Pickle Bucket fermentation bucket

As anyone used the Firehouse Subs pickle bucket as a fermentation bucket? They're 5gal with a sealing lid and only $2. As a bonus, that money goes to charity.

My only concern is that it will make my beers taste like pickles. Anybody have experience with these?

Thx,
Eric

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.

And probably the olives as well.

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.

Look for frosting or soy sauce buckets, or go get white hdpe buckets from lowes or had....

Thanks for the quick response Revvy! I was afraid as much but had to ask.

Seems pretty simple... make some pickle beer. Could be the new rage!

I have a couple pickle buckets that have over time lost their pickle smell. Pretty much took a year and some sun bleaching to get there. I haven't used them for brewing though. Much easier to stop at the local bakery and ask for icing buckets. The icing smell goes away a lot faster... Cheers!!!

free buckets are around if you look for them...i would use a spackle bucket before a pickle bucket...hell joint compound is just gypsym...perhaps don't clean it and make a tasty IPA...just say no to pickle buckets!

I use a pickle bucket for storing bulk rice. It took about 8 years for the smell to go away.

I used one for my first couple of batches waayyyy back in 1988. Picked it up from a local restaurant for free. I remember soaking it in hot bleach water for a day and then setting it out in the hot summer sun for a couple more. Made decent beer and no residual pickle smell. I didn't know what an airlock was so I had to "burp" it a few times a day for the first week of fermntation.

Switched to carboys after that and lost the old girl.