I was wondering how long is "too long" to be leaving your drink in plastic? Reading through some articles and threads it doesn't seem recommended to leave your drink in plastic (even food grade) for a long time. From what I gather one problem is to do with oxygen seeping in through the plastic. Some wine recipes I was looking at take close to a year to ferment and others recommend leaving for a further year after fermentation.
Plastic Containers
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Ferment to dry in the pail and then place in secondary (carboy) to finish fermenting. When racking to secondary, bring the level up to the shoulders of the carboy to allow further fermenting. If you fill the carboy too full, it will be drawn into the airlock.
Then when the wine is clear, a few weeks, rack again to another carboy and leave the sediment in the bottom of the first carboy. At that time you will bring the level up to within a couple of inches from the top. Add your airlock.
One then continues to rack every time there is sediment (lees) on the bottom.
One then continues to rack every time there is sediment (lees) on the bottom.
What I actually meant was the total time spent in plastic. For example some recipes call for the wine to be left for 6 months before bottling.
The problem being that plastic is porous and slowly oxidises the maturing wine...
The problem being that plastic is porous and slowly oxidises the maturing wine...
Once the SG is .99 then it is time to come out of the primary and into the secondary and most use glass. Make sure to add an airlock once it is in the secondary.
While in the primary (pail) stir vigorously at least twice a day.
While in the primary (pail) stir vigorously at least twice a day.
Hi, SammyK, thanks for the reply but I really want to know about the use of plastic and problems of oxidisation due to oxygen seeping through said plastic container. @ Noe I mean both, both primary fermenter and the whatever is used to store the wine as it matures. I'm new to making wine and just got two fermenters (thinking I can use one for maturing) - the sign on the bottom is HDPE 2. I'd like to use glass but it's a lot more expensive than plastic, am I just worrying over nothing though? thanks
Noe
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Aging in the primary isn't a good thing. As Sammyk said whenever your wine is done with the vigourous fermentation or it's dry you move it to the carboy or secondary.
I don't see why aging it long term in plastic would hurt it. I've had a blackberry in a plastic carboy for about 8 months and it smells and tastes great. People say the brand "Better Bottle" is really good and it is plastic.
As for HDPE 2 that I don't know. It may be okay but the only one that I know for sure is safe is a #1. If you are looking for cheap carboys I use the one gallon containers that the apple juice I use for Apfelwein comes in. You can get them at Wal-Mart or somewhere else for around $3.5 - $4 USD.
I don't see why aging it long term in plastic would hurt it. I've had a blackberry in a plastic carboy for about 8 months and it smells and tastes great. People say the brand "Better Bottle" is really good and it is plastic.
As for HDPE 2 that I don't know. It may be okay but the only one that I know for sure is safe is a #1. If you are looking for cheap carboys I use the one gallon containers that the apple juice I use for Apfelwein comes in. You can get them at Wal-Mart or somewhere else for around $3.5 - $4 USD.
DoctorCAD
Well-Known Member
Wood barrels are porous and slowly oxidze the maturing wine and I don't think too many pro winemakers are overly worried about that.
huesmann
Well-Known Member
An oxygen molecule is larger than a water molecule. If you think oxygen will penetrate your "porous" better bottle, why aren't you ending up with the water from your must all over your floor?
DoctorCAD
Well-Known Member
There are two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule in each molecule of water, how could one oxygen molecule be bigger???
collitchboy
Active Member
Atmospheric oxygen is O2
huesmann
Well-Known Member
ftfy.
DoctorCAD
Well-Known Member
doh...forgot about that..
My hot Italian woman college chem teacher would be mad at me...maybe even mad enough for a spanking???
heathrocksla
New Member
Not sure about that ananon...the new plastic containers that are out for specifically aging wine...Flextanks...which mimic oak barrels with microoxygenation...seem to be getting popular with the smaller wineries.
heathrocksla
New Member
Yeah I'd probably stay away from soda bottles. I actually used a 5 gallon regular water bottle last year for wine. Ended up somehow seeping my wine out from the seam at the bottom of the bottle. Won't do that again.
I've used 5 gal water bottles from Walmart for my secondary fermenter for 2 years now. I have brewed 4 batches of beer, 3 batches of applewine, and now 2 batches of skeeter pee, without anu problems. I will probably add 2 more of those water bottles to bring that up to 4 of them real soon, and neither flavor nor leakage has been a problem.
But then most of my beer and wine have all been over 9% so who knows, maybe I just can't taste the difference.
but for storage, I give a lot away, so it doesn't stay in storage very long. If your talking long term storage(over 4-6 months, I too would use glass and not plastic.
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