11/17/2009 -- I have been looking at a lot of different home brewery kits on the internet. What is the difference in the performance between plastic and glass (carboy) fermenters?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: The selection of fermenters is entirely a personal choice. Some like to make larger batches, some smaller. Usually a home brewer or winemaker ends up owning several carboys, fermenters etc in order to properly age his brew.

Plastic has the advantage of being rugged and light weight. It CAN become scratched, however, and doesn't seem to . . .

7/17/2009 -- Is a 5 gallon carboy big enough to secondary ferment a 5 gallon batch of beer?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: As a secondary fermenter, yes. This assume that the bubbling has slowed down considerably by the time you transfer into the carboy.

I would not use it as a PRIMARY fermenter, however if you hope to yield 5 gallons.

7/2/2009 -- With the 11 Gal plastic carboy, do any of the carboy caps fit it? Which size bung fits it if not?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: No, I'm sorry , the carboy caps do not fit this size opening.

The #10 bung works well. Put the airlock inot the bung before putting it into the fermenter. I like the Intermediate size Buon Vino "Universal" stopper tool Maybe is a better fit. Here is a link to that product:

http://store.homebrewheaven.com/Product1707

1/26/2008 -- I live about an hour (if traffic is good) from the address on your website. Do you have an actual store or is everything here based solely online?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, we have an actual brick-and-mortar store in Everett, WA. People actually walk in and buy stuff!

Our address is:

Homebrew Heaven
9109 Evergreen Way
Everett, WA 98204

Here is a video of our shop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1a5fKvv8XI

Heck, you can actually call us on the phone, too! It's 425-355-8865. A person will . . .

4/27/2007 -- Is this 11.3 G carboy big enough to handle 10 gallon batches? Would I need to use a blow-off technique instead of the regular valve?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: My guess is that it would be big enough; but trying to predict how much foaming will go on with yours is impossible.

Much depends on WHAT you are making (beer, wine, mead etc), the temperature, type of yeast, and many other factors.

5/16/2005 -- i am new to this, and i have seen and heard of people using plastic buckets for final fermentation, their purpose for doing this is so they can attach a spigot to the bucket for bottling, is this ok to do or is glass the better choice? thanx again and i find that you question and answer part of the site to be very helpful

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, that can be done, but we prefer to use the plastic "bucket" type fermenter for the primary fermenter, and using glass for the secondary. We like the bucket for ease of cleaning, and besides, your beer is only in there for a few days to a week or so. We find glass to be better for clarifing your beer, however. This is not to say you CAN'T . . .

3/13/2005 -- I'm just getting started brewing and I had a question. As a primary fermenter which is better, plastic bucket, plastic carboy or glass carboy. Then for secondary fermentation, plastic carboy or glass carboy?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: You will find that brewers have different preferences. Personally, I like the plastic bucket for a primary. It's inexpensive, and easy to clean. For the secondary, I like glass carboys. Glass seems to cause the beer/wine to clear better. If I had a lot of money, I'd probably get a stainless steel Fermenator.

3/12/2005 -- Can you use a fermentap unit with this plastic carboy

Response From Homebrew Heaven: No, sorry.

1/14/2005 -- 2 part question. Which type of plastic are the plastic 11 gallon carboys made from?

Are the glass and or plastic carboys heat resistant to 100 Celcius (212 deg.F)?

Thanks

Response From Homebrew Heaven: The plastic carboys are made from a food grade, high density polyethylene.

Neither the plastic or the glass carboys are intended for high temperature (boiling) service. The plastic would probably melt (or at least deform), and the glass would most likely crack.

8/12/2004 -- Hey Guys:
Had one more question on your plastic carboys.
I know they are food grade plastic, but are they impermeable to oxygen like PET plastics?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: There is nothing that absolutely impermeable...even glass, but yes, they are actually LESS permeable than PET bottles.

4/2/2004 -- Hi, do you have dimensions on this carboy? Also, any info regarding backorder/availability would be appreciated.

Response From Homebrew Heaven: They measure 24" high, and 13" in diameter.
We will have them in stock on Monday, the 5th.

12/19/2003 -- I am having trouble keeping the temp in the room I am making wine between 70 and 75 degrees as specified in the wine kit I have. I live in Colorado and often the temp at night dips way down, and in the day it can get quite warm. I am not around at all times to adjust the thermastat. Could I solve this problem by wrapping the carboy with . . .

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Sure. We have a Brew Heat Pad that works very nicely. It's basically a hard plastic heating pad for carboys. If it's too warm during the day, just get a cheap lamp timer, and have it turn on only at night.

Here is a link:
http://www.nexternal.com/hombre/?Target=products.asp&ProductID=1129

11/20/2003 -- Can your Brew Heater Pad be used on a plastic carboy?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes! It works well with them. I have one on the floor of my unheated garage right now, and it's COLD in there. By throwing a t-shirt on my carboy, it maintains about 68 deg F. Works will with plastic "bucket" type fermenters too.

10/23/2003 -- I noticed most of the malt extract brew kits are 5 gallon batches. Will a 5 gallon carboy be sufficient for fermentation, or will I need a 6 gallon carboy to allow for foaming? Thanks, I'm new to this.

Response From Homebrew Heaven: We recommend going larger for the primary. That's why we put 6.5 gallon plastic fermenters in our equipment kits. You can use a larger carboy of course, but the 6.5 gallon "bucket" type fermenter allows for the foaming, doesn't break, cleans up easier, and is less weight for shipping. Hey...we were all new to this at one time. No shame in . . .

8/22/2003 -- Can there be a spigot at the bottom of these big fermenters?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: No. You'll need to siphon out the contents.

8/13/2003 -- Is this item good for long term secondary fermentaion and storage? I've found that alot of people advise not to use plastic for the finishing process. Is this lore or truth? If I use a plastic container will it effect the wine, and in what ways will it be effected?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: We believe this plastic carboy is a good alternative to glass, and can be used for long term secondary fermentation. It is a very heavy, food grade plastic and it's difficult to imagine air passing IN thru the walls of the fermenter.

You MAY find that it takes a little longer for sediment to "fall out" in plastic, however. It doesn't seem . . .

6/23/2003 -- Is it a good idea to make wine in plastic?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: If it is FOOD GRADE plastic, there should be no problem. Homebrew Heaven only sells food grade plastic fermenters.

You will find, however, that glass causes more sediment to "settle out" than does plastic. This makes for clearer wine, or at least wine that clears more quickly. For this reason, we recommend using plastic for the PRIMARY . . .

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