. I wish the came in 6.5 gallon or 7 gallon.

I'm going to upgrade to speidel fermenters some day. I would like two of the 7.9 version, but the buckets are way cheaper. Spigot is really the only real advantage.

[narvin]

Glass will get you eventually.

[johnnyb]

I recently switched to 6 gallon better bottles and needed a blow-off on 4 out of 5 batches so far. I wish the came in 6.5 gallon or 7 gallon.

I'm going to upgrade to speidel fermenters some day. I would like two of the 7.9 version, but the buckets are way cheaper. Spigot is really the only real advantage.

Never heard of them but now you have me interested. Do people submerge these things in swamp coolers? No sure if that would risk contaminating the spigot?

[Stevie]

I recently switched to 6 gallon better bottles and needed a blow-off on 4 out of 5 batches so far. I wish the came in 6.5 gallon or 7 gallon.

I'm going to upgrade to speidel fermenters some day. I would like two of the 7.9 version, but the buckets are way cheaper. Spigot is really the only real advantage.

Never heard of them but now you have me interested. Do people submerge these things in swamp coolers? No sure if that would risk contaminating the spigot?

I wouldn't. I use chest freezers.

[johnnyb]

I recently switched to 6 gallon better bottles and needed a blow-off on 4 out of 5 batches so far. I wish the came in 6.5 gallon or 7 gallon.

I'm going to upgrade to speidel fermenters some day. I would like two of the 7.9 version, but the buckets are way cheaper. Spigot is really the only real advantage.

Never heard of them but now you have me interested. Do people submerge these things in swamp coolers? No sure if that would risk contaminating the spigot?

I wouldn't. I use chest freezers.

Cool gives me an excuse not to buy them until I get a chest freezer. Which will be after I find a job. 

[S. cerevisiae]

I have never dropped a glass carboy, knock on wood, but I have had one crack on me while putting another carboy on the same shelf.  I barely tapped the middle of carboy that was on the shelf with the bottom edge of the carboy that was in my hands, but a crack developed from the bottom of the carboy to the neck.  I have never had a 6.5 gallon acid bottle crack on me, but I find that they are just too darn heavy with 5.5 gallons of wort in them these days.

I am currently using a 30L Speidel fermentation vessel and 5 and 3 gallon Better Bottles.  My standard primary volume is 3.5 gallons, so a 5-gallon better bottle is more than large enough.  I have decided to start to brew more than one 5.5-gallon batch in the spring.  I am not a fan of summer brewing, and 3-gallon kegs do not last as long in the summer as they do in the winter because there are more opportunities to share my beer in the summer.

[leejoreilly]

Been there, cursed about that, now happily using buckets. As the saying goes "There are two kinds of glass carboy users; those that have dropped one, and those who will.".