Siphonless 6.5 Gal. Big Mouth Bubbler® - Ported Plastic Fermentor

After using duct tape to hold down the poorly-designed Universal Lid, which won't stay down even if everything is bone dry, I have resorted to using to 5 pound bricks. This is ridiculous! Whoever designed the lid shouldn't lose their job, but the person who approved it for market should. When I first got my Siphonless Big Mouth Bubblers, I thought there were parts missing for the lid, since everything I had seen was a screw-on lid. I can totally understand why the original lids leaked. What I don't understand is why they didn't design the universal lid to screw-on like the old one?!!! More importantly, this is a KNOWN ISSUE. It's all over the internet - people everywhere performing DIY fixes on these lids, taping them down, putting weights on them. SOo why are they still being peddled on the market like they are some kind of revolutionary product. Well, it was certainly a revolutionary way for me to lose money! I don't have money to burn on stuff like this, so I'm STUCK with these until I can afford something of quality. Avoid this product at all costs. Stick with your buckets until you can afford better! John Salvatore - Pittsburgh

The lid won't stay on. I don't mean it can pop off during a vigorous ferment. I mean brand new, bone dry, straight out of the box and the lid won't stay tightly seated. Wish I would have tested it before pouring in the wort. Ransack through the packaging thinking I was missing a part to screw it down. Had to it taped down now. Don't buy this.

To all the people that can't get the lids to say on. I had the same issue, my first brew. After that, I learned the lids must be dried thoroughly. Take off the rubber gasket, dry it completely, then dry the upper inside of the bottle. Then use a blow off hose with a stopper, and it works perfectly. I'm several batches in, and haven't had any issues, once I started drying the lid, gasket, and inside the top. Cleaning is a piece of cake. So easy versus a glass carboy. Easy to carry as well, just make sure it's dry on the outside. Love them! I've got 3 now!

I went back and forth over if this was something I needed or not, but went for it as I was tired of getting to all those hard to reach places on my glass carboys. After receiving, I used and has issues with lid popping off every time I turned my back on it. Come to find this is a common issue that no one seems to be doing anything about. I resorted to the bricks on top of carboy method.
On first use, during cleaning the inside got all scratched up. I was using a sponge - nothing too abrasive - and when drying it I notice scratches on the inside. I'm now apprehensive to use in the future as scratches may harbor unfriendly critters. What is the point of reaching inside to clean the thing when it scratches so easily?
Just overall not happy with it, I though this would really make the brewing process easier, but added more hassle in the end and I feel like I have thrown my money away. With 2 small children, I don't have a lot of disposable income (or time) at the moment and the disappointment in this product has kind of killed my buzz on homebrewing in general, which to me is its greatest fault of all.

Bummer, I was hoping for a lot, maybe my expectations were too high.

Great products just wish it was free shipping over $50 like most online retailers do.

I love the big mouth bubblers with the spigot. Racking is simple... just sanitize the secondary and a very short hose. Then attach to the spigot and get every drop from primary to secondary with no siphon needed. With the spigot on the secondary, same easy process to transfer from secondary to bottling bucket or corny keg. All my future primary and secondary fermenters will have a spigot and I'm tossing the siphons!

The big mouth bubbler is great. Easy to clean, add and remove dry hops, etc. The only negative is that the faucet seems a little flimsy; I haven't had problems with it but have been really careful not to knock it when moving the fermentor around.

works as intended, but need to get a stopper if you have been using buckets, the stopper is completely different.

After have a few mishaps with glass primarys, I decided to give this a try & keep glass only for secondary. It's a nice plastic fermenter and the siphon makes transfer quite easy. It cleans up easy, but I'd recommend removing the bubble pattern. One big caution to users though (which I learned the hard way), FULLY REMOVE & CLEAN THE SIPHON EVERY TIME. Even though you dont see it, little microbes stick on the treads under the o-ring. If you don't remove the siphon, you won't get this fully clean and an infection can take hold.

I was skeptical at first with them being plastic and having had some bad reviews that were hidden on other websites but ever since I've got them I've done about 4 brews and boy have they made my life easier. They are made out of high-quality material and great they have not warped in any way. I bought 2 and am about to buy two more. Also dry hopping in them was a breeze to get in and out with zero hassle

I moved up to this from using the white plastic bucket for primary fermentation, and it's a real improvement. Sturdy, easy to clean, and clear so I can easily track how fermentation is progressing.

Noticed many comments about challenges keeping the lid sealed. The helpful folks at Midwest suggested reversing the silicone seal (biggest thread at the bottom), and making sure the seal isn't dripping wet. This worked for me.

Thank you great service.

worked perfect, I seen a few reviews that said it would leak but if you tighten nut hard enough it will never leak.so easy to use. going to get two more.

It was a gift and he loved it! He is a home brewer and always trying new flavors

Easiest fermentor to use,an a heck of lot less messy.

works great, especially when wine kit has grape skins. Use this for 1st, second stage fermentation, degasing, stabilizing and clarification and bottling. Saves a lot of time, no longer start in a pail, transfer to carboy and allow fermentation to finish. Then transfer back to pail for degasing, stabilizing and clarification

i don't brew or ferment too often but now I'm ready for anytime, big time!...In the mean time...i can also use my big mouth bubbler for iced tea, lemonade or water for working around outside. ALWAYS great transactions! Thanks MidWest!

This makes transfers a breeze! This is easier then racking and the trub stays in there!

These are excellent fermenters. Pros: easy to clean and sanitize, relatively indestructible, scratch resistant, great size for 5 gal recipes with lots of room for kraeuzen. Cons: the bubble pattern on the inside requires some attention when cleaning, and they are awkward to carry when full. This second problem is solved by putting the Bubbler in a heavy-duty milk crate, or by using a carboy carrier strap (there are several brands on the market).

Works just fine. Much easier to handle than my glass one. Get the carrier to go with it for even easier handling.

This makes bottling day so much easier. I make sure mine is free! Works great and have had zero trouble with the lid.

I've been brewing for many years and fermented in all sorts of vessels - buckets, glass carboys, plastic carboys, conical fermenters, and now the Big Mouth Bubbler. The Bubblers are super convenient to store and move.. easy to clean and the spigot is a great convenience.. No racking tubes, no glass breaking, and 1/10th the cost of a conical. YES!

I've used this on four batches so far and really like it. I use it as my single fermentation vessel and the spigot makes kegging or bottling a breeze.

Love going siphonless also the little extra space in this slightly larger version

I love the ease of the wide mouth and the spigot. I would have given it a 4.5 stars if possible because the textured bubbles in the plastic are a little prone to holding gunk. Smooth for the next incarnation, please.

Brewed my first batch using the big mouth bubbler. Tight seal worked as expected and was very easy to clean. Plan on buying a glass secondary soon. Very easy transfer to secondary.

I really like how easy it is to transfer and clean. I'm kinda kicking myself though for not getting the glass Big Mouth because it's been extra challenging to keep it cool during fermentation here in FL. Seems like the plastic insulates the beer from my cold packs that I use.

Awesome adjunct secondary. I will use this for quick response
Turn arounds.

The wide mouth top makes your life so much easier!

i just got the fermenter and put the first brew in it 6 days ago. The trub seems to all be below the spigot so here's hoping the transfer to secondary goes well! Happy with it so far

This is the easiest and fermenter period. Why try anything else!

Increasing capacity to 5 gal batches. Can't wait to use this new bubbler.

I have heard of enough people getting hurt with glass carboys that i have started purchasing the Big Mouth Bubblers. I really like the idea of a spigot. It is super easy to install and I don't have to stand there with my siphon when it comes time to transfer. It works good, lasts a long time.

great buy, works good!!

I really wanted the glass version of the Big Mouth Bubbler, but it has been sold out for months now, so I had to settle for the plastic version. Very nice a lot lighter but don't expect the life but it will work great for the short time.

This just makes things so much simpler. Moving to secondary was as easy as opening a valve. Very lightweight which is good and bad. Good for the obvious reasons but bad in that it feels flimsy when empty.

I have been wanting to step up my brew day and this helps!

Love it! I've completed two batches of cider in it and did not have pressure lid issues like other reviewers. The piece that is very important to me is the decrease in production lose from siphoning. I have minimal lose now and have gained two full bottles of product, plus I can do the whole operation myself if my bottling friend is not available.

Really like the big mouth bubbler would recommend to anyone

I won't use any other wide mouth bubbler, it's great.

Love it

Nice to clean, thin walled , sipget leaks when turning to use in on mode. Yep I'll buy another if needed , I have two now,

I have 4 of these now and couldn't be happier. Easy to clean easy to use easy to lift. Getting an airtight seal can be a little tricky but other than that no issues so far other than not being able to stay home and brew all day.

I would definitely recommend this! i have two of them! i love that I go right from the fermenter to the keg from the spigot .

Still a bit flimsy when transporting or just moving. I would make them a bit thicker but still. I am happy with the four I just bought.

I use this Big Mouth Bubbler for a fermenter sometimes, but it is especially effective as a racking system. I can bottle direct from this Big Mouth Bubbler and fill 48 or more bottles non-stop with little exposure time and the cleanup was a lot easier than I expected.

I like t do all of my beer making in glass and stainless steel. I've always used glass fermenters, but they are difficult to clean and are heavy. I tried this with reluctance. I heard horror stories about the top not sealing, unknown if the fermentation worked,and overall difficulties with the lid. I have had none of those issues and have found the design to be excellent. I use a small stopper with an air lock. All the batches are super easy to transfer to a secondary and the cleaning process is really easy. Also, it is really light. I love it and use it as my primary. Give it a try, you will be happy you did.

This thing is Awesome! Love the huge opening I can get in there and clean, easy to transfer and harvest yeast. Only thing I'd change is do away with the "bubbles" in the plastic to make the inside smooth but still cleans easier than my carboys! Will buy a couple more of these.

The big mouth bubbler with the spigot on it works great! It makes moveing your brew to the next fementer or keg ,even to bottle REAL easy and helps eliminate the chance of contamination.The valve is located high enough to keep the yeast and trub from being stirred up during tansfer ,keeping your beer clear.

I am sure you heard all the horror stories: the lid doesn't seal, the spigot leaks, it's plastic so it will allow oxygen penetration. Well, they are just stories. I have none of these issues. Works great, easy to clean. Now, I will say that I do plan to "retire" each one after about 15 ferments given it is plastic. Do not hesitate to use these.