cannman

Recipes 

My local Winco grocer is selling white (semi translucent) food storage buckets (5 gallons) with a recycle # 2 on the bottom which is the same number on the bottom of my fermenting bucket. Can I use this for fermenting? Do I want to??

-c

bigbeergeek

Recipes 

Your sure can. I bought one from my local winco for the exact same purpose. I wish they were larger (say, 6.5 gallons) so I could do a proper 5 gallon primary fermentation in one of them.

__________________
"Good people drink good beer." -HST

cannman

Recipes 

Great! I guess just drill and insert bubbler! Hmmm. I'm thinking perhaps aim for a 10gal batch and split between the two... I mean, how else does one ferment larger batches...?

bigbeergeek

Recipes 

Right, but the problem is trying to fit 5 gallons of beer in a 5 gallon bucket. There isn't any headspace for the krausen during primary fermentation and yeast will be flying out of your airlock or blowoff. You can buy two and spilt a 5 gallon batch between the two or brew up as much as 8 gallons, splitting around 4 gallons per 5 gallon bucket.

__________________
"Good people drink good beer." -HST

H-ost

Recipes 

Splitting them into separate fermenters like you said, or there are large enough fermenters out there you can use. You can find random buckets or totes with 10-60 gallon capacities. Many companies make conical fermenters with larger capacities as well. I split my 10 gallons, it also allows you to experiment with different yeasts or post boil additions with identical beers.