Probably a stupid question about secondary, but...

[prrriiide]

does anyone use ale pails for secondary?

After all the batches I've done, I'm doing my first secondary right now in my better bottles. But I need to secondary another batch at the same time. If I can get away with ale pails (as I suspect I surely can) I won't spend the $$ on better bottles. I just want to make sure there isn't some weird stupid thing that happens if I use the buckets other than not being able to see how clear it has gotten.

 

[McGlothan]

Ive been told if you are planning a long secondary, then don't use plastic because it can be porous and let trace amounts of oxygen get to your beer. Ive been sold on all glass. Ive heard of people with beer in secondary for months in glass and the beer was great. Ive never heard of secondary fermentation in a bucket. Im sure 2 weeks would be fine though. How much could it really change the flavor?

 

[Eternalodyssey]

No such thing as a stupid question! Especially not here. I use Ale Pales as secondary all the time. I mostly use them for short-term secondary IE: clarifying, racking prior to kegging, and cold-crashing because its rather easy to move them about with the handle provided. I have read that long-term aging is best performed in a glass carboy and for that reason, I long-term age in glass carboys. I don't know the specifics on any CFCs leeching into the beer over time or if that is even of any concern since most (if not all) Ale Pails are PET certified and are considered "Food-Grade."

I am in the military and am exposed to things of far greater health concern on a daily basis so I will admit my bias when it comes to plastic/glass aging (I don't worry). I think it matters little. But this is just my opinion.

 

[Diver165]

I've used better bottles and I've never had a problem. But then again I done secondary usually. Usually on my big beers and wines only get secondaries.

The secondary debate never dies. Glass vs buckets vs better bottles never dies either. But the only thing I've ever got out of all the threads is to do what makes you happy.

 

[prrriiide]

Yeah, I'm going to bottle on March 10 or 11, so not too long for a secondary.

The one in the better bottles ATM is a watermelon kolsch that has been in secondary since Jan. 30. The one going into secondary is a plain kolsch that I brewed to temper the watermelon in case the watermelon flavor is overwhelming. So it isn't going to sit as long since it doesn't need to mellow any adjuncts. I just hope the watermelon aroma doesn't stay in my better bottles forever...smelled like big-ass bottles of jolly ranchers when I racked over.

I just moved the watermelon ale from ferm cabinet to cold box a day or two ago to cold crash and do a mini-lager. It's already crystal-clear.

Thanks for the input!

 

[RM-MN]

While you debate about how long is too long in a secondary and if plastic is OK or if you have to use glass if your secondary is over a month long to avoid oxidation, on another forum a member reports leaving a beer in the primary, a plastic bucket, for 227 days before bottling and reports no off flavors for that but that he had to pitch new yeast for carbonation.

 

[Yooper]

The only reason I wouldn't use an ale pail for a clearing vessel is because of the wide headspace. Remember that it doesn't matter during fermentation, as co2 is produced and is protective. But once fermentation ends, no more co2 is being produced. Racking the beer into a pail leaves it potentially vulnerable to all of the oxygen in there. It might be fine if I was racking onto fruit, so that a true secondary fermentation is taking place and producing co2. But for a holding place, I'd leave it where it is, in primary, and not rack it if it is just to be used as a bright tank.