Ruined Fermenter?

[Crispy31]

I fermented a blueberry pomegranate wine in a plastic bucket, now the smell won't go away. Is it ruined for brewing beer now or is there something that will get that smell out?

 

[IvanTheTerribrew]

I would soak it full of hot water and a good amount of oxiclean for a week. Make sure it's dissolved completely. If afterwards it still smells try some diluted bleach solution soak.


- ISM NRP

 

[jrgtr42]

If it's a regular ale pail or the like, just get a new one. They're under $10 and they have a finite lifetime anyways.
Maybe keep this one if you plan to do more fruit beers in the future - or it makes for great storage in between brews.

 

[Crispy31]

I let it sit for a week with oxyclean, the water I poured out smelled of blueberries and the bucket still does too. Decided to make apfelwein in it and see how that goes. Figured the worst that could happen is I would be out $20 in juice and yeast.

 

[dstranger99]

^

The last resort is always bleach, give it 2 cups with some water. If that don't do it, call an exorcist.........

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

I've heard sitting them in direct sunlight for most of the day will release smells from a clean plastic pail. Not sure if it works or not , I've only read it.

I'd just use it for milder and milder batches. After my frozen concentrate wine, it took two batches in that same pail to get out the yellow stains from the food colouring in the fruit juice concentrate.

Under no circumstances would I throw out the bucket.

 

[fearwig]

Make a blonde in it, and see if you can detect the odor. If not, you're fine. If so, enjoy a blueberry blonde and use it to store grains. I have two 5 gal buckets that once stored pickles I had planned to ferment in. Lets just say I don't.

 

[wxman73]

Have you tried lemons? I had a power outage while i was away for 2 weeks in the summer. Had some fish go very very bad in the freezer. I tried everything to get the stink out. I rubbed the freezer with the flesh if the lemon, and let it sit for a day then clean it off. It was fine after that.

Ive also heard the sun light helps too like suggested above. Good luck!


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