Pros and Cons of fermenting in Plastic 5 Gallon Water Cooler Jugs?

I would like to hear everyones opinions and ideas about fermenting (beer, cider, mead anything) in 5 gallon water cooler water jugs?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/plastic-water-jugs-carboys-10552/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/better-bottle-plastic-water-cooler-bottle-99933/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/home-depot-5-gal-water-bottle-fermenter-85513/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/water-bottle-appropriate-fermenter-43895/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/5-gallon-dear-park-water-jug-44637/

i fermented an apple cider in a 5 gal water jug...i believe it was a #7...its possible that other plastic, besides #1 and #2, could leach some chemicals into your beer that could be dangerous. I did it because I needed a fermenter and i figured that one week in a water jug wouldnt produce anything that would hurt me. But i woulndt leave the beer in there for long. Ethanol is a different solvent than water so different chemicals will dissolve in ethanol better than water. At least thats my rationale. There are people in the inter-webs that use plastic water jugs all the time and swear by them as fermenters. Then there are people on HBT who would advise you to ALWAYS take the safe route and use food-grade plastic. The choice is yours. Good luck. Here's a wiki article on BPA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A
-jefe-

You can still get some of the older bottles in #1 plastic, I have fermented in these and it works fine. The ones I use are literally identical to the better bottles except it has a blue tint to it.

I don't have experience myself, but according to recent 'Brew Strong' podcast both Jamil and Palmer state that fermenting in containers with square corners allows for dead spaces (poor circulation) during primary fermentation and *may* lead to off-flavors.

Edit: I guess I didn't read carefully enough I thought you were asking about jerry can water jugs...cubes.

I use a 4 gallon water bottle from Sam's Club for Apfelwein it is #1 type plastic and was less than 5 bucks full of spring water (used it to make beer). It is thinner than a better bottle but it works and keeps my regular fermenters free to let my apfelwein age longer.

Another potential drawback, the bottles used by the water companies are slightly permiable to oxygen. Not a problem with a short fermentation, but over longish periods of time it could allow enough oxygen into fermentation to disturb the usual anaerobic (oxygen free) enviromnent created by the yeast.

What I had in mind was the round Poland Spring water cooler jugs. they look just like 5 gallon carboys shape wise that is.

So, is it an absolute "bugaboo" to use a #7 plastic water jug as a secondary fermenter? Will I die/get/cancer/(most importantly) have beer that tastes like doo-doo if I use it instead of glass or a fermentation-specific vessel? I picked this particular vessel (#7 5 gallon plastic water jug) from a local water distributor for $7, and would like to use it if I could, but if it's seriously a health hazard then I will pass. But if it's just something that's "frowned upon" or not recommended, I would like to use it for fermentation instead of auditioning for the broadway production "Stomp."

I don't think there is much more to discuss. It's been debated to death already. Some people have no issues with using a #7 water bottle. I would not use one, but many people do. I would think that longer term would be worse, but beer and wine are acidic while water is not. Any "leaching" would probably occur faster in that environment. But how long would it take? I don't think anybody knows.

beerburglar said:

So, is it an absolute "bugaboo" to use a #7 plastic water jug as a secondary fermenter? Will I die/get/cancer/(most importantly) have beer that tastes like doo-doo if I use it instead of glass or a fermentation-specific vessel? I picked this particular vessel (#7 5 gallon plastic water jug) from a local water distributor for $7, and would like to use it if I could, but if it's seriously a health hazard then I will pass. But if it's just something that's "frowned upon" or not recommended, I would like to use it for fermentation instead of auditioning for the broadway production "Stomp."

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You have potential oxidation and chemical leeching issues if you use a #7 bottle. It is ill advised, but people have already said that and linked 5 other threads about that, so I'm sure you knew that already.

If you look, you could find some #1 bottles. I have a couple from work that I can buy for $4 each deposit cost. Other than the blueish tint, they are very much like a better bottle.

Lowes has some water bottles of various sizes. All come with molded-in handles and last time I looked were made from #1 PETE. Not sure how that handle would affect fermentation or flavor though.

Wal-Mart has 3Qt. water bottles that would be good for small batches. I have a couple, but have not used one for fermenting yet. Still gotta remember to build that manifold for my small drink cooler MLT. Then I can start doing experiments...

Anyone have comments on the 5 gallon water bottles sold by Walmart. They are type #3 and are stamped BPA free. Looks like they are made by Pimplastic, Inc. out of Laredo.

I use a 5 gallon cube (handle on top) water jug for secondary (#2 just checked) and it cost $6. It's not clear but at the point you're using a secondary, ya know it's beer.

What's really nice is when I cold crash the beer prior to bottling. The cube fits perfectly in my kid's college mini-fridge that was gathering dust in the garage. Cleans up easy, siphons really well with the handle on top to tilt the last little bits and is less expensive, which allows me to buy more kits.

I know that this has been debated to death and I have been reading threads for an hour.......

Has anyone tried brewing beer in one of these:
[URL="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AFYLBZY/ref=s9_simh_co_p79_d1_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=typ-top-left-1&pf_rd_r=1K6WGTSJ7A7ZCXC2FAC9&pf_rd_t=3201&pf_rd_p=1827489602&pf_rd_i=typ01"[/URL]


My neighbor just gave me one and said that he used them for fermenting wine. I'm not sure that it seals well enough for beer though...

Please be kind...... I'm a newbie...... (see my profile pic) ;-)
.

Wayne

Undignified bump....

Does anyone use these?

I use 4gal PET bottles from Menards (3gal batch). No worries at all with them, and they're recyclable so no deposit charge.

Pro - cheap, PET, takes a #10.5 stopper for the airlock, water inside's not bad either, when they get funky just recycle them, center is raised leaving pockets at the bottom for yeast/trub (makes racking easy)
Con - thin (so be careful of suckback/moving), ridges make thorough cleaning a pain, odd size (not thin/tall, but fat/short)

I like them, but I make a point to only get PET (#1) bottles to ferment in.

sumbrewindude said:

I use 4gal PET bottles from Menards (3gal batch). No worries at all with them, and they're recyclable so no deposit charge.

Pro - cheap, PET, takes a #10.5 stopper for the airlock, water inside's not bad either, when they get funky just recycle them, center is raised leaving pockets at the bottom for yeast/trub (makes racking easy)
Con - thin (so be careful of suckback/moving), ridges make thorough cleaning a pain, odd size (not thin/tall, but fat/short)

I like them, but I make a point to only get PET (#1) bottles to ferment in.

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You make an interesting point about cleaning. This is actually one of the reasons that I liked this jug..... I like the fact that I can get my hand in there and scrub it out. I thought that cleaning one of the 6G carboys with the small opening would be a pain. Is there a secret to cleaning those things?

The opening in my container is 5.5" wide. I can't seem to find a stopper that big.... Any suggestions?

Wavery said:

The opening in my container is 5.5" wide. I can't seem to find a stopper that big.... Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

if it has a lid drill a hole for whatever size stopper you want to use

brew_ny said:

if it has a lid drill a hole for whatever size stopper you want to use

Click to expand...

The lid itself is a very sloppy fit.

I didn't want to take a chance on that jug so I bought a Coopers fermenting vessel:
http://store.coopers.com.au/coopers-diy-beer-fermenting-vessel-34ltr.html

It doesn't need an air-lock (according to them) and it looks super easy to clean with that "Krausen Collar"

Anyone have any comments on this thing?

I'm still at the "KISS" stage.

My first beer was made with that vessel as it was part of the starter kit I was given. It doesn't need an airlock because the lid simply rests on top and it raises slightly to release the co2. It has a nice spigot so I now only use it as a bottling bucket.

Because the lid only rests on top, I don't find it practical for fermenting. Here in Maryland, there's always ants, or fruit flies, or some other pest that this won't keep out. Especially for longer terms in secondary.