Brute trashcan for Apfelwein fermenter?

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Mr. Nice Guy

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Has anybody used a Rubbermaid Brute food grade trash can to make Apfelwein? Pros and Cons? Is oxidation a problem? No airlock a problem? Time?I am new to brewing and have 3 glass 5 gal carboys, a 1 gal glass carboy and a 7 gallon plastic bucket primary from AHB, but they are not enough! Could I make a 15 gal batch of Apfelwein to satisfy my insane brewing urges? I still plan on buying more glass but the big batch idea is appealing. Thanks in advance and Sorry to Ed Wort because I consider brewing such fine stuff in a low end home, lol...
 
It will work but the lid is not air tight so if you have any fruit flys in the area they will find their way in.

Bag and tape a giant garbage bag over the lid and just tape big hose in the bag to vent the c02.

If nothing else it will be a ghetto worthy photo to post!
 
You know you guys are starting to talk me into this... I wasn't sure at first, but I mean crap man it will be like a big muffin of co2 and wine.
 
I'm all for this as long as it's documented.

I wonder how you could create an airtight seal without using a trash can, hmm.
 
Right now I'm thinking non-airtight. Don't they do open fermentation for wine anyways? I see these trashcans on wine sites for use as primaries. I am more wonndering if I will develop any off tastes or have any infection issues from such a "long" fermentation.

Of course I'll document it, pics of the trashcan and all, lol. :)
 
Get ready for 15 gallons of 'rhino farts' during fermentation. I hope it's not in an enclosed space and you have good air circulation. Trust the threads about the smells.
 
It's funny the 10 gallons I brewed at the same time in two 5 gal carboys only smelled bad for a day or two. The rest of the time, it has smelled great. Maybe that is because of the low temp I keep my house at, 63-64 degrees. They are clearing up nicely now in the beginning of the fourth week.

Should I pitch less than the normal amount of yeast if I do this? 1 pack per 5 gallons is standard for that size batch.
 
Right now I'm thinking non-airtight. Don't they do open fermentation for wine anyways? I see these trashcans on wine sites for use as primaries. I am more wonndering if I will develop any off tastes or have any infection issues from such a "long" fermentation.

Of course I'll document it, pics of the trashcan and all, lol. :)

Er I meant to say trash bag. I'm not too familiar with producing wine, but if open fermentation is par then I can't imagine a problem.

On a side note though what grade is the plastic? If you already mentioned it I may have missed it. You are going to want to make sure the plastic is food safe.
 
Local winery definitely uses the 30 gallon (bigger maybe?) rubbermaid trash cans for open fermentation. Lids are on them, but just to keep stuff from fallling in, not from any expectation of an airtight seal. Definitely will want a LOT of fruit fly traps around.
 
Do we have a "ghetto worthy " photo thread. I think that would be awesome, I guess I should do a search..:D
 
Yeah I'll use a new one...

No thread yet, too much stuff going on now. I'll probably do it though.

This morning I was thinking maybe use pure silicon like they use for aquariums to seal the lid and then drill a hole for a bung. It might be really hard opening it though, not sure.
 
I just read about using these for brewing in the newest BYO. Picked up a 20G one today for 10G and larger batches.
 
Make sure it's a NEW trashcan. Very important step.

QFT! I used my normal dumpster for Apfelwein once. Not only did trash back up in my garage for 3 months while I bulk aged, but it ended up tasting like dirty diapers, cat poop, and liquid death. Matter of fact, I think I might have died from salmonella, bubonic plague, or possibly rickets. :drunk:
 
Do we have a "ghetto worthy " photo thread. I think that would be awesome, I guess I should do a search..:D

If there is, I would have a several photos to be included.

Being obsessed with brewing and poor at the same time definitely yeilds some interesting solutions!

:mug:
 
Throw them in, I still haven't done this yet. I saw a 15 galon glass carboy at my LHBS, now I want that instead. (well, first)

But then again, 40 gallons of Apfelwein would be cool.
 
Just drill a half inch hole in a flat/level area of the lid, install a 7/16" rubber crommet in the hole, insert an airlock, and Viola!

Then, just use duct tape to seal the joint between the can and lid.

Or, go to PetCo and check out their Gamma containers.

I think they come in various sizes up to 23-gallons. The lids screw on with air tight rubber gaskets.

Just drill a hole, insert grommet, yadda, yadda, yaddda!

Pogo
 
I simply HAVE to see this! And an airlock ain't gonna work... that thing is going to be producing so much CO2 you'd have to refill the airlock every couple hours. Use a blow off tube in a bucket.

And when you do it POST PICTURES!!!
 
Good christ, I read this thread months ago and I was anxious to see this in action. Its been 3 months since and no pictures.

Fine, I'll do it. I'm going to get one of those things from PetSmart, 22gal whatever, and I am going to make like 20 gallons of apfelwein.

Wonder how much this is going to cost. Hold on...

edit: ok, maybe not. Water is expensive! ;)
 
All I'm waiting on is the money to support brewing 10G of something. The fermenter is sitting there empty ready to go.
 
Picked up a 15 gallon Dr Pepper syrup storage drum for 10$, if apfelwein turns out as good as everyone says I'll have plenty to age.
 
My thirteen gallon walmart special sterlite stout fermenter works like a charm (at least on the first batch). It's definitely not airtight. Made the house smell like yeast the first day, but that could be because I used 4 packets of Danstar Nottingham because I'm a noob, and thought more was better. After the first twelve hours the whole house smelled like alcohol esters and sweet malt.

Trust me, I did everything I could to mess this batch up. Non-airtight container. High fermentation temperature, the house was around 68 f the whole time. BUT I made beer, and the first taste after fermentation was done was roasted, slightly chocolately, and VERY buttery. In short, it was amazing. I hope that this helps about the non-airtight issue. The container was $3.40 and it EVEN came with a lid! :ban:

I tried to use duct tape to minimize the air issue, but I don't think it helped much. And I used ALOL of it.
 
I was thinking about something similar to this today and did a search. Now here I am. I was thinking about using this:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

as a 20 gallon fermentation bucket.
Will it work? what problems will I encounter?
I was thinking of drilling a hole for a blow off tube and wrapping the lid with something like shrink wrap to keep fruit flies out.
Thoughts....
 
I was thinking about something similar to this today and did a search. Now here I am. I was thinking about using this:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

as a 20 gallon fermentation bucket.
Will it work? what problems will I encounter?
I was thinking of drilling a hole for a blow off tube and wrapping the lid with something like shrink wrap to keep fruit flies out.
Thoughts....

It was the may 2009 BYO magazine issue I think. That's the first time I posted something about it.

There's a BYO article about modding Rubbermaid Brute garbage can. They come in sizes up to 30 gallons and are food grade plastic. All they use are some spring clamps, a grommet and an airlock.

Dig it up...it is sweet!

You can have it on wheels, and use clamps to make the lid airtight, then poke a hole and add a grommet for an airlock...

This one...
1607.jpg


All you need is a grommet, keglube, an airlock and a 3-4 of these to hold down the lid during fermentation. You pop a hole in the lid and stick a grommet in for an airlock and use a little keg lube around the lid to make a good seal and clamp the lid down.

43004.jpg
 
okay lets say I am going to go this route. Would I need a 26 gallon can as my primary for a 20 gallon batch and a 20 gallon can for the secondary to eliminate head space?
 
I've been brewing larger batches 10 - 15 gallons for awhile now and have yet to come up with an eloquent fermentation solution. I'd love to get a stainless conical, but it's just not in the budget right now. Using buckets had been my answer until now, but dividing the batch 3 ways creates extra work for me & increases the chances of infection (plus my buckets are old & gross).

While touring a vineyard a couple months back I saw them fermenting in one of these Brutes and I thought to myself that's a great idea. So I picked one of these 20 gal Brutes at my local Home Depot. I should have ordered the nice white one online, but I don't have a week to wait for delivery, I want to brew now!.

I know I'm taking a risk because it's not airtight, but I took a couple of precautions to try and minimize that risk. Before filling it (in place) I bleached the hell out of the inside of the fridge and sprayed every inch of the brute down with star-san. After putting the clamps on, the lid still didn't sit flat so I added the weight that you see. I also pitched a high volume of yeast to get things started quickly. I'm basically counting on the positive pressure generated by the C02 to keep the nasties out.

Let me know if you have any suggestions, other wise I'll post an update in a month or so to let you guys know how it turned out.

-Theo


And when you do it POST PICTURES!!!

Also since all anyone seems to want is pictures, I thought I'd help you guys out.

Brute.jpg
 
The rubbermaid brute is fine for fermentation...but for applewine you want to let it sit and condition for 4-6 weeks...I would not try that in an "open vessel"....????
 
1) No fermenter is airtight. A brute is no more open (or closed) then any other fermentation vessel, no matter what you think. You don't WANT an airtight fermenter in most circumstances, unless it's like a keg or a conical that can contain an explosion. What do you guys think a blowoff is, when you're fermenting beer? I is a situation where for whatever reason (usually a hop particle blocking the bottom of the airlock) causing the vessel to become airtight and pressure building up to the point of lid failure.

The bad stuff, are not ninja acrobats, they can lift a lid that is sitting on a vessel, you don't need to use a for knoxian security system just to ferment something.


2) people have been using these for wine long before anyone thought to use them for beer. They are just without the fancy white lable slapped on from the homebrewshop. You can use these things to contain stuff, just as long as you'd use any other plastic fermenter.
 
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