5 Gallon Carboy



The 5 gallon carboy is a container with a narrow neck and is often used for the fermentation of wine or beer. The common size is five gallons although other sizes are also available. The usual material for the carboy is glass because it is nonporous and easy to clean. The brewer or winemaker can also observe the must (pulp).



Previously, plastic carboys were avoided because they absorb air and they could easily get stained. However, advances in technology have produced other materials for the carboy, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET is a kind of transparent plastic, which does not leach chemicals or odors into the beverage nor does it stain. The brewer or winemaker can easily observe the must through the PET carboy, which has the additional advantages of being lighter in weight and being less prone to breakage. Nevertheless, some brewers and winemakers still opt for glass carboys because plastic carboys have the disadvantage of being easily scratched and it is possible for bacteria to live in those scratches and would be difficult to eliminate. For home brewers, the carboy is also called a demijohn.

During the second fermentation process, the mouth of the carboy is provided with a lock or stopper to prevent oxygen and bacteria from getting into the beverage. During the first step in the brewing of beer, barley or some other kind of cereal is put inside a maceration tank. The grains are permitted to germinate by introducing water and oxygen and this will normally take from three to four days. During this time, the temperature of the water is maintained within a certain range. After this process, the grains are placed in a well-ventilated place where they can germinate. Then the germination process is suddenly terminated by roasting or drying when the sprout is approximately two-thirds in length when compared to the grain. The next step in the brewing process is the grinding of the barley malt.

Hot water is then added to produce what is known as must. This is the brewing phase and the combination of ground barley and water is stirred continuously and the most appropriate temperature for the degradation of starch and protein into maltose is maintained. After this, it is cooked in boilers and perfect timing is required because it is during this process where most of the needed biochemical reactions in brewing occur. The boiling time often ranges from one hour to two and a half hours.