Ferment in Plastic or Glass?

- Whole Cone and/or pellets
- liquid yeast
- Primary (usually, but keg hopping probably counts as secondary, and I secondary fruit beers)
- Fast cool or extended whirlpool (depends on the beer)
- "Spigot" (sample valve)
- digital temp controllers
- Closed xfer

and SS > Glass > Plastic

 

but what about FWH?

 

Magically "smooth" bittering. LOL.

 

I have been brewing for a little over 30 years and have broken one carboy... thankfully no injuries, though I was wearing sandals. That incident (18 y.a.) inspired me to clean up my act a little and I have had no accidents since, however I am acutely aware that bad things can happen. My advice is to get PET plastic carboys if you are buying.

 

I started brewing in 1992 with plastic buckets with spigots. Nobody was around to tell me how bad that would be. I used them exclusively until I got a stainless conical around 2002. I still use them(including my original bucket) on the rare occasions I do a 5 gallon batch. I use glass to make vinegars, age ciders or meads, but for fermenting I love the safety of plastic and stainless, and I've never noticed any differences in beer quality. Plus stacking buckets takes a lot less space than carboys.

 

I switched to glass after my original bucket started getting yellow.
Don't be afraid to use bleach. It seems like people are scared of bleach in the brewing community but I use it on my brew buckets every few batches with no ill affects. Rinsing before and 3 times after use of course

glass is so much easier to keep clean
I hated cleaning carboys for the few years I used them. I actually broke one spinning the stupid carboy brush around inside cause of the metal end. Did I mention I hate carboys

 

No big deal unless you scrub it with something harder than the plastic...which is almost anything except the soft side of a sponge.