Brewing in Old Ceramic Whiskey Jug?

[redbiers]

A friend gave me a vintage 3 gallon, turn-of-the century whiskey jug that had been lying around in his grandmother's house. Took me a while to scrub it out (at one point it released an ancient malted whiskey aroma). I'm planning to brew some small batches in it, but I'm wondering if anyone knows if there's any chance of lead in these things.
Thanks.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

I don't know about lead but you can't see in it to make sure it's clean.

 

[Revvy]

I don't know about lead but you can't see in it to make sure it's clean.

Don't know about lead...doubt it would be on the inside of the ceramic...

I'd fill them with water and oxyclean and let them soak to make sure there's absolutely nothing in it....

ANd you'll need a stopper and airlock that fits the mouth.

Make a couple small batches of cider and see if everything's alright.

 

[menschmaschine]

I wouldn't trust it for lead. Beer's pH will leach out some if it's in there. There should be a lead test kit for this sort of thing. You might make do with a lead-based paint test kit. They're available at DIY stores. I remember testing ceramics in college for lead. It involved soaking them in vinegar (acid) to leach out the lead, then testing the vinegar with a test strip.