11 replies to this topic

[VirginiaBeach]

My neighbor who used to homebrew a long time ago (he's about 93 now) found out I homebrewed and gave me his old fermenter, a big clay pot, about the size of a 10 gallon brewpot, and it probably weighs about 30 lbs. It's not porous on the inside, but has a smooth coating on the inside that you find on some clay cups and other clay kitchenware (I'm not sure what that "varnish" is called. He said he used to just cover it with a towel when he had something fermenting, haha.My first thought was there was no way I was going to brew in that old thing, but then I got to thinking it'd be kinda cool to brew something old-school style in that old fermenter (thoroughly cleaned and sanitized of course.) For a seal I'd probably put a sanitized piece of plastic or bag over top with a big rubber band around it to let CO2 out but not let air in.What do you guys think, good idea or bad idea?

[Greatfookin]

Go for it, my Dad made wine for years with a sheet of fine silk over the top of a plastic bin held in place with a cord.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I say go for it too. It sounds like a cool fermenter to me. I think your idea is a fine move, just place a cover over it just to block air from getting inside or protecting it from anything airborne from settling in the wort. Once fermentation starter the outflow of carbon dioxide will keep it clean and good as well. You can be successful in doing open fermentations there is no doubt about it. There is a commercial brewery here thatwas getting started up last year. They fermented all their beers in open half moon shaped dairy tanks covering the top in saran wrap. If you get around to doing this update us and of course please post some pics if you can too. Good Luck.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

use something clear to cover the top so you can witness the carnage that's going on inside :stabby:also - the word you were looking for is glaze. pottery is glazed (like a doughnut).edit: make sure to sit down and have a pint or two with your neighbor

[Stout_fan]

FWIW it's called a crock. Often used in olden days for home made sauerkraut and pickling cukes.Never seen a 10 gallon, but my mom used to make elderberry wine in several 5 gal versions.Check the interior for scratches and cracks in the glazing.If that is OK, then you could use a type of yeast that requires open fermentation, namely Ringwood.In closed vessels it does not perform up to snuff, it needs to out gas for an acceptable flavor profile.At least that's what pros that use it tell me like Yards in philly*, and I can't think of the name of a brewpub in DE that uses it in that fashion.And you'll have to make sure it stays away from wild yeast durring the process.Good luck.* The old Yards downtown. Tom has gone to closed conicals, think he dropped ringwood also.

[BarelyBrews]

When i wanted to escape the Mr.beer kits i bought extract and did an open fermentation of sorts .Had a 6.5 gallon bucket and no lid/airlock,Just a cloth over the top wire tied down. Not using a hydrometer at that point either. Heated my hop extract some ( those details fail me) before note taking too ,but i made an OLD AlE. It was great, so i vote after you do all those things,inspection, cleaning etc,, Go for it.

[3rd party JKor]

FWIW it's called a crock. Often used in olden days for home made sauerkraut and pickling cukes.Never seen a 10 gallon, but my mom used to make elderberry wine in several 5 gal versions.Check the interior for scratches and cracks in the glazing.If that is OK, then you could use a type of yeast that requires open fermentation, namely Ringwood.In closed vessels it does not perform up to snuff, it needs to out gas for an acceptable flavor profile.At least that's what pros that use it tell me like Yards in philly*, and I can't think of the name of a brewpub in DE that uses it in that fashion.And you'll have to make sure it stays away from wild yeast durring the process.Good luck.* The old Yards downtown. Tom has gone to closed conicals, think he dropped ringwood also.

Closed vs. open fermentation is one of those things that I think people don't really understand, at least in a homebrew setting. Airlock fermentation is open fermentation, from a pressure perspective. The back pressure from an airlock is literally less than daily variations in barometric pressure. Atmospheric pressure expressed as 'inches of water column' is 407"WC. The airlock provides about 2"WC of back pressure. In other terms, 0.07psi or 0.15"Hg. In my area the barometric pressure has varied 0.30"Hg in the last 48 hours.At least to me, closed fermentation means fermentation that is carried out under a significant pressure. Maybe there is some other nuance that I am missing, but that's how I see it.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Closed vs. open fermentation is one of those things that I think people don't really understand, at least in a homebrew setting. Airlock fermentation is open fermentation, from a pressure perspective. The back pressure from an airlock is literally less than daily variations in barometric pressure. Atmospheric pressure expressed as 'inches of water column' is 407"WC. The airlock provides about 2"WC of back pressure. In other terms, 0.07psi or 0.15"Hg. In my area the barometric pressure has varied 0.30"Hg in the last 48 hours.At least to me, closed fermentation means fermentation that is carried out under a significant pressure. Maybe there is some other nuance that I am missing, but that's how I see it.

word.

[JimInNJ]

Use it to brew a style that the neighbor likes, and share some with him.- Jim

[DaBearSox]

In ancient times fermentation was done in clay vessels. However they were not smooth on the inside but porous. They would allow whatever little buggers that were left in the pot to ferment later batches.

[MtnBrewer]

I'd be tempted to do an open fermentation in that thing. Maybe cover it with some sanitized cheesecloth or something similar.

[Slainte]

Closed vs. open fermentation is one of those things that I think people don't really understand, at least in a homebrew setting. Airlock fermentation is open fermentation, from a pressure perspective. The back pressure from an airlock is literally less than daily variations in barometric pressure. Atmospheric pressure expressed as 'inches of water column' is 407"WC. The airlock provides about 2"WC of back pressure. In other terms, 0.07psi or 0.15"Hg. In my area the barometric pressure has varied 0.30"Hg in the last 48 hours.

Yeah, pretty much. The only thing homebrewers will gain from an open fermentation is a higher sanitation risk.Now for commercial breweries with tall conicals...it's much different. They're the ones that are going to experience the effects of doing an open fermentation due the pressure differences between a huge column of beer and a shallower fermenter.