29 replies to this topic

[ColdAssHonky]

I know I just saw something about a guy using a 32 gallon Rubbermaid Brute container as a fermenter, but for the life of me I can't find it. Could have been a link to an outside website. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

[strangebrewer]

The Rubermaid Brute garbage cans are NSF 2 rated and are therefore food grade. They are what I use to ferment my grapes in every year and work great. What more you want to know?

[ColdAssHonky]

The Rubermaid Brute garbage cans are NSF 2 rated and are therefore food grade. They are what I use to ferment my grapes in every year and work great. What more you want to know?

I was wondering if anyone knew of food safe bags large enough to line these during fermentation. That would make cleanup and yeast harvesting a snap.

[ColdAssHonky]

If these were pressurizable they would be a good deal. But there not, so nahhhh.

What would be the advantage/concern?

[strangebrewer]

If these were pressurizable they would be a good deal. But there not, so nahhhh.

I've never used them for beer but for wine they are great. Wine is a considerably less hospitable environment for nasty things to live in though and I'm fermenting to 14%+ ABV which takes care of many of the rest of the nasties. Cleanup is also simple since you could crawl inside if you felt so inclined.In a pinch I wouldn't hesitate to ferment in them but I wouldn't go doing any extended aging as I don't see any practical way of making them seal.Not sure where to find a foodsafe liner that large though I am sure they are out there.

[strangebrewer]

What would be the advantage/concern?

It would be only slightly better than an open ferment so all the questions that go along with that come into play. Personally if I had a batch that large and I needed the space I'd use it in a heartbeat. There is a very convenient 20 gallon size too. Maybe after 10 days I'd stretch a layer of plastic wrap over the top to satisfy my paranoia but other than that I just wouldn't leave it in there long to minimize potential risk

[ColdAssHonky]

I've never used them for beer but for wine they are great. Wine is a considerably less hospitable environment for nasty things to live in though and I'm fermenting to 14%+ ABV which takes care of many of the rest of the nasties. Cleanup is also simple since you could crawl inside if you felt so inclined.In a pinch I wouldn't hesitate to ferment in them but I wouldn't go doing any extended aging as I don't see any practical way of making them seal.Not sure where to find a foodsafe liner that large though I am sure they are out there.

Definitely not for aging, but if I could toss 15 gallons of pale ale into one container and then rack to kegs or secondaries instead of three separate fermenters, I'd be a happy boy.

[ColdAssHonky]

It would be only slightly better than an open ferment so all the questions that go along with that come into play. Personally if I had a batch that large and I needed the space I'd use it in a heartbeat. There is a very convenient 20 gallon size too. Maybe after 10 days I'd stretch a layer of plastic wrap over the top to satisfy my paranoia but other than that I just wouldn't leave it in there long to minimize potential risk

The discussion I saw referenced building up a better seal around the edges and using wood clamps to tighten the lid down further. They had even drilled and grommeted for an airlock and would get bubbling, so sounds like it had a pretty tight seal.

[ColdAssHonky]

As far as liners go, i really dont see a need. Its already rated food grade, so why do you want a liner. I see no advantage to them.

I'd want a liner so that after you rack, your cleaning process is as simple as throwing away the liner.

[ColdAssHonky]

A soft towel and PBW and its clean. No worries about whats hiding on the liner. To me a liner just introduces more possibilities of places for stuff to hide. Think a smooth sided plastic fermenter is a worry? That and cultivating yeast seems like more trouble too. But everybody has their own ways not saying either way is better.

I'd toss the liner and replace with a new one each time. If I can pull the liner, I don't have to reach down into the bottom of a 30 gallon drum to snag yeast.Anyway, I think I'll kick this idea around a bit more. The logistics of filling and racking are something I'd need to figure out since I don't pump transfer.

[strangebrewer]

I'd toss the liner and replace with a new one each time. If I can pull the liner, I don't have to reach down into the bottom of a 30 gallon drum to snag yeast.Anyway, I think I'll kick this idea around a bit more. The logistics of filling and racking are something I'd need to figure out since I don't pump transfer.

Something else to keep in mind is weight. When full mine are on furniture dollys so I can move them as needed. Otherwise they are completely unmanageable. At first I improvised when racking by wheeling them to the top of the basement steps to give me the required height differential but now I use a pump.

[ColdAssHonky]

Something else to keep in mind is weight. When full mine are on furniture dollys so I can move them as needed. Otherwise they are completely unmanageable. At first I improvised when racking by wheeling them to the top of the basement steps to give me the required height differential but now I use a pump.

What do you use for your pump? I'd imagine you wouldn't want anything too powerful to reduce splashing on the other end?

[strangebrewer]

What do you use for your pump? I'd imagine you wouldn't want anything too powerful to reduce splashing on the other end?

Currently I use a march pump and a tubing clamp to pinch the tubing in order to restrict the flow. It's pretty ghetto and I hope to upgrade to a stainless ball valve in the future to put in line but right now it works.This achieves 2 things. One it restricts the outflow reducing splashing until I have enough volume in there I can open it up and it creates enough back pressure in the system that I don't end up with cavitation issues at the impeller. I know people shy away from march pumps for transferring fermented beverages but thus far I have not had an issue.

[ColdAssHonky]

Currently I use a march pump and a tubing clamp to pinch the tubing in order to restrict the flow. It's pretty ghetto and I hope to upgrade to a stainless ball valve in the future to put in line but right now it works.This achieves 2 things. One it restricts the outflow reducing splashing until I have enough volume in there I can open it up and it creates enough back pressure in the system that I don't end up with cavitation issues at the impeller. I know people shy away from march pumps for transferring fermented beverages but thus far I have not had an issue.

Is it the march pump specifically or is there something against pumping fermented beer altogether?

[strangebrewer]

Is it the march pump specifically or is there something against pumping fermented beer altogether?

It's the march pump. Since it does not have any built in method of adjusting it's flow rate you end up with splashing at the output and cavitation at the impeller. Both would be bad for fermented beer. There are pumps out there specifically designed to eliminate cavitation and are often adjustable so you can make the flow what you want. I just already own a march pump so with a little effort I was able to make it multi purpose.

[ColdAssHonky]

It's the march pump. Since it does not have any built in method of adjusting it's flow rate you end up with splashing at the output and cavitation at the impeller. Both would be bad for fermented beer. There are pumps out there specifically designed to eliminate cavitation and are often adjustable so you can make the flow what you want. I just already own a march pump so with a little effort I was able to make it multi purpose.

Thanks for all the input!If I go this route, I'll definitely be looking at a pump. Lugging around that much weight is not going to be an option.Something just occurred to me... If I brew in my garage and want to ferment in the basement, would there be any reason why I couldn't run a really long length of hose from kettle to fermenter in the basement with a pump? Will the length the liquid have to travel effect the type or power of pump you'd need? There would be some amount of gravity working for me...