Yesterday while sorting and patching my carboys I modified one to "cooper" style. It had a crack about 2 inches up on the side so I drilled this out and installed a plastic bottle neck with screw cap, using JB weld. I use the cap to maintain the integrity of the vessel during filling with must. After I filled it I inserted a stopper in the main opening with a plastic spigot instead of am airlock and taped the entire plug and neck to prevent the weight of the liquid from pushing it out.

I laid the jug on its side on the shelf in my wine room with the modified screw bung up and inserted the airlock there.

I also raised the airlock side about 4 inches higher than the mouth and spigot so that all sediment will be trapped below the spigot by what used to be half of the carboy top. This is howI made a functional plastic wine cooper with spigot bung.

-- Anonymous, February 03, 2002

Answers

Jay, sounds like a creative solution! You are such an engineer!

I'll show this to Mr. S. (resident wine maker at our digs). We had good results with our cherry wine last year. We had disastrous results with our apple ciders this year. Still have some in carboys, but I think it will become bug spray!

Do you have good online resources for wine or cider (our beer is usually great! Thanks goodness for something...)

-- Anonymous, February 04, 2002

Sheepish,

I'm just a lazy , arthritic wine maker :>)

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2002

I just wish I knew enough about brewing to know what you are talking about!! I bought Hubs a beer brewing kit and a wine brewing kit for Christmas; but he hasn't done anything with them yet. I think he thinks it's too complicated.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2002