On 2-6-2006 12:11 PM, Ray Calvert thread snipped
cross-posted to rec.crafts.winemaking as a follow-up to the discussion on Better Bottles held there in 2004
Screwed up my sanitation 28A general outline for making wine would be this: Clean-sanitize equipment make must (fruit+sugar+acidity+enzymes and chemicals if needed) Add sulfite wait...
carboys, I'll never buy another glbutt carboy again. I love them, and they have served me well over years of use, but the care in handling them that has to exercised is a real pain. And although it hasn't happened yet I anticipate with dread the day that one of them breaks. Breaking while empty would be bad enough, and if full it would be a crying shame.
The last time I wanted to add to my collection, and also needed to transfer several carboys full of finished wine from NJ to VA, I bought Better Bottles. These things are just great! About 10 lbs lighter than glbutt, which puts a full 5 gallon carboy at about 50lbs rather than 60lbs, which is a very noticeable difference. And they are as unbreakable as could be desired. The only drawback is the flex in the sides, which leads to the airlock working in and out as you lift it, and with little ullage this can shoot wine out of the airlock... But a milk crate solves this issue nicely, or a lot of care while lifting. I now since about April, 2004. With the flex of the sides I didn't have to worry about barometric pressure changes, and used solid carboy caps to seal them. No wine or mead I've aged in them has shown the slightest sign of oxidation, although the ones I've stored red wine in did discolor slightly, despite the claims of the manufacturer that they don't pick up color.
The cost (at the time I purchased them) was very comparable to a glbutt carboy (within a dollar or two, as I recall), and they can come with a racking port which is very convenient, although this adds considerably to the price. The racking port was leak free for the trip from NJ to VA, but I have not done extended aging in the carboy with the racking port. I have not purchased their "DryTrap" waterless airlock, since I don't trust it to prevent oxidation. They claim that "it will not dry out, blow out, or suck back", but my LHBS doesn't carry them on hand and so I haven't been able to take a look to overcome my skepticism. But my overall experience with the Better Bottle has been outstanding, and I'd recommend them to anyone.
Cheers, Ken Taborek
