Old Change Jar

browning348 · Mar 7, 2015

My children we're given a 5 gal glass pickle jar that is probably 50 years old from my wife's grandmother. It was used for collecting change and now I want to recycle it into a carboy.

2 questions- 1) if I clean this jar well with detergent and hot water will it leave anything from the money that would affect wine flavor?
2) this jar has a very large mouth, about 6 inches, with a screw on lid. Obviously too big for a stopper and air lock. Could this jar be used for a secondary fermenting vessel or to bulk age? If there is little to no headspace will the screw on cap offer enough of an air tight seal?

blackbeer · Mar 7, 2015

i would soak it for a few days in PBW and then wash and rinse it real good and sterilize it. if its only 5 gal, you could use it for a secondary without worrying about it overflowing. you would put a cap made out of aluminum foil and leave it a little loose.

but honestly, unless you really want to do it for nostagia's sake, i'd just use a regular carboy. its not worth the hassle and risk of contamination. and who knows what all was in it over the years.

JohnSand · Mar 7, 2015

I tested an old (50+ years) carboy for cleanliness. It had a haze on one side that looked like water deposits. It was stored on it's side in a cellar when I bought it. I used two tests. First I put clean water in it, sloshed it around, and let it sit a few days. No noticeable taste. Then I added sugar to the water to test for infection. After one week it had no reaction, no flavor other than sugar, and no drop in gravity. Now I use it for fermenting. Before these tests I tried cleaning it with oxy, pbw, vinegar. Nothing removed the haze.

bernardsmith · Mar 7, 2015

Not sure that you want to use a jar with such a wide mouth for your secondary. If the idea is that you fill the vessel to exclude almost any exposure to air then having such a surface area would seem to be problematic. But that said, those who age their wines in wooden casks and barrels presumably have just as large a surface area (or greater) exposed to air... That said, my guess is that glass is fairly inert and if you really cleaned the container then I cannot see why it would necessarily result in off flavors because of what it has stored in its 50 year history...
You can buy very large pre-drilled bungs...

Mismost · Mar 7, 2015

You could drill a hole insert a grommet and use an airlock.

But...aren't you missing a great chance to teach your kids about the importance of saving money and carrying on family traditions? Then again, Daddy brewing beer in Grandmaw's pickle jar is a pretty cool family story!