Can I leave beer in plastic bucket for a couple months?

[fun4stuff]

The bucket is not air tight. The lid does not have a gasket... It's partially /sometimes air tight: I have had fermenations occur with and without bubbles in the airlock.

I don't have enough carboys (broke one recently, doh!) or kegs. Buckets are cheaper, so was hoping to just leave in buckets while I'm waiting for a keg to open up.

 

[unionrdr]

I got rid of the un-sealed lidded bucket I had when it got a bad infection (Brewer's Best). Darn thing leaked wort during initial fermentation as well. IDK if I'd trust it that long. Mine wasn't good for long periods.

 

[fun4stuff]

Maybe I should try a PET bottle for storing beer a couple months before a keg opens up?

 

[unionrdr]

I haven't tried my Better Bottle for that long, but it would be better than an unsealed bucket. It'd also be meritorious if the BB was the size of the batch, so as to keep air out of the equation.

 

[Gonefishing]

Can you go buy another lid that has a gasket? If you're waiting for a keg, you must have co2...could you blanket your brew with it and then put the new sanitized lid on? Or maybe do the same with a BB carboy?

 

[kh54s10]

I too would suggest a properly sized PET bottle, to minimize headspace. I have left some in primary for close to 2 months with no issues. I would not recommend the bucket, especially with a lid that has no seal.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Can you get a new lid with a gasket? Costs around $3 where I live. I routinely leave beers in my bucket for 4-8 weeks and the results are good. Never A/B'd it side to side with the same beer, same conditions in a glass carboy but...

I will say that using a bucket makes me paranoid about opening it to take gravity readings and whatnot for fear of letting the co2 pillow escape which would make the headspace issue worse.

 

[unionrdr]

I for one was never able to find a lid to fit the Brewer's Best ale pail that had a lid seal. When it got infected, I pitched it for the Midwest shorty 7.9 gallon with lid seal. Much better!

 

[Spartan300man]

I go to the local bakeries, they have food-grade buckets and lids of various sizes. One place charged $1 a bucket. There is a little donut/cookie bakery that has some 5 gallon buckets almost every day. I got a grommet for $0.45 at the hardware store, drilled a 3/8" hole. Got an extra bubble trap from the homebrew store for under $2.