I just bought some small pails from the hardware store for primary fermentation. They seem to be dense plastic, and I am guessing they would be acceptable for primary fermentation. I just don't want my wine to taste like plastic. If I sterilize them, will I be okay using them as primary fermenters? What are the considerations for a good primary fermenter? TIA
Vic
A bucket or pail is fine for a primary ferment, as long as you cover to keep out any unwanted guests (I use plastic wrap & rubberband. Please just check to make sure they are (I believe) made out of a food grade plastic. Darlene
How can I tell if it is a food grade plastic?
Look at the bottom of the pail. It will say PET or P.hmm..something...I cant recall. I will look in my book after work. But, if is stamped, just search google for it.
It says HDPE on the bottom. Apparently, that stands for High Density Polyethylene. Jack Keller says Polyethelyne makes a good primary, but I still wonder if it is okay for wine. Any luck with the book?
Yes, it is alright. I use it for the first 3-7 days while making wine. Then I rack over to my glass carboys. I made a banana wine that I did in all plastic. It turned out just like banana wine.
Vic,
Please make sure you know what may have been stored in the buckets first! Plastics absorbs odors and bad stuff can contaminate your wine. I've got a few that had dried goods in them and they worked fine.
Hi Vic, If you have a brewing supplier or on-premise vintner local, then you should be able to purchase a food grade plastic fermentation pail. Around here they are $3 Canadian used.
Al
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