{"id":2691,"date":"2013-08-13T06:00:36","date_gmt":"2013-08-13T13:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.washingtonwinemaker.com\/blog\/?p=2691"},"modified":"2026-04-03T13:58:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T13:58:49","slug":"plastic-carboys-a-good-alternative-to-glass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/washingtonwinemaker.com\/blog\/2013\/08\/13\/plastic-carboys-a-good-alternative-to-glass\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastic Carboys: A good alternative to glass"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0I just want to say one word to you. Just one word.
\nYes, sir.
\nAre you listening?
\nYes, I am.
\nPlastics.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

~ The Graduate, 1967<\/p>\n

For a long time, glass carboys were the best choice – maybe the only good choice – to ferment and age our wine. Today we can buy PET carboys made for winemaking that are a good barrier to oxygen, don’t leech dangerous substances into our wine, or change the flavor. Should we? I think so. Here are the trade-offs, as I see them (and remember, I’m talking about Better Bottle and similar products specifically made for wine\/beer making out of PET plastic – not water bottles or any other kind of plastic container).<\/p>\n

Plastic carboys are lighter – glass is more rigid<\/h2>\n

One of the first things you’ll notice about them is that plastic carboys are lighter than glass. The next thing you’ll notice is that this is a bigger deal than you thought! You’ll notice later that they flex when you move them full, and this means they’ll pull air through the airlock (plus some of the water, sanitizer, or whatever you’ve filled your airlock with). They might also push some of your wine, beer, mead, or cider into the airlock. That’s when you’ll be missing the rigidity of glass. Or changing your mind about the special fitting and custom air lock being too expensive.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Plastic carboys are cheaper<\/h2>\n