Reusing Sour Beer Equipment

[LeverTime]

I'm currently making a lambic that I fermented with Wyeast 3278, which contains "a Belgian style ale strain, a sherry strain, two Brettanomyces strains, a Lactobacillus culture, and a Pediococcus culture". Is it a bad idea to reuse this bucket to ferment a "normal" beer? Or will a good overnight soak in bleach take care of everything?

 

[TimpanogosSlim]

I think the tricky part we run into with this kind of advice is that it's hard to deep sanitize an entire bucket including the lid and everything. This is unlike a carboy where we can just fill it all the way up because the neck is small.

I was going to write a bunch of stuff about how to make a bleach solution that you can leave in the bucket until your next brew day, but buckets are cheap and infected beer is sad.

Get a big permanent marker and write "BRETT" in big letters on the bucket and lid. And buy another bucket.

Or roll the dice. Your pick.

If you choose to roll the dice, half a cup of vinegar, fill with water, stir in half a cup of bleach. Store filled with this solution until say the day before your next brew day. This concentration shouldn't leave a bleach smell behind but you may want to wash it again before using it again anyway.

 

[BradleyBrew]

Not that Ale Pails are expensive but Lowe's sells HDPE 2 Buckets. I emailed the manufacturer and they are "food safe" that is what I used for my lambic bucket and it only cost me $4.

 

[LeverTime]

I agree, they're cheap, so I'll just buy a new bucket. I just thought I would check. I plan to brew other sour beers in the future, so this bucket will still get reused.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I've never used a fermenter bucket for a sour but I have used a bottling bucket and bottling equipment for sour and non-sour beers. I never had infections cross over.

 

[dcp27]

I've never used a fermenter bucket for a sour but I have used a bottling bucket and bottling equipment for sour and non-sour beers. I never had infections cross over.

+1, i've done buckets & glass and neither had an issue. no need for bleach either