Using HDPE 2 Plastic barrel for brewing KT

[Synaster]

Does anyone use one of these? I am looking to produce in larger quantities..
Any feedback would be appreciated. .

 

[bratrules]

Does anyone use one of these? I am looking to produce in larger quantities..
Any feedback would be appreciated. .

I asked the same thing a while back about using a Mr. Beer keg for making kombucha I never got any response. But am sure you will get no ill effects from fermenting in food grade plastic. Think about this way people use better bottles to ferment and age lambics and sours beers all the time with no negative side effects. Those kinds beer have the same finishing ph as kt does. So I say go ahead and use it as long as it food grade.

 

[kyt]

You CAN use #1 PET and #2 HDPE to ferment in if you choose but they are not advised. Glass is preferred, followed by certain porcelain. Wood is an alternative as well but is more expensive. You can also use certain specialty stainless steel fermentors.

 

[snarf]

Here's my experience: I have a 30L and a 60L HDPE plastic barrel (that's about 8 and 16 gallons). The 30L one I've used quite often, but the 60L barrel not so much (50L is a lot of kombucha to handle). They have quite a few advantages:

* large
* light
* spigot at the bottom

Especially the 30L I find very convenient for brewing a large (25L) batch. The kombucha takes a bit longer to brew than in a smaller batch, but it comes out quite nicely. However, I've never been a 100 percent convinced that this plastic is really safe for making kombucha. Yes, it's supposed to be food grade and safe, and I've never noticed any negative side effects, but how do I know that really nothing is leaking into the kombucha?

I would prefer to brew in glass, but for large batches this is not convenient. Recently, I've bought a 40L ceramic sourkraut crock. It's really heavy and becomes impossible to handle when filled, but at least I'm confident that it's safe...