Sauerkraut Bucket

[timdurning]

A friend donated much of his brewing equipment because he was moving, including a fermentation bucket. I was excited to use the bucket (only have carboys) to try out the open fermentation hefe from a BrewingTV episode, skimming and saving yeast from the krausen, etc.

My concern is that he has used this bucket to make sauerkraut, so I'm wondering if the bacteria from that process is stuck in the vessel. I've heard tell of how difficult it is to truly clean plastic vessels because of the scratches in which bacteria can reside.

Would any of you say it's okay to use or should this bucket just be a sour beer bucket?

 

[celticcolorado]

Sadly I think I would only use the bucket for sour beers.

 

[forstmeister]

My wife stole one of my fermentors to make sauerkraut last year. I recently fermented 2-3 batches in it and have not noticed any issues with it. I was cautious, but I have a hard time with carboys these days since I have a cervical spine issue that makes it tough to lift heavy things without serious after effects. I gut lucky that there was no contamination maybe?

By the way, homemade sauerkraut is delicious.

 

[timdurning]

By the way, homemade sauerkraut is delicious.

Sure hope so—I also inherited about 4qts of it. Time to buy some corned beef!

 

[forstmeister]

Sure hope so—I also inherited about 4qts of it. Time to buy some corned beef!

A friend of mine makes his own Polish sausage. He gave me about 2-3 feet of it recently. I simmered it in my wife's sauerkraut with some potatoes for about 45 minutes and was in heaven. By the way, I hated sauerkraut until she started making it. Homemade kimchi is also very good.

 

[aiptasia]

If it's been used repeatedly to make sauerkraut or to store it for any length of time, i'd probably avoid using it as a fermenter. That being said, several restaurants and bakeries have 5-10 gallon plastic topping buckets that make perfectly good fermenters. Frosting buckets and fruit topping buckets can produce some awesome results. I've used strawberry topping buckets from my Wife's restaurant with success.

 

[mojo_wire]

Funny, last time I was in the HBS there was a guy in there asking the same question. Consensus was: unless you want sauerkraut flavored beer then get a new bucket.

 

[Koffie]

So in what way would saurkraut bacteria think "hey, lets get in the scratches and stay there" whil all other yeast bactearia would think "hey, lets stay together at the bottom to get cleaned out nicely. Avoid the scratches kids!"

What I'm trying to say: f one bacteria would get stuck in some scratches, the same would be for your yeast.
Just clean it out and ferment beer in it.

 

[forstmeister]

Soak it in an Oxiclean solution overnight and see if the smell is neutralized. I agree that if it was used many times for sauerkraut, the smell may not go away and maybe it's best used as an extra bucket for sani solutions and storage of equipment. I did that with mine and after a while the smell was gone and I used it as a fermentor again. To each his own.

Hell, maybe sauerkraut beer is good?