Fermenting buckets

Lugh Ildanach

Another poster had sparked my interest in cheap fermenting buckets that he had picked up in a local market in Kildare town.

I didn't find the buckets in question, but started to look around catering suppliers and found that you can get 25-30 litre food grade buckets for around a fiver each. You have to drill a hole in the lid for the bung, and the buckets are not scaled, but you can easily mark a scale on yourself. I already have primary fermenters with scales so I only needed these for secondary fermenters which don't really need a scale in any event as you're just siphoning what you have already.

Homebrew stores seem to charge up to three times the price for these.

This place on the Naas Road in Dublin is very good, very helpful and open to the public. I'm sure there are plenty of other ones across the country.

http://www.thepackagingcentre.ie/products2.php?productid=36

bbam

I got food grade buckets from a guy in Cavan.. (not me)
White plastic with blue screw on lid...

€2 each for min 10
or €50 for 50.

See them in use here..

BeerNut

Lugh Ildanach wrote: »

You have to drill a hole in the lid for the bung

Only if you want to use a bung and an airlock. They're not necessary.

loyatemu

BeerNut wrote: »

Only if you want to use a bung and an airlock. They're not necessary.

I've seen that said on here before - what is the point of an airlock then?

BeerNut

Beats me. I suppose some people are happier with the bubbling.

Maybe someone other than me can explain why the inconvenience and infection risk is worth it.

loyatemu

so what do you do Beernut - just leave a loose lid on the bucket? Is the idea that the CO2 keeps any external infection out, what happens when primary fermentation dies down? What about demijohns?

BeerNut

loyatemu wrote: »

just leave a loose lid on the bucket?

This.

loyatemu wrote: »

Is the idea that the CO2 keeps any external infection out

CO2, alcohol, probability: all working in the home brewer's favour.

loyatemu wrote: »

what happens when primary fermentation dies down?

Alcohol and probability.

In the meantime, here is what the pros do:
New Zealand:



Czech Republic:


Do you see the airlock? Well, do ya, punk?

loyatemu wrote: »

What about demijohns?

What about demijohns?

Allrounder

Yeah! but the lids are off those so you can't see the huge bubblers they use!:D:D:D:D
Gotcha!
Allrounder

loyatemu

BeerNut wrote: »

What about demijohns?

no lid. just leave it uncovered?

why is there actually an increased risk from using an airlock? from the risk of the water flowing back into the brew?

BeerNut

loyatemu wrote: »

no lid. just leave it uncovered?

Well no, because stuff might fall in. Make a little tin foil hat for it and leave it sitting on loose.

loyatemu wrote: »

why is there actually an increased risk from using an airlock? from the risk of the water flowing back into the brew?

Yep. More stuff to sanitise. More places where bugs can hide. It's not much of a risk, but easily avoided at the same time.

spoofilyj

But if one fly gets into the Brew then its goosed!

hardwood

bbam wrote: »

I got food grade buckets from a guy in Cavan.. (not me)
White plastic with blue screw on lid...

€2 each for min 10
or €50 for 50.

See them in use here..

Have you got a number for the guy?

irish_goat

If you're friendly with any bar/restaurant owners or staff you could ask if they have any of these kind of buckets lying around. Both places I've worked in always had a decent supply of them anyway.

BeerNut

The mayonnaise ones should be OK but I wouldn't use ones that contained oil as I'd say it'll be very difficult to get decent head retention on the beer.

irish_goat

BeerNut wrote: »

The mayonnaise ones should be OK but I wouldn't use ones that contained oil as I'd say it'll be very difficult to get decent head retention on the beer.

Ran it through the industrial dishwasher heaps of times and the beer that came out of it was grand.

Sure maynonnaise is about 70% oil anyway.

Ronan cork

airlocks look cool...:D:D

...but a bottle cap over the hole does the same job...

nice tip on the mayo buckets, could be interesting to split the batch in secondary and try different dry hopping for comparison