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Bungs, Stoppers & Closures – Say What?

April 3rd, 2009 by robin in wine making

Regardless of what you call them bungs, stoppers or closures – you need them. They aren’t usually given any attention, but where would wine making be without them? For one thing, if you didn’t have one where would you put your airlock? Seriously, these items are important. They work in conjunction with air locks to ensure an air-tight seal at the neck of your carboy, keeping your wine healthy and safe.

The thing we really need to discuss when it comes to bungs is size. They are given number sizes that can sometimes be confusing if you don’t know what they mean. Below please find a chart that will help you find the right size stopper for your carboy or jug.

Size	Top Diameter (in.)	Bottom Diameter (in.)
2	3/4	5/8
3	15/16	3/4
4	1	3/4
5	1 1/6	29/32
5.5	1 1/8	1
6	1 1/8	1 1/16
6.5	1 3/8	1 1/8
7	1 7/16	1 3/16
7.5	1 1/2	1 1/4
8	1 5/8	1 3/8
8.5	1 11/16	1 7/16
9	1 3/4	1 15/32
9.5	1 13/16	1 1/2
10	1 15/16	1 5/8
10.5	2 1/16	1 3/4
11	2 1/4	1 15/16
11.5	2 1/2	2
12	2 9/16	2 1/8
13	2 11/16	2 5/16
14	3 1/2	3
15	4	3 1/4

There are several “universal” stopper sizes that you don’t have to worry about measuring for. There is a small, medium and large of these and they come in drilled and undrilled forms. The small generally fits glass carboys. The medium usually fits Better Bottle carboys and the large are designed to fit larger demi-johns and barrels. Their dimensions are as follows:

Size	Top Diameter (in.)	Bottom Diameter (in.)
small	1 8/16	1 2/16
medium	1 12/16	1 7/16
Large	2 4/16	1 14/16

So regardless of whether you choose to call it a bung, stopper or closure, please give this piece of equipment the respect it deserves. We would be lost without it.

Tomorrow we will discuss hydrometers.

Carboys – Everyone Needs A Couple

April 1st, 2009 by robin in wine making

A carboy is the container used most during wine making. They come in various sizes, but are most common in 3 gallon, 5 gallon and 6 gallon. Carboys have a narrow neck with a small opening at the top for a stopper and an airlock. Carboys are primarily made of glass or PET plastic, commonly known as the brand name Better Bottles. There are constant debates as to which form is better, glass or plastic. Frankly, there are advantages and disadvantages to both and which you choose is personal preference. Today, let’s first discuss glass carboys.

Glass carboys clean and sanitize easily. They are scratch resistant and definitely are not capable of transferring any chemicals from within the glass itself. Conversely, there are three major drawbacks to glass carboys. First, glass carboys are substantially heavier than their Better Bottle counterparts, which brings us right to the fact that they are breakable. There can be nothing more disappointing or upsetting than waiting patiently for your wine to ferment and mature only to struggle lifting the carboy during a step and drop it; the carboy then breaks and wine goes everywhere. Finally, there is the matter of price. In 2008, Italy became the only country manufacturing glass carboys. This has resulted in a substantial rise in glass carboy pricing. One should expect that a new 6 gallon glass carboy should cost somewhere around $40-$50 US.

Tomorrow we will look at the other side of things and discuss Better Bottle PET Carboys.