Sour Beer Secondary - Carboy vs. Bucket??

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angeleazy

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So I've been wanting to take the plunge into brewing sours for some time now, and I've decided to finally start with a triple that I brewed 2 months ago. I wasn't able to get the triple to ferment any lower than 1.022 (OG 1.084), so I've decided to pitch Wyeast 5526, Brettanomyces Lambicus, add 1 lb of oak chips, and store it away in a closet for a year.

While I was at my local home brew supply store earlier purchasing a bucket, the worker there told me that I should stay away from a bucket for the secondary since oxygen can leak into the bucket. I'm sure I've heard of people storing their sours in buckets before, but now I'm second guessing.. Does anybody know if it is ideal to ferment in a bucket or a plastic carboy, or if it even matters?? If possible, please list the benefits and disadvantages of using both carboys and buckets for secondary sour fermentation.

Thanks!!!
 
I am doing a sour in the bucket for the first ~100 days then moving it to kegs with oak. Those first ~100 days it will get as much o2 as it needs then I can cut it off so it doesn't build up too much off taste acids
 
There is the theory that using a bucket would mimic the oxidation one might get from aging in a barrel.

Except a bucket lets in more than a full size barrel would.

To the OP, you can use a bucket and produce good beer, especially with only six months of aging. The oxygen will promote acetic acid (vinegar) from both brett and any incoming acetobacter that make their way to the beer. At six months I don't think you're going to get a lot of acidity with just brett anyway so any slight acetic character might actually be beneficial for the flavor profile.
 
I did purchase one pound of oak and listed the entire pound as an error, but I'll most likely use two ounces of oak per 5 gal. I did change my mind on pitching the Brett when I realized I only have about 2 1/2 gallons of the Triple left, plus it has already force carbonated (not sure if that would make a difference). Since I'd rather age larger quantities, I decided to just brew a 10 gallon batch of a Flanders Red instead, and splitting the batch into two different 6 gallon carboys. I'm thinking of soaking 2 oz of wood chips in a merlot for the secondary. Has anybody experimented with this? I'm most likely going to pitch the Wyeast 5526 in secondary, and WLP655 Belgian Sour Mix 1 in the other secondary. I'm not sure which yeast I'll use in each primary, although I'm not sure it matters too much. Any suggestions? I'll likely use Wyeast 1056 on each, unless there are any intriguiging suggestions which I am able to take from here..?

Thank you everybody for your input!
 
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