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I was recently reading a monthly newsletter I get from one of the local wine making supply shops I frequent and came across a new cool “toy” I HAD to get and try out - a plastic clear carboy.

These carboys are made by “Better-Bottle” (www.Better-Bottle.com) and seem to have an OEM relationship with RJ Spagnols.

This new carboy caught my attention for a number of reasons:

1) It’s made up of the same material (PET) that is used in regular water cooler bottles so I knew my wine wouldn’t get a plastic taste to it. They are also almost “unbreakable” (mind you so was the Titanic) and can be cleaned with hot water.

PET = polyethylene terephthalate

2) At 1.5 lbs it is about 1/10th the weight of the equivalent glass carboy so wouldn’t hurt the back as much when I move a full carboy around.

3) It is clear (unlike the current opaque plastic carboys - which stain from what I hear) so you can see how well your wine is clearing.

4) Cost wise it is about the same as a glass carboy ($24.99)

5) The wider neck makes it even easier to clean the a a regular carboy.

Note: Due to the increased size of the neck you’ll have to use a size 10 bung for the airlock.

I’ve quizzed wine making shop owners about what they see as the main drawbacks to using this new plastic carboy is that it tends to scratch on the inside when using a carboy brush. Apart from that it appears to be pretty equivalent to a glass carboy.

I haven’t used it yet so would be interested in hearing from you if you have one and your experiences with it.

If you have used it before please let me know via the “comments” option below!

- Scott

Here’s the vacuum pump you’ll want if you’d like to give this a try:

http://www.fermentationtrap.com/cb6346.html

You’ll also want to get a size 10 bugger with a hole drilled in the middle.