Food Grade Buckets?

Hello all,

I am starting to buy grain in 50 pound bags just because I am brewing so much lately (woohoo!). I was wondering what you guys use to store grains other than keeping it in the bag. Right now I have two fermentation buckets holding grain, but I'm going to need a lot more buckets soon. Problem is, I don't want to spend too much money, and buckets from the hombrew store are too expensive. Any suggestions as to where I can get some cheap storage? Do I really need food grade buckets or can I just use big ol tupperware containers?

Thanks!

Khirsah17 said:

Hello all,

I am starting to buy grain in 50 pound bags just because I am brewing so much lately (woohoo!). I was wondering what you guys use to store grains other than keeping it in the bag. Right now I have two fermentation buckets holding grain, but I'm going to need a lot more buckets soon. Problem is, I don't want to spend too much money, and buckets from the hombrew store are too expensive. Any suggestions as to where I can get some cheap storage? Do I really need food grade buckets or can I just use big ol tupperware containers?

Thanks!

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Home Depot sells their Homer buckets with lids for a few bucks. I got one that I use to sanitize bottles in.

Try your local grocery or deli. They get many goods in food grade buckets and just toss them.

Also, Tupperware food containers are food safe!

And fullstop is right- I got free buckets from the bakery in the grocery store. Frosting and peanut butter come in big plastic buckets with lids. Do NOT use pickle buckets, though- the smell never seems to come out!

I go down to our local food coop for my buckets. They'll give away them 5 gallon buckets that the tofu comes in as well as the Feta cheese.
Storage in the 5 gallon buckets is sure to keep the mice out!

Trash cans are the same stuff as buckets. Or, buy galvy cans?

I bought my bottling bucket online from a place called Emergency Essentials (http://beprepared.com/). $8
I did my very first 1/2-batch, 14 years ago, in a bucket which originally had vanilla pudding in it, from a bakery. Free, of course.
BTW, it was a Scotch Ale and it came out great

casebrew said:

Trash cans are the same stuff as buckets. Or, buy galvy cans?

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Trash cans are not always the same kind of plastic. Additionally, since they are not intended to come in contact with food products, the chemicals used in processing and coloring them are not tested to determine if they will leech from the product into your food.

I strongly suggest you avoid using plastics that are not designed for contact with foods.

RickWG said:

Home Depot sells their Homer buckets with lids for a few bucks. I got one that I use to sanitize bottles in.

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I was in Home D last Sat. seems like the buckets were $4.9x w/o lid same type bucket at Wal Mart were $3 don't remember what the lid were I think $1.23 or so

Do you have a mill? You'll need one if you're bulk-buying grains. How much do you figure you'll save by buying in bulk?

Fortunately I live right next to my homebrew store, so I just measure out what I need at home, take it back to the store and grind it up. They are pretty laid back about it, so right now I'll probably do that for a while. I'd like to make a mill at some point, but it seems like it's going to be more work than I can handle. Store bought ones are expensive!

As far as how much I'm saving? The store sells grain for $1.99 a pound, and I can get 50 lbs for $35, which comes out to about $0.70 a pound. Lately I'm trying to make some pretty big beers, so this definitely helps on the grain bill!

Thanks for all the responses though. I never thought about just getting free buckets from a grocery store. I'm giving it a try this weekend!

I use big (20+ gallon I think) rubbermade totes with tight fitting lids. They are the same containers my wife uses to hold flour and sugar at her bakery, so I'm sure they are good enough for grain! A very good friend of mine is a brewer by profession so I get all the 2 row pale I can take as well assome peat and yeast starters. Home brewing gets even more affordable when you're only paying for specialty grains and hops...

krispy d said:

I use big (20+ gallon I think) rubbermade totes with tight fitting lids. They are the same containers my wife uses to hold flour and sugar at her bakery, so I'm sure they are good enough for grain! A very good friend of mine is a brewer by profession so I get all the 2 row pale I can take as well assome peat and yeast starters. Home brewing gets even more affordable when you're only paying for specialty grains and hops...

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I just submitted a question to Rubbermaid asking if their roughneck storage bins are safe for dry food storage or not.

I currently keep my 50lb sack of grain in it's paper bag, inside a plastic garbage bag, inside one of these rubbermaid bins. I'm mostly trying to keep it fresh and out of the mouths of mice and other vermin.

Bobby_M said:

I just submitted a question to Rubbermaid asking if their roughneck storage bins are safe for dry food storage or not.

I currently keep my 50lb sack of grain in it's paper bag, inside a plastic garbage bag, inside one of these rubbermaid bins. I'm mostly trying to keep it fresh and out of the mouths of mice and other vermin.

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It won't work for keeping vermin out!

I tried to keep dog food in one when I lived on the po side of town. Rats chewed holes right thru it. A squirrel could easily chew right thru too.

I used to grow tomatoes indoors, and used 5 gallon buckets from Burger King. They are what the pickles come in, and they will give them away. They take up a lot of room in the dumpster, and they'd rather give them away-promotes return traffic. A cleaning and sanitizing and they should give up any vinegar smell-they are obviously food grade. Or, maybe short term use as sanitizing/grain bag catchers will wear off any residual/hard to get rid of odors.

The lids have a rubber seal. Make sure you ask for pails and lids.

If they don't have any right then ask them to save you some. If you ask them nicely, and leave your name, they will bend over backwards to help you.

And did I mention,..... FREE??!!

Henry Hill said:

... They are what the pickles come in...

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How exactly did you do it?!! I got one of those pickle buckets and tried like hell to get the smell out. Bleach, Oxiclean, Iodophor and different combonations of all three - nothing could get the smell out! I eventually tossed it into the recycling bin.

Rhoobarb said:

How exactly did you do it?!! I got one of those pickle buckets and tried like hell to get the smell out. Bleach, Oxiclean, Iodophor and different combonations of all three - nothing could get the smell out! I eventually tossed it into the recycling bin.

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All I can say is that a pickle smell could not be noticed for this use.

Used to be into the aquarium scene. Used pickle buckets for changing water. Pickle smell never came out after years of use.

I bought new 30 gallon aluminum trash cans at Lowes. They are great!

casebrew said:

Trash cans are the same stuff as buckets. Or, buy galvy cans?

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Galvanizing is usually zinc: zinc is poisonous. Never allow food or drinking water to contact galvanized metal!

Zinc - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cats and dogs get sick and occasionally die from zinc poisoning when the pet food is kept in galvanized bins... Don't put your beer fixins in there!

Edit-- Sorry to dig up a fossilized post, galvanizing just creeps me out after having been nailed by the stuff a couple times!

Kananga said:

Galvanizing is usually zinc: zinc is poisonous. Never allow food or drinking water to contact galvanized metal!

Zinc - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cats and dogs get sick and occasionally die from zinc poisoning when the pet food is kept in galvanized bins... Don't put your beer fixins in there!

Edit-- Sorry to dig up a fossilized post, galvanizing just creeps me out after having been nailed by the stuff a couple times!

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yeah but if the grain is in a plastic bag as well then it will be fine in anything.