Best homebrew fermenter for beer and wine: Amazon picks

Fermonster PET Carboy uses food-grade BPA-free PET plastic in a carboy shape with a 4-inch wide-mouth top. The wide mouth accommodates a standard bottle brush for internal scrubbing without disassembly. The clear PET allows monitoring fermentation visually. The 6.5-gallon capacity provides 1.5 gallons of headspace above a 5-gallon beer batch, accommodating foam from active fermentation. An optional spigot version is available for dispensing without siphoning.

Fermonster is a homebrew equipment brand producing PET carboys. Their wide-mouth design addresses the narrow-neck cleaning problem of traditional glass carboys.

At $25, Fermonster 6.5-gallon is the best value wide-mouth PET carboy in this guide.

Northern Brewer Glass Carboy uses borosilicate glass, the same material as laboratory glassware, which provides a completely non-reactive interior surface that does not absorb flavors or odors from previous batches. The narrow 1.5-inch neck requires a long carboy brush for internal cleaning; the narrow neck also means foam from active fermentation can be blown off through the airlock during vigorous primary fermentation. The glass weight is the main disadvantage for frequent use.

Northern Brewer is a Minneapolis homebrew supply company established in 1993. Their glass carboys are sold individually and as part of equipment kits.

At $30, Northern Brewer Glass Carboy is the best value glass fermentation vessel in this guide.

Speidel 30-Liter uses a food-grade HDPE plastic in an oval tank shape manufactured in Germany. The wide flat lid provides full-top access for cleaning and adding dry hops directly to the vessel. The spigot at the bottom of the fermenter allows transferring beer to a bottling bucket or keg without an auto-siphon. The oval shape makes the Speidel more stable on shelving than round carboy-shaped fermenters.

Speidel is a German plastics and fermentation equipment manufacturer. Their plastic fermenters are used in both commercial winery applications and home brewing.

At $45, Speidel 30-Liter is the best value large-batch plastic fermenter in this guide.

SS Brewtech Mini Brew Bucket uses 304 food-grade stainless steel in a cylindro-conical shape with a 60-degree cone bottom that guides trub into the center-bottom collection point. The welded thermometer port accepts a standard homebrew thermometer for monitoring fermentation temperature from outside the vessel without opening the lid. The lid seals with a silicone gasket. The interior mirror finish is non-reactive.

SS Brewtech is a California homebrew equipment company established in 2013, producing stainless steel fermenters, kettles and accessories for serious home brewers.

At $150, SS Brewtech Mini Brew Bucket is the best value stainless steel homebrew fermenter in this guide.