just getting started in Cincy.

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I am just getting started. I live north of Cincinnati in Sharonville. I figured I would start gathering supplies over the next month while I build my keezer, mt and fermentation fridge. I am going to convert a 12 or so cf chest freezer for the keezer and a for the fermentation fridge I am goign to look for an older 50s style. for my mash tun I am converting an old 50s metal coleman cooler (do you see a trend here?) and everything is goign to be painted flat hotrod black with gloss black pinstriping and chrome accents. maybe i should start with brewing my first batch but from the research i have done I feel that having these started or ready before brewing could be of great benefit. obviously I am goint to finish the fermentation chamber first as I will need it first but I am not brewing until I have everything I need. Ideally I will start with a few 1/4 kegs i have laying around and convert them to keggles. most of my setup is going to be built by me. part of the fun for me is doing it this way. now...having said all that, if you managed to get this far through my post, Is there a huge difference in fermenting in pails vs glass carboys? I can get food grade plastic pails for free that had food items in them. would those be acceptable? obviously I have to use a food grade acceptable solder when doing my spigots on the keggle but are there any other materials I should steer clear of that are not acceptable or cannot be sterilized? thanks for reading my long first post and I welcome any comments.
 
I would probably stay away from buckets that have been used before, especially for fermenting in. You want as sterile as an environment as possible. For $25 buck you can get a brand new fermenting bucket, I would highly recommend that. Congrats on getting into the hobby and welcome to the forum!
 
thanks finsfan. i will just buy new ale pails or the like.

ncbrewer, I ahve been doing so much reading and chatting up the lhbs guys I think when i do start brewing it is all that i will be able to remember. I truly have a passion for beer so I want this hobby to be as tasty as it is fun.
 
Is there a huge difference in fermenting in pails vs glass carboys? I can get food grade plastic pails for free that had food items in them. would those be acceptable?

I have a mixture of glass carboys, PET carboys, and buckets. The PET carboys are my favorite. They're lighter and more durable than the glass, less surface area for oxidation, super-easy to clean, and easier to blow-off and get into than the buckets. I know some people worry about glass, but I've drawn more blood opening buckets than I have on glass. I'll go for a bucket if I'm doing a big fruit addition or something like that, but otherwise my PET carboys are my go-to.
 
Wow! after reading this I think I will steer clear of glass.

I have a mixture of glass carboys, PET carboys, and buckets. The PET carboys are my favorite. They're lighter and more durable than the glass, less surface area for oxidation, super-easy to clean, and easier to blow-off and get into than the buckets. I know some people worry about glass, but I've drawn more blood opening buckets than I have on glass. I'll go for a bucket if I'm doing a big fruit addition or something like that, but otherwise my PET carboys are my go-to.
ill order a few buckets and use pet carboys for the most part. thanks for the input
 
I got rid of my BB Ale Pail from an infection. but the thing I hated the most about them was no lid seal. It'd leak under co2 pressure during initial fermentation. I still use my Cooper's Microbrew FV,a 6 gallon better bottle,& this short 7.9 gallon with lid seal from Midwest;
http://[URL=http://s563.photobucket.com/user/unionrdr/media/PICT0004_zpscf22da6d.jpg.html] [/URL]
I have an Italian spigot I'm going to install in it as well. Spigots on my fermenters make my life easier. I also have another one of these,an older one I use for a bottling bucket. Plenty of room for 5 or 6 gallon batches in them. You never know when the odd 6 gallon batch will come along. Besides needing the extra head space.
 
have you been to listermann's? it is one of the best home brew shops anywhere. we are lucky to have them here in Cincinnati
 
have you been to listermann's? it is one of the best home brew shops anywhere. we are lucky to have them here in Cincinnati

Yep. gotta admit that i was a little concerned about going in there because of some of the stories i heard on the forums about attitudes and customer service but Chris was polite and very willing to help. I will be returning for supplies. I doubt that I will use only a single shop considering the fact that we have so many around us and each visit is usually an opportunity to sample some new brews. lol.
 
Yep. gotta admit that i was a little concerned about going in there because of some of the stories i heard on the forums about attitudes and customer service but Chris was polite and very willing to help. I will be returning for supplies. I doubt that I will use only a single shop considering the fact that we have so many around us and each visit is usually an opportunity to sample some new brews. lol.
they can be curt by cincinnati standards but they are all pretty awesome once you get used to them. they also give out good advice with very little BS.

also they are generally cheaper than the online shops even without considering shipping.
 
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