Sour aging vessels

[bruteforce]

I have a few sours under my belt now and I'm looking to move from 5 gallon batches to something larger. I don't have room for a full sized barrel, I'm thinking more in the 15 gallon range. My questions are mostly about material for the fermenter.

I assume plastic isn't ideal with how much air/oxygen would be exchanged and the beer would go overly acetic. But would this still happen with thicker HDPE?

Would a converted sanke keg get enough air exchange to be worth it?

Any ideas are appreciated!

 

[Dcpcooks]

Wood is best for sours. Carboys work but not at your desired batch size. Sanke Kegs could work as well

Start up distilleries begin with 5, 10 and 15 gallon barrels. They sell them after 1-2 years and work great for aging sours. Make a bourbon barrel stout then a quad then sour it.

You could use a speidel 60l, it's got a nice airlock. At 60L it's perfect for a secondary of 15 gallons. you wouldn't have head space as it's meant to ferment 10 gallons. Head space takes it to 15g.
I use one to lager in. They make a rectangle shaped as well as the round one.

NorCal makes a stainless racking arm with a 1/2 male npt, then you can put a stainless valve on it.

 

[hirschb]

I suggest using several 6gal Better Bottles or carboys, with different bugs in each, and then blending. If you top up the BB's, you'll have very little/no headspace, and acetobactor shouldn't be able to take hold (I've never had any issues). Spreading your long-term aged sours out into many different vessels allows you a lot more flexibility to balance flavors/acidity, and if a batch tastes like ****, dumping out 6gal, isn't a big deal.

 

[oli-aus]

I use 3 gallon water bottles and really focus on topping off the beer with other batches so there is no head space after primary fermentation.
If you look at pics from the mad fermentationist blog you regularly see plastic car boys with a fair bit of head space so plastic seems to be sufficient...

 

[dyqik]

I suggest using several 6gal Better Bottles or carboys, with different bugs in each, and then blending. If you top up the BB's, you'll have very little/no headspace, and acetobactor shouldn't be able to take hold (I've never had any issues). Spreading your long-term aged sours out into many different vessels allows you a lot more flexibility to balance flavors/acidity, and if a batch tastes like ****, dumping out 6gal, isn't a big deal.

Yeah, this sounds like a good plan. Particularly if you are going to oak or play around with aging on fruit. Then you can blend up the results, or empty one at a time to start up a solera type system.

Sours are the one time I use glass carboys. If I want more oxygen, I can leave the airlock empty or use a wooden bung, but I can restrict it completely if I want to.

If you decide on going for a single vessel, then a sanke with a triclover adapter on top sounds like a good idea.

 

[terrenum]

check out this website. you may have room for a smaller barrel?
http://www.barrelsonline.com/showproduct.aspx?ID=30

they are charred level 3 so you may want to soak them in hot water for a bit and may be even brew a beer that would handle more oak flavour first.

 

[radwizard]

I just started. I used the sanke keg method. I primary on 3 different 6 gallon better bottles. I racked them into the sanke fermenter and sealed with a waterless airlock. I dumped a dreg hotel culture during the racking and wont be opening it again. I put a valve in to sample.

 

[Chanoc]

What about food grade plástico drums?

 

[twistedjosh]

I bulk age in a half barrel keg. I primary mine in 7.9 gallon plastic buckets for a couple weeks with a clean yeast, then transfer to glass carboys with either bungs and air locks or rubber caps with a dowel sticking through instead of the airlock and pitch the bugs and let them ride for 8-16 months in the cellar. I then transfer them to a purged corny, sample which ones I want to use to blend into my mother and then use CO2 to push it from the corny into my 15 gal sanke that has the spear removed and a stainless racking cane attached with a pressure gauge, pressure relief valve and ball lock fittings

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