A carboy, also known as a demijohn or a lady jeanne, is a rigid container with a typical capacity of . Carboys are primarily used for transporting liquids, often water or chemicals. They are also used for in-home fermentation of beverages, often beer or wine.

History and etymology

The word '' carboy'' is from the Persian ''qarābah'' ( قرابه), from Middle Persian ''Karāvah''. Arabic also borrowed it as ''qarrāba'', meaning "big jug". The Spanish-language term is ''garrafa''. '' Demijohn'' originally referred to any glass vessel with a large body and small neck, enclosed in

wicker Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

work. The word presumably comes from the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

''dame-jeanne'', literally "Lady Jane", as a popular appellation; this word is first attested in France in the 17th century. In Italian it is called ''damigiana'', most probably derived from French. In some Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina, it is also referred to as ''damajuana''. An alternative etymology derives it from the name of a Persian town, Damghan, but there is no evidence for this.

Size

Carboys come in various volumes ranging from . The term carboy itself usually refers to a carboy, unless otherwise noted. A carboy is sometimes called a jug. A carboy is usually called a demijohn (in the Philippines, ''dama juana''Ocampo, Ambeth R. (August 9, 2006) '' Philippine Daily Inquirer''
Tanduay
. p. 13.). In Britain, "demijohn" refers to a glass brewing vessel.

Brewing

brewing Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...

, a carboy or demijohn is a glass or plastic vessel used in fermenting beverages such as wine,

mead Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining character ...

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

, perry, and beer. Usually it is fitted with a rubber

stopper Stopper may refer to: * Bung, a plug used to stop the opening of a container ** Laboratory rubber stopper, a specific type of bung * Plug (sanitation), used to stop a drainage outlet * Defender (association football), in soccer (association footba ...

and a fermentation lock to prevent bacteria and oxygen from entering during the fermentation process. During the homebrewing process, a primary carboy is used for fermentation. Once primary fermentation is complete, the beer is either transferred to a secondary carboy for conditioning or it can be transferred directly to bottles for conditioning. (This process of transferring is usually called racking.)

Laboratory

In modern laboratories, carboys are usually made of plastic, though traditionally were (and still are in many university settings) made of ferric glass or other shatter-resistant glasses immune to acid corrosion or

halide In chemistry, a halide (rarely halogenide) is a binary chemical compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative (or more electropositive) than the halogen, to make a fluor ...

staining common in older plastic formulations. They are used for storing large quantities of liquids, such as solvents or

deionised water Purified water is water that has been mechanically filtered or processed to remove impurities and make it suitable for use. Distilled water was, formerly, the most common form of purified water, but, in recent years, water is more frequently puri ...

. In these applications, a tap may be included for dispensing. Carboys are also used to collect and store waste solvents. Collecting waste solvents in plastic carboys is preferable to reusing glass Winchesters due to the lesser chance of breakage if a solution is placed in an incorrectly labeled carboy. Polypropylene carboys are also commonly used in laboratories to transfer purified water. They are typically filled at the top and have a spigot at the bottom for dispensing.

References

External links