Is plastic safe?

Hi everyone,

I am a very new brewer and I was wondering if using plastic to ferment is safe? I have ready and heard that chemicals from plastic containers can leech into liquids being stored in them.

I don't know if the above is true but I felt this is a great place to find out.

Thanks for then enlightenment.

 

Some plastic is safe. Food grade buckets and the plastic used in fermenters such as the fermonster, big mouth bubbler etc. are safe.

 

If you prefer plastic, check out the Speidel products. I have glass, would prefer stainless steel, but as a new brewer, Speidel would be my choice for plastic.

 

foodgrade plastic should be fine for some years at least without doing anything too excessive.

I'd stay away from expensive fermenters until you are sure you want to continue this hobby.

 

HDPE2 and PETE or PET1 plastics are generally thought to be safe and are what I use for my fermentors. I love my fermonster.

Be very careful with glass carboys - when dropped, they break into jagged sharp edges. There is a thread here full of pictures of glass carboy injuries - not pleasant. That (along with my underfoot cat and exciteable jumpy dog) is the reason I use plastic.

 

I have a couple 8 Gal Brewcraft buckets. Works great, no off flavors, plenty of head room. The lids dont seal that well but that is not a big deal with me.

 

I'm sure they are, but I'm paranoid and hate drinking anything out of plastic, I can tell a taste difference whether it's water, soda, or beer out of a plastic bottle. The fact that it tastes different always makes me iffy about plastic so I went with glass.

 

plastic (if food grade) is fine - but you need to use a soft cleaning product - any scratches and you massively increase surface area for infection later

for me, I use glass with all the different problems that brings, there are few things as good to watch as a clear glass carboy wrapped in a towel next to the desk - bubbling away with 5 gallons in

 

As stated plastic is fine provided it's good grade. Easier to clean, easier to carry and doesn't break and cause a mess

I'm getting away from glass altogether

Will be fermenting in plastic bottling buckets then secondary with big mouth bubbles with spigots

Trying to get away from siphons and other potential contamination risks

 

I’ve never really understood how those spigots are supposed to be sanitized after two or three weeks of sitting in one’s fermentation chamber. Is there really any way to get starsan up inside the ball valve before opening it? Something you can remove and submerge seems way simpler to me.

 

Yea, I don't like spigots on fermentors either for same reason.

 

Plastic is not safe. Just ask all the people who only use plastic. Most of them have been dead for years.

Food safe plastic is good.
Stainless steel is great but expensive.
Glass is good but dangerous.

 

Plastic is completely safe
The food we eat. The air we breath. Spray painting your kids project...Walking on a herbicide riddin golf course...pretty much every single thing we do in life is worse than beer in a bucket.

 

Bottling bucket spigots come apart for cleaning... Search YouTube for a tutorial. It is amazing how junky is was being only used when bottling and of course having one step cleaner and sanitized run through. Now you know it can be cleaned, but sometimes they break/split during use in fermentors and that is a mess. Personally I'd rather syphon than risk that happening.

 

I've only been brewing for 2yrs and the only thing I've fermented in is the Fastferment. I own 2 of them, both with spigots, and I've NEVER (knock on wood) had an infection or any noticeable off flavours. I take multiple samples throughout the fermentation. Cleaning process is, rinse, soak in pbw, rinse and sanitize with starsan.

 

Between uses I disassemble the spigot to my bottling bucket and store all the parts in a jar of Starsan.

 

I just did my first batch in my Fermonster (previously used exclusively glass). I had the same concern and have since devised a plan to replace the spigot with a ball lock disconnect. I use a water bath to control temps so the spigot added an extra level of complexity, I put it in a big trash bag before submerging it but the bag leaked. I was going to siphon but said screw it, I sprayed it with starsan from a spray bottle and got some comfort in the fact that (a) the beer already had 6% booze and (b) it was going into a keg and into the keezer. Bugs don't grow well in chilly boozy environments. 2 weeks later it's doing just fine.

If the spigot is clean going into the ferm chamber there should be nothing for the bugs to grow on so it should be fine. My main concern is scratches getting wort into them and harboring bugs. Doesn't seem to be a big issue though.