SirJoshuaIV
Well-Known Member
I have recently found a place that I can get 55 gallon 304 stainless steel drums that were previously used for Maple Syrup, and they are very cheap. I know this question has probably been asked many times, but I could not find an answer when searching the forum, so here it goes.
Can I use these for a boil kettle, MT, and HLT? I plan on going all electric for heating, so there will be no direct firing on these drums.
Like many of you, at some point in the future I may want to get licensed and have a tap room; a dream that so many of us home-brewers have. I would like to be able to use these. I was about to purchase actual kettles, but found these for less than 100 a piece. I would much prefer to use the cheaper option if I could use them down the road for a real brewery as well. So to sum it up, would these be considered sanitary and food grade for my purposes? Would this be allowed to be used as equipment for licensing purposes? Are there any concerns that I should be aware of? Would these work for a small nano brewery?
Also I was thinking about using these as fermenting vessels, does anyone have experience doing this? I know the benefits of conicals, but it is hard to justify the cost. My thought was to weld legs to them, with casters, put a drain valve on the bottom of the barrel and one a few gallons up the side to gravity feed the kegs. I would have to craft some type of lid, and im sure I can figure out a way to make it sealed, with an air lock on top. What are your thoughts for this? All the help is greatly appreciated.
Can I use these for a boil kettle, MT, and HLT? I plan on going all electric for heating, so there will be no direct firing on these drums.
Like many of you, at some point in the future I may want to get licensed and have a tap room; a dream that so many of us home-brewers have. I would like to be able to use these. I was about to purchase actual kettles, but found these for less than 100 a piece. I would much prefer to use the cheaper option if I could use them down the road for a real brewery as well. So to sum it up, would these be considered sanitary and food grade for my purposes? Would this be allowed to be used as equipment for licensing purposes? Are there any concerns that I should be aware of? Would these work for a small nano brewery?
Also I was thinking about using these as fermenting vessels, does anyone have experience doing this? I know the benefits of conicals, but it is hard to justify the cost. My thought was to weld legs to them, with casters, put a drain valve on the bottom of the barrel and one a few gallons up the side to gravity feed the kegs. I would have to craft some type of lid, and im sure I can figure out a way to make it sealed, with an air lock on top. What are your thoughts for this? All the help is greatly appreciated.
