Ale Pail Problems

Buying, building and using brewing equipment and apparatus. Product reviews and questions.

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Legman
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Post by Legman »

Ok. Well, the mallot it is! Evendentally I don't have it on there all the way. I can pull mine off easier than the regular lid.
Thanks for your help.
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Legman
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Gamma Seal Update

Post by Legman »

Well, here's my conclusion on the gamma seal.
It does not completely seal up an Ale Pail. I tried the rubber mallet trick. That didn't work. I even got a new bucket and put on the other gamma seal I had....same thing. It's not 100% sealed either.

While sanitizing the bucket, I turned it upside down and again in a place or two, water leaks out. So if the water leaks out, air is going to leak as well. Oh well, back to the plastic wrap.

I still like the lid even though its not 100% air tight. The screw off lid makes it easier to get into the fermenter for a peek.
adder31
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Post by adder31 »

As per advice from a friend and more experienced brewer, I have been using a plastic bottling bucket as a fermenter and not racking into a secondary. 21 days in the bucket and then into the keg for force carbonation and aging. It has worked well for my last two batches.

Cutting out the rack into 2ndary makes the process easier, one less step and of course one less chance to infect a batch.

One of these days I will do a 10 gal batch, 5g into the plastic for 3 weeks and 5g into carboy and then rack into a 2ndary carboy. Then a blind taste test to see of there is a difference.

Maybe one of you haver tried this already.
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Legman
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Post by Legman »

I've started leaving mine in the fermenter for 3 weeks and I can notice a definite change. I think it has improved the flavor of my beer. I've never used a secondary, so I can't really compare the two. I don't use a secondary because that's just one less thing I have to do and I don't think it's really necessary either.

When you use a bottling bucket as your fermenter, what do you do when you rack to your keg? Do you filter it or just let the trub at the bottom run out the spigot till it's clear or what?
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Post by adder31 »

I have done it 2 ways, I have used the valve at the bottom and also used my auto-syphon. Both times I put a muslim grain/dry hop bag at the end going into the keg. The syphon worked better, less debris because I could keep it away from the trub.

I also use a grain sack on brew day after I cool my wort and syphon it into the fermenter.
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Washing and handling Carboys

Post by conman »

I paid like $20 bucks for this for my motorcycle and it makes the best stand I have ever found for cleaning and draing my carboys.

Image

as an aside, I tried the plastic bucket thing when I first started, but I never felt good about it (personal preference). I now have 14 carboys, 4 Stainless Steel V bottom heated and cooled 20 gallon fermentors and one 40 gallon SS fermentor I got from a closing Dairy farm.
I understand the whole cost/safety thing, and when I first started Homebrewing, I really didnt want to use the Glass carboys........but after using the bucket just one time, I just couldnt make myself do it again. I didnt have any problems with the beer, I just felt better with the Glass. JM .02[/img]
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chils
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Post by chils »

I use 5gal.plastic buckets from wallyworld $5 and Ropak brand lids from my LHBS or Midwest and get a perfect airtight seal.I also add a bottling spigot to the bottom so I don't have to siphon.Before I open the spigot I will spray starsan into it and let it sit awhile to sanitize it and then again afterwards.I e-mailed the bucket maker to check for food safety and was promptly sent a reply confirming it.I will usually brew 6gal. batches and put 3 in ea. bucket and sometimes use 2 diff yeasts to check how they affect the flavor.I have 2 bad disks in my back and don't dare to try and lift a glass carboy full of beer.When I'm done w/ them I will let them sit full of bleach water until I brew again and haven't had any problems yet.I also don't secondary as I think you probably add more oxygen and infection risk damage than any benifit you gain from getting it off the yeast cake.Just my 2 cents.
Addrienne
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Ale Pail Problems

Post by Addrienne »

Got one originally. 1st batch of beer it did this and we didn't catch it.

The only thing I'll use an ALE PAIL for now is mixing my wort and priming sugar before bottling (also allows me to get rid of most of the trub and leftover hops before bottling). They're great for that!

I've brought some new brewers in, and they always see those in the store, all nice and packaged up with everything and want one. I always have to talk them out of it.
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Suthrncomfrt1884
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re: ale pale

Post by Suthrncomfrt1884 »

I see no problems with these pails at all. They are a bit expensive, but for someone who doesn't want to invest a lot of money into a hobby they're not quite sure about...it's a great start. I still use them every once in awhile. The only benifit of glass over buckets it that you don't have to replace it everytime it scratches.

But...nobody likes having a busted carboy either. I was forced to move into my garage when I busted a full carboy on the basement floor. I was more upset about the wasted beer than I was the carpet.
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Secondary - Cherry Lambic
Bottled - Bourbon Barrel Coffee Porter, Double Chocolate Raspberry Stout, Imperial Nut Brown, Apfelwein, American Amber Ale w/Homegrown Hops, Breakfast Stout
Kegged - Bass Clone, ESB
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slothrob
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Post by slothrob »

Just be glad you weren't hurt. You wouldn't have been the first person to be sent to the hospital by a broken glass carboy.

A lot of brewers are switching back to plastic buckets for safety's sake. The fact that they sometimes aren't perfectly airtight doesn't really matter.
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jawbox
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Post by jawbox »

I've bought a couple of those better bottles. Much lighter than the old glass carboys that's for sure. Soak in a little PBW after fermentation and come up clean every time with minimal (no) effort.

I've had back surgery a few years ago so I'm trying to move away from the glass carboys. The better bottles have been working great, especially couped with one of those brew haulers.

The only time I use a secondary is for lager or dry hopping.

Later,
Jaw

PS. Nothing wrong with the ale pails, I started with those.
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bfabre
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Post by bfabre »

I also purchased one of the better bottles too. They are relatively the same price, within a few bucks nothing major. It seems to be doing fine. But for the most part of my brewing I use the buckets for fermentation.
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Suthrncomfrt1884
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better bottles

Post by Suthrncomfrt1884 »

So, I take it the better bottles are pretty good afterall? My LHBS doesn't even stock them because the owner thinks they're junk.

I haven't heard anything bad about them yet, so I was just wondering what everyone on here was thinking. Wouldn't you have the same problems with a better bottle that you would with a bucket?
Primary - Belgian Dubbel, Belgian IPA
Secondary - Cherry Lambic
Bottled - Bourbon Barrel Coffee Porter, Double Chocolate Raspberry Stout, Imperial Nut Brown, Apfelwein, American Amber Ale w/Homegrown Hops, Breakfast Stout
Kegged - Bass Clone, ESB
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