Used Plastic Buckets as a Fermenter?

I had this bouncing around my head the past few hours and was wondering everyones thought on it, I work at a fast food joint that gets their pickles in 5g plastic buckets I've been collecting these for sanitation for my brewing and was wondering if I could use these as a fermentor. I was reading a post earlier about definitely staying away from plastic buckets that held a dairy product in it's past life, and that's what sparked this thought. The inside is not stained and 100% scratch free, the only thing noticeably wrong with them is....I can't seem to get that damned pickle smell out.

If you can't get the smell out, don't use it for beer.

Also, you need to have about a gallon of head space in the bucket. You would not be able to brew batches larger than four gallons in a five gallon bucket.

+1 if the smell doesn't come out, your beer is gonna smell/taste like pickles. Don't use it.

soak it in bleachwater for a couple hours. something. anything. i've heard of people making summer cucumber ales, but pickle ales? might want to get that smell out unless you want some funktastic-tasting beers. and i don't mean the good funk.

i feel your wish to be crafty with the lemons you've been given and i think with enough disinfectant and hot water, you'll get that smell out and will have something to work with.

you're going to have to drill a hole and put a rubber o-ring in the top to fashion an airlock though.

HoboBrewery said:

soak it in bleachwater for a couple hours. something. anything. i've heard of people making summer cucumber ales, but pickle ales? might want to get that smell out unless you want some funktastic-tasting beers. and i don't mean the good funk.

i feel your wish to be crafty with the lemons you've been given and i think with enough disinfectant and hot water, you'll get that smell out and will have something to work with.

you're going to have to drill a hole and put a rubber o-ring in the top to fashion an airlock though.

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With a 5gal bucket an airlock won't cut it. He's going to need a mighty blowoff tube (and preferably some fermcap).

beerkrump said:

If you can't get the smell out, don't use it for beer.

Also, you need to have about a gallon of head space in the bucket. You would not be able to brew batches larger than four gallons in a five gallon bucket.

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I was planning on doing 1g batches in my plastic buckets. But that smell had me nervous. I'll just spring for new buckets I guess. I also have a 6.5g glass carboy. I just am trying to get exp and nail down my routine by making small batches.

Good luck getting that smell out. My buddy picked up some cheap buckets to have around for storage or what ever and they were filled with BBQ sauce and you can't get that smell out.

I have about 15 5-gallon buckets that initially held grape juice for making wine (from a friend of a friend), but I don't use them for fermenting. I bought some pretty awesome *actually airtight* lids for them, and use them to store bulk grain.

Yeah, looks like imma have to buy some buckets, thanks got the input everyone!

You can get 5 gal buckets for free at Wally's or any bakery. The icing buckets they use clean up very well. Good for smaller batches.

I agree with icing buckets, or really most bulk food buckets are fine so long as they don't hold anything pickled.

Pickle buckets will always smell forever and ever.

A thought. Maybe you could use them for bottling buckets since the beer would only be in them for a short time?

NRS

Sorry but the one thing that can't be gotten out of buckets to use them for brewing is pickles....I don't think you'll find one success story in all these threads. The pickling brine penertrates way too deep into the plastic.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/pickle-bucket-173350/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/pickle-buckets-144485/?highlight=pickle

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/pickle-taste-bourbon-stout-132670/?highlight=pickle

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/pickle-bucket-grist-104109/?highlight=pickle

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/pickle-bucket-85010/?highlight=pickle

As all the above threads have shown, even multiple soakings of oxyclean won't work....If it were that easy there wouldn't be so many threads.

As much as I am all for scrounging, recycling and repurposing, and finding free stuff for our hobby. I have to say pickle buckets really just need to be passed by. Get yourself some frosting buckets, or even soy sauce buckets from the local chinese takeaway, but not anything with vinegar, it's an acid and will penetrate the bucket.

I use 15 gallon surplus iodine barrels. they fit perfectly in my ferm chamber. pickel barrels, but the smell is terrible, and you cant get it out. but i found out they work perfectly for putting a corney in if your takeing one to a party.

txinga said:

You can get 5 gal buckets for free at Wally's or any bakery. The icing buckets they use clean up very well. Good for smaller batches.

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Thats a great idea, I have some ex co workers I can hound for icing buckets. Imma grab all my new brew stuff from Ballast Point on Wed.