Got my new fermentation bucket(10 L) from China

[BrewingWisdom]

It took me 36 days to import this piece of a plastic. Other brewing items are still pending.
It's intended for beer and wine making.
It has a faucet so I guess it eliminates the need of siphon?

 

[movet22]

Excuse me if I'm missing something right in front of my nose, but what is the benefit to this vs. an ultra cheap brew bucket from any vendor or LHBS?

 

[hout17]

Excuse me if I'm missing something right in front of my nose, but what is the benefit to this vs. an ultra cheap brew bucket from any vendor or LHBS?

The OP is from Pakistan and does not have access like you or I.

Bucket looks great and should do the job! You don't need a siphon with that.

 

[movet22]

The OP is from Pakistan and does not have access like you or I.

Bucket looks great and should do the job! You don't need a siphon with that.

Well that would certainly explain it. Things we take for granted sometimes, eh?

Enjoy the fresh gear, OP!

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Well that would certainly explain it. Things we take for granted sometimes, eh?

Enjoy the fresh gear, OP!

We too have plastic buckets everywhere ,in fact a huge domestic plastic industry operates here. We even export them to other countries.But there are no buckets specifically made for fermentation because you know alcohol here is prohibited. So I just wanted to have a good look at the fermentation bucket and inspect it,how it differs from a normal bucket.
What I found is that it's just a food grade air tight plastic bucket with an air lock. I have access to better quality food grade plastic buckets in the local market , all I need to make a hole at top and put airlock(can be easily imported from China) in it with a rubber grommet. And it's way cheaper comparatively. Will hopefully update you on that.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

We too have plastic buckets everywhere ,in fact a huge domestic plastic industry operates here. We even export them to other countries.But there are no buckets specifically made for fermentation because you know alcohol here is prohibited. So I just wanted to have a good look at the fermentation bucket and inspect it,how it differs from a normal bucket.
What I found is that it's just a food grade air tight plastic bucket with an air lock. I have access to better quality food grade plastic buckets in the local market , all I need to make a hole at top and put airlock(can be easily imported from China) in it with a rubber grommet. And it's way cheaper comparatively. Will hopefully update you on that.

Not to hijack your thread but it reminds me of when I first started brewing. In the US homebrewing wasn't legal till 1979 and I started five years later. There was much out there for brewing; equipment or ingredients. My fermenter was a plastic trash can with an almost tight cover. It served it's purpose for years until I could find a proper bucket with a better seal. So, what you have will work fine and should give you great beer and brewing experiences. Good luck and have fun!

 

[BrewingWisdom]

There was much out there for brewing; equipment or ingredients.

There wasn't much you mean?
I think you made a typo here.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

There wasn't much you mean?
I think you made a typo here.

Sorry, yes, not much out there. Not enough morning coffee this morning and terrible proof reading before firing it off!

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Sorry, yes, not much out there. Not enough morning coffee this morning and terrible proof reading before firing it off!

Actually I have all the brewing equipment and materials available here mostly from Chinese online suppliers and local as well. Not inferior but of the same quality you have available in the west.
The online downside is that i have to wait for almost two months to get all the equipment from China.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Since the plague there's been a lot of shipping issues and they still continue to be an issue for lots of industries. Work projects have been delayed months from not being able to get electrical components to complete installations, some never even started. It's been a hassle. I've noticed some grains have been impossible to get and across the board ingredients costs have gone up. I stock up when I can.

Have you been able to get the brewing ingredients you need?

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Since the plague there's been a lot of shipping issues and they still continue to be an issue for lots of industries. Work projects have been delayed months from not being able to get electrical components to complete installations, some never even started. It's been a hassle. I've noticed some grains have been impossible to get and across the board ingredients costs have gone up. I stock up when I can.

Have you been able to get the brewing ingredients you need?

Brewing ingredients is not really a issue for me. We are a developing agricultural country , all grains here are really cheap. From sorghum to barely we produce everything and export it as well.
The only thing I imported was the ale brewing yeast. If I learn to capture good wild yeast strain later , that too will not be an issue.

 

[movet22]

How does brewing work for you since alcohol is prohibited? Do you have to be careful who knows you're doing it? Are there extra precautions you have to take?

 

[BrewingWisdom]

How does brewing work for you since alcohol is prohibited? Do you have to be careful who knows you're doing it? Are there extra precautions you have to take?

Well in general the public and authorities have no knowledge of how its being produced and the equipment, and ingredients involved in it(ignorance is a bliss lol).Because its not a mainstream thing here. So if you just buy the ingredients and equipment that doesn't raise any suspicions. So no extra care from my side needed.
Basically if you have the knowledge of how it's produced alcohol is all around us ,doesn't matter how strict the prohibition is. You have just to gather different pieces together , like solving some puzzle. It doesn't take some unique , hard to source ingredients, equipment to produce it ,it's made from things which are part of our daily lives.
Knowledge and wisdom is power my friend

 

[IslandLizard]

Brewing ingredients is not really a issue for me. We are a developing agricultural country , all grains here are really cheap. From sorghum to barely

Can you buy malted grains, or do you malt your own?

That's a very nice fermentation bucket you just got, and wow, what a wait!
Make sure to take good care of it. It looks super smooth, that surely helps keeping it clean and sanitary. Do not use any abrasives on it and avoid scratching it with utensils and such. Use a soft cloth, (terry cloth, microfiber, or so) soaked in sanitizer and mop the inside to sanitize it. Spraying may not work well as it may bead up too much. All sides should stay wet with sanitizer for 1-2 minutes.

BTW, what do you use for sanitizer?

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Can you buy malted grains, or do you malt your own?

I malt on my own after buying them from the farmers market. There is no thing as readily available malt or extract here. I have to start from scratch. Lots of learning in this.

That's a very nice fermentation bucket you just got, and wow, what a wait!
Make sure to take good care of it. It looks super smooth, that surely helps keeping it clean and sanitary. Do not use any abrasives on it and avoid scratching it with utensils and such. Use a soft cloth, (terry cloth, microfiber, or so) soaked in sanitizer and mop the inside to sanitize it. Spraying may not work well as it may bead up too much. All sides should stay wet with sanitizer for 1-2 minutes.

Thanks for the compliment Sir!
Finally the Chinese manufacturers didn't disappoint me(locally we produce equally good airtight food grade plastic buckets but without airlocks and tap )

BTW, what do you use for sanitizer?

I intend to use dishwasher solution we use for kitchen and later wash it thoroughly with hot water. That's what I read it in a homebrew book wrote by a US based author.

 

[IslandLizard]

I intend to use dishwasher solution we use for kitchen

Mind, many soaps and their residues may interfere with foam forming ability in beer, preventing head forming. Now some automatic dishwash detergents may well be OK, but they all need very hot water to dissolve and do their work, which may not be good for your plastics, so be aware not to use it too hot (too is always bad!).
A good rinse off with hot water should help, removing the soapy residues, yes.

Can you obtain an Iodine-based sanitizer like Povidone or such? It's often used in food industry.

Bleach is another good sanitizer, but it needs to be removed thoroughly or it will show up as bad off-flavors in your beer (e.g., chlorophenols).

 

[MaxStout]

Check with restaurant supply companies. They might have some food-grade no-rinse sanitizers you could use.

Good luck with your brewing, but be careful--don't get caught. I'd hate to think what the penalties could be.

 

[IslandLizard]

Good luck with your brewing, but be careful--don't get caught. I'd hate to think what the penalties could be.

Yes, above all, that !!! ^
Be very careful.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Can you obtain an Iodine-based sanitizer like Povidone or such? It's often used in food industry.

Bleach is another good sanitizer, but it needs to be removed thoroughly or it will show up as bad off-flavors in your beer (e.g., chlorophenols).

Well maybe they are available. But I guess I don't need them.

Good luck with your brewing, but be careful--don't get caught. I'd hate to think what the penalties could be.

Don't worry I will be ok.
It's prohibited but not much of a serious crime. There is a illegal bootlegging industry here and those who drink just get it no matter what. It's happening all around me.
It's not a very serious offence here.

 

[MaxStout]

We had that here one time in history. Glad to hear the consequences for you wouldn't be too severe.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

We had that here one time in history. Glad to hear the consequences for you wouldn't be too severe.
View attachment 767288

That's nothing new batch can be brewed with just water, malt, yeast , hops or spices.
Yeah I have read that in the beginning of the previous century alcohol was banned in the US. That gave rise to the use of hip flasks.
I have one 16 oz hip flask as well lol. Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

A lot of the cleaners and sanitizers I use come from the dairy industry including the iodine based ones IslandLizard mentioned. If you need anything like that I'd look there. Here in cheese land the stuff I use is sold at the local farm store. There's also a lot of other items there for dairy use that can be repurposed for brewing. The cleaners I use are for cleaning and sanitizing stainless steel so watch out if it is mild enough for plastic.

 

[bwible]

We had that here one time in history. Glad to hear the consequences for you wouldn't be too severe.
View attachment 767288

Yeah we did. And it was the biggest failed experiment in American history. By making beer illegal they drove everybody to easier to hide and quicker to get you drunk hard alcohol. They made mobsters rich. They did away with the industries so the booze being sold wasn’t regulated in any way. Poisons were often mixed in and things like tobacco spit were added for color. And there was more drunkedness during prohibition than at any other point in US history.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Yeah we did. And it was the biggest failed experiment in American history. By making beer illegal they drove everybody to easier to hide and quicker to get you drunk hard alcohol. They made mobsters rich. They did away with the industries so the booze being sold wasn’t regulated in any way. Poisons were often mixed in and things like tobacco spit were added for color. And there was more drunkedness during prohibition than at any other point in US history.

The stupid decision of prohibition our government took in 1970,s yielded similar results.
It gave rise to the bootlegger mafia , insanely higher prices, low quality products and deaths from alcohol poisoning.
Every years hundreds of people in our rural areas die from methanol poisoning ,without proper equipment,education and experience they end up making methanol instead of ethanol.
The more you try to stop people ,the more desperate and rebellious they will become. Alcohol is almost as old as the history of oldest human civilizations. At some point we all feel to get relax from depression or enjoy the moment. Though moderation in every thing is neccessary.
Regardless of any religion, race or culture we are all similar somehow when it comes to alcohol.
People will always come up with a alternative solution ,prohibition doesn't solve any problem. Imagine in a country like Saudi Arabia home brewing exist.

 

[tracer bullet]

Nice turn-around for the thread! From an unexciting plastic bucket to learning how other people deal with not having readily available equipment and ingredients in other parts of the world.

@BrewingWisdom - how about hops? Do you grow them?

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Nice turn-around for the thread! From an unexciting plastic bucket to learning how other people deal with not having readily available equipment and ingredients in other parts of the world.

@BrewingWisdom - how about hops? Do you grow them?

I intend to grow them in my backyard soon. But for the current batch I ordered them from China. Also I can make a gruit ale or lager because in this curry making country I have access to all herbs and spices.
In our northern areas I've seen hops grown in wild , goats eat it usually no one over there knows the use of hops in brewing .

 

[Miraculix]

Try to make Chinese rice wine! You just need the special Chinese yeast balls, glutinous rice, water and a bucket. There's a thread here on hbt about it!

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Try to make Chinese rice wine! You just need the special Chinese yeast balls, glutinous rice, water and a bucket. There's a thread here on hbt about it!

Maybe later.
I've already dedicated this year to learning and mastering beer making only.

 

[Miraculix]

Maybe later.
I've already dedicated this year to learning and mastering beer making only.

It's a fun side project, setting it up is about an hour, then one month wait and then it's done. It's strong and delicious .

 

[bwible]

Try to make Chinese rice wine! You just need the special Chinese yeast balls, glutinous rice, water and a bucket. There's a thread here on hbt about it!

I’d imagine you could do also some fun things with mead if you can get a bunch of honey. Mead is actually easier than beer. Honey, yeast, and water. No boiling, no mashing, no hops, no grains to grow. And with all those spices I’m sure you could make something fantastic

 

[BrewingWisdom]

I’d imagine you could do also some fun things with mead if you can get a bunch of honey. Mead is actually easier than beer. Honey, yeast, and water. No boiling, no mashing, no hops, no grains to grow. And with all those spices I’m sure you could make something fantastic

I think any thing grain based which includes beer is the difficult one and takes time and experience to master.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

It's a fun side project, setting it up is about an hour, then one month wait and then it's done. It's strong and delicious .

Specially when it's prohibited ,it's gets more suspenseful and adventurous

 

[Miraculix]

Specially when it's prohibited ,it's gets more suspenseful and adventurous

Exactly! If I would have known when I was a teenager......

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Exactly! If I would have known when I was a teenager......

Not a teenager I am.
For you it's easily available and cheap, you take it for granted. For us it's something difficult to get our hands on and way expensive. Almost three times expensive than what you pay in the west. And not just that , all the risk we take to get it. The risk of getting caught when we transport it from the bootleggers place to our homes.
For us it's a feeling of huge accomplishment. A accomplishment of producing something extremely cheap, risk free ,independently and of better quality. A feeling of being a privileged person because you are better than those here who wants to drink but they doesn't have the means and knowledge to produce a good product like you.

 

[Miraculix]

Not a teenager I am.
For you it's easily available and cheap, you take it for granted. For us it's something difficult to get our hands on and way expensive. Almost three times expensive than what you pay in the west. And not just that , all the risk we take to get it. The risk of getting caught when we transport it from the bootleggers place to our homes.
For us it's a feeling of huge accomplishment. A accomplishment of producing something extremely cheap, risk free ,independently and of better quality. A feeling of being a privileged person because you are better than those here who wants to drink but they doesn't have the means and knowledge to produce a good product like you.

I didn't mean that you are a teenager, what I meant was that I was in a similar situation as you are now, when I was a teenager! It was a huge adventure to get you hands on some booze....