Is it OK to use plastic buckets after primary fermentation?

Here's my dilemma: I have an IPA that's just finishing up primary fermentation, and I'd like to rack it and dryhop it. I'd rather not dryhop in a carboy, because it's a pain getting the crud out afterwards. I have a big 7-gal bucket that I use for primary fermentation and bottling---but I've heard that it's not a good idea to rack into plastic, because the alcohol can extract odd/plastic-ey flavors and aromas into the beer.

Should I just use the bucket to dryhop? Or should I avoid racking into buckets (outside of bottling, of course)?

Thanks!

I use a plastic bucket as my secondary. I think it is fine, but then again I havent ever used a glass carboy so I have nothing to compare it to.

I often use a plastic secondary with no problems.

Plastic os OK - To each their own! I do glass and deal with the mess of dry hopping. To me it is worth the trouble for a GREAT TASTING BREW!

I'll have a brew Christmas for certain!!

I'll drink a brew till my head is a hurtin!!

Fermentation so strong with the smell of great beer

Im' making home brew with nothing to fear!


- WW

I've never used anything except plastic buckets and cornies. Never had a problem with flavors.

Thanks all! It was just something a friend mentioned, wanted to see what the general consensus was. I'll go ahead and rack + dryhop in plastic.

It isn't so much a matter of off flavors with regard to using a plastic bucket as a secondary fermenter. The problem lies in the fact that the head space in a bucket will be excessive. The aggressive, CO2 producing fermentation is all but over, so the air sitting on top of the beer may not get completely purged out, which can lead to oxidation.

The HDPE plastic that food grade buckets are made of is oxygen permeable. That is not an issue during primary fermentation due to the fact the the large quantity of CO2 produced will keep the fermenting bucket in a positive pressure, and also, the primary fermentation phase does not last that long. This oxygen permeability could be a problem with extended secondaries. Many people do it, and claim to not have any noticable problems, so go for it if you no other choice. I wouldn't do it, but that's just me.

John

I don't find carboys much harder to clean than plastic buckets.

Fill 1/3 with water, swish around, dump out. Then put in a small amount of oxyclean, let sit for an hour and done. My last beer was a double IPA with 2 ounces of hops dry hopped. Cleanup wasn't any harder than normal.

I use a carboy brush on my glass carboys. And lots of rinsing. Followed by a good long soak with some sanitizer. Followed by more brusing and a little more rinsing with sanitizer. Then some rinsing with just-boiled water. Then it's "sealed" with some aluminum foil.

Fatabbot said:

I don't find carboys much harder to clean than plastic buckets.

Fill 1/3 with water, swish around, dump out. Then put in a small amount of oxyclean, let sit for an hour and done. My last beer was a double IPA with 2 ounces of hops dry hopped. Cleanup wasn't any harder than normal.

Click to expand...

I don't have a whole lot of experience dryhopping in carboys, but it seems to me that getting clumps of hops out of a carboy would not be as easy as getting it out of a bucket.

Anyway, as another poster noted, I guess I should worry more about the oxygen in the free space than extracting off-flavors from plastic. I do have a free 5-gal carboy---I think I'll just use that, and deal with the crud from dryhopping.

Fatabbot said:

I don't find carboys much harder to clean than plastic buckets.

Fill 1/3 with water, swish around, dump out. Then put in a small amount of oxyclean, let sit for an hour and done. My last beer was a double IPA with 2 ounces of hops dry hopped. Cleanup wasn't any harder than normal.

Click to expand...

oxyclean, eh? does that work as well as the sanitizers that you get at your local home brew supply store? is it the same stuff, essentially?

tockeyhockey said:

oxyclean, eh? does that work as well as the sanitizers that you get at your local home brew supply store? is it the same stuff, essentially?

Click to expand...

Oxyclean isn't a sanitizer, it's strictly a cleaner. Put it in the nastiest looking carboy or bucket and it will clean it right up.

Evan! said:

I don't have a whole lot of experience dryhopping in carboys, but it seems to me that getting clumps of hops out of a carboy would not be as easy as getting it out of a bucket.

Click to expand...

It's no more difficult at all besides having to handle glass rather than plastic. I've never once even had to use my carboy brush. It's rusting by its lonesome out on the shelves in my garage.

Fatabbot said:

It's no more difficult at all besides having to handle glass rather than plastic. I've never once even had to use my carboy brush. It's rusting by its lonesome out on the shelves in my garage.

Click to expand...

I use it just because it looks lonely. Glass seems to be easy to clean even with clumps and stumps and slugs and plugs.

- WW

Musconectcong Magic Stout!!! mmm mmm good!

There are very good reasons why you would particularly want to use a bucket for a secondary. Take for instance you wanting to add fresh fruit to the secondary. For your sanity you would probably want to use a nylon bag...... just thinking of uisng a large bag to hold a lot of fruit and shoving this whole thing in the opening of a carboy gives me a headache. In this case your not talking about leaving the secondary alone for a very long time... were talking dry hopping here. How long do you dry hop for... this is not a retorical question, I've never dry hoped so I realy dont know. 1-2 weeks? 3...? I'm guessing it would be pretty similar with the fruit analogy......

I'm planning on dry-hopping with cascade + lime-basil for about 2 weeks---but I'm not planning on using a bag. As for the fruit, well, in my other plastic bucket (5-gal, not the big one), I finished primary on the Wit last week, and then added peaches and mangoes. They're currently "dry-hopping", but again, with no bag.

Those bags just makes it easier on you thats all.

Beer Snob said:

Those bags just makes it easier on you thats all.

Click to expand...

I know, I'm thinking about adding a couple to my next order.