BeerBorg

I think I have all kinds of fermenting vessels, except of course for the awesome conicals that I cannot afford nor have the space for.
I have some buckets......they work great, easy to clean and store and I keep them about 18 months and pitch and buy new ones.

I have a Spiedel that holds about 8 gallons that I don't use much but it's really is an awesome fermenter. Handles on it to carry around. I haven't used it in awhile since it doesn't fit in my fermenting cooler but it will last a lifetime I think.

I also love my SS Brew Bucket. I use it often and it fits almost anywhere. I think my lighter beers actually taste better when fermented in this one. Uber easy to clean and work in.

But, I'm really liking the Big Mouth Bubbler with the carry strap. I like it because I can much more easily more it around by myself and believe me, when you get older, and your bones creak when you walk, this makes a difference. My only slight complaint is that since I strain lots of hop matter and grain funk from kettle to fermenter, the top is not big enough. No worries, I strain into a bucket and pour that into the Big Mouth and all is fine.
It's not as easy to clean and likely won't last as long but I'm finding the ease of moving it around, the ability to see what's going on and the size just about perfect for me.

Beer-lord wrote:But, I'm really liking the Big Mouth Bubbler with the carry strap. I like it because I can much more easily more it around by myself and believe me, when you get older, and your bones creak when you walk, this makes a difference.

Exact reason I use the LBKs. 2.5 gallons on my ramp in my Rubbermaid tub is carryable. 5 gallons would hurt my back. And they fit great in the fermenting freezer, nothing taller would work.

I have been thinking about upgrading from buckets. Buckets have worked fine for me all these years but I hate not being able to see the fermentation. I've been looking at the Big Mouth Bubbler fermenters. I don't want glass and regular carboys have too small of an opening.

I've been considering the plastic Big Mouth Bubbler also. But here's my question....it's good to replace the plastic buckets every now and then, so would we need to replace the plastic Big Mouth every now and then also? They are both plastic???

I probably OCD on my buckets but if you use it to carry and pack other crap into like many do, it will scratch the inside easily. But, I also am OCD about cleaning well and sanitizing so I'm good. I can't remember the last time I had an infected batch (shhhhhhhhhhh!)
Here's what I do with my Big Mouth as well as corny kegs.................I have a nice wash sink in the utility room that I attach my super-duper bottle washer on and I turn it on high and hit the Big Mouth with it for a few minutes before adding PBW to sit in it for 12-24 hours. I've found this easy, fast and it gets the job done.
To your question though, I never thought about it but I really don't think mine will be replaced as soon and I'm not planning on doing that.

RickBeer wrote:

Beer-lord wrote:But, I'm really liking the Big Mouth Bubbler with the carry strap. I like it because I can much more easily more it around by myself and believe me, when you get older, and your bones creak when you walk, this makes a difference.

Exact reason I use the LBKs. 2.5 gallons on my ramp in my Rubbermaid tub is carryable. 5 gallons would hurt my back. And they fit great in the fermenting freezer, nothing taller would work.

This is why I use the LBCs too. I am using the LBCs vs. LBKs for these reasons:

The extra height is ok in my fermenting space.
They hold a bit more then LBKs (they are just a bit over 3 gallons to the lid), so full 2.5 gallon batches tend to not blow out as often.
And they are easier to both fill and clean then LBKs because the top opening/lid is wider. My hands are messed up, so it's a big deal to me.

If there was a 3 gallon ported Big Mouth, I'd consider it. But there is no such thing. Closest thing would be the small Spiedel, which I have considered many times. I'd also consider the smaller (15L) Coopers fermenter, if I could get one without spending $100. I'd probably like that fermenter better then my LBCs, because the opening is like a bucket - the size of the entire top. (similar to the Big Demon - which I'd get if it was a middle sized Demon LOL).

I will not buy a fermenter without a spigot. Not going to happen. I have an auto-siphon for emergencies, but no spigot = no deal for me. I was done with siphoning 20 years ago.

Seems odd that they do have a glass version of the Big Mouth but it's only 1.4 gallons. Maybe they'll have new sizes in the future.

Beer-lord wrote:Seems odd that they do have a glass version of the Big Mouth but it's only 1.4 gallons. Maybe they'll have new sizes in the future.

There is a 6.5 and 5 gallon glass version (Northern Brewer sells them along with the 1.4 gallon little big mouth). And there are 6.5 and 5 gallon ported plastic versions.

But there isn't a 3 gallon ported plastic version. Which is what I'd buy.

Does anyone have the Big Mouth with the spigot on the bottom? If so, how is the quality of the spigot?

There's a few guys I watch on youtube's Homebrew Wednesday vids that have the one's with the spigot. I seem to always have too much yeast and trub that goes above the spigot so I never went in that direction.
The reviews on NB's website are pretty good and many seem to recommend buying one.