Hey everybody it’s Billy from BillyBrew.com. If you saw my post on glass versus plastic carboys, you know that I like glass carboys. I think they look great, they are awesome, but I am kinda freaked out about having one shatter and causing bodily damage because it has happened to a decent amount of people. So if that is going to happen, if it’s going to shatter, it’s probably going to happen when you are transporting it. So either you drop it or you bump into something, but that’s when it’s going to happen.
I make sure I am really careful when I’m carrying it, but I came across a product that could help with that and I’m going to do a review of it. It is called the brew hauler. These are also called carboy carriers. I got this from MoreBeer.com. It’s a nylon strap. I’m going to set it up and give it a try and let you know what I think.
So this thing went on pretty easily and I’m sure it would have been even easier if the carboy was empty, but I never have empty glass carboys because I’m always brewing. Ok, moment of truth. I’m going to stand up and try to lift this thing. And hope that is doesn’t break and shatter all over the place.
Not too bad. It’s amazingly easy to lift. Easier than I thought. I’ll try to walk with it a little bit. Not bad at all. This is probably 60 pounds or so, and I’m definitely not the strongest guy in the world, so I’m pretty impressed by it.
Overall I think this thing is great. It was a cinch to put on and take off, and that means you can use it for multiple carboys you don’t need one for each carboy that you have. I was really surprised by how easy it was to lift. I thought it’d be easier than how I normally do it which is with this handle and holding it on the bottom like this. But it was amazingly light with this thing. And it didn’t break – my beer is still here.
So overall, I recommend one of these. It’s about $15, and if it protects your carboy and your beer than it’s worth it. Let me know if you have one, or let me know what you use. Thanks for watching. I’m Billy Broas from BillyBrew.com. Take care.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Billy,
I have wanted to buy one of those, but since I use my plastic buckets more than my carboys I just haven’t gotten off my butt to go out and buy one (or order online)…
Anyways, great video…
Jorge
PS… I’m sending you an email
Hey Billy,
I use glass carboys for fermentation and have considered one of these carriers. My big concern is this: I often/almost always keep my full carboys in plastic bins filled with cold water and change the ice packs once or twice daily in order to maintain optimal temps. If I got one of these, it would be soaking in water for weeks or possibly months (depending on the brew), and I was concerned that the threads would/could weaken over time and really create a hell of a mess.
If I didn’t need to regulate the temps in this way, I’d've gotten a couple of these Brew Haulers already. Know or read anything about this type of situation?
As always, thanks for the great reviews. Very kind of you.
Andy (a/k/a Nigel)
@Jorge Thanks for the compliment. Yea a plastic bucket definitely beats the carboys in transportability. I’ve yet to ferment in one, but might do it for some fruit beers I want to make where the large opening would help.
@Andy I’m actually in the exact same situation. Especially in the summer months, I do my fermentations in a swamp cooler. Since these come off pretty easily, you can just lower it into the swamp cooler and then remove it. It just takes unbuckling and sliding it off the bottom. Moving from the swamp cooler will be trickier since you have to put the carrier back on, so I’ll probably take the carboy out first, hook up the carrier, and then move it. I’ll let you know for sure when I try it but I really don’t think it will be a problem. I wouldn’t leave it soaking in there for long time, as you pointed out.
I use plastic milk or storage crates. I’ve been lucky enough to find people throwing them out, but have seen them in the big retail stores.
Andy,
To answer your question about the Brew Hauler being able to with stand water. The entire product is synthetic. From the webbing to the threads, so you should have no worries.
Again, because the Brew Hauler is 100% synthetic there is no need to remove the carrier once you have it properly installed onto your carboy. You can brew, lager, clean, sterilize and store your carboy with the Brew Hauler on it.
The easiest way to put your Brew Hauler on your carboy is with it being empty and laid on it’s side. However, we have put them on many fully fermenting carboys ourselves.
We take pride in the fact that The Brew Hauler is a 100% American made product. Invented and designed by a home brewer!
Thanks for your continued support,
Beth Raich, VP,
Brew Hauler, Inc
Hi Beth, thanks for stopping in and answering Andy’s question. Also, putting it on the carboy from the side is a great tip. Why didn’t I think of that? Cheers!