25L jerrycans to mature/clear and stockpile?

[The Dribbler]

I've only got two Cornies and one Fermenting bucket, obviously my beer consumption far outstrips production.


I was wondering about getting some 25L plastic foodgrade jerrycans from the bay. So I can place the primary fermented beer in the jerry cans for maturing and clearing. Before transfering to the cornies for forced carbination and consumption.

That way I can brew like a nutter for a month and stockpile some ale.

I this a sensible cheap way to proceed? or is there a better way. Any issues I would need to be aware of?

Regards,

[The Dribbler]

Is this a dumb question or something? no replys

[Fil]

afaik the 25l plastic jerrycans are what the Aussie brewers call 'cubes', and are used pretty much for the job your talking about as well as storing sterile unfermented green wort.



boxed polypins could be another option?,

OR just accept you need more cornies

[The Dribbler]

More Cornies would be nice, but they make an expensive storage/maturing tank. But love them for serving

I did my first AG brew the other week. I enjoyed the experiance and all went very smooth and easy. So I've taken the plunge

Ordered a stack of grain from the MaltMiller.
Bought some food grade HDPE 25L containers from the the local Chemical Suppliers at £6 each.

How long could I keep a 4.5% ale in a cube for before it deteriates?

And say I wanted to bottle some of the Ale which I had kept in a cube for a month, would I just be able to prime each bottle and drop some ale in? Or would I need to reintroduce some active yeast again?

The Dribbler

[floydmeddler]

More Cornies would be nice, but they make an expensive storage/maturing tank. But love them for serving

I did my first AG brew the other week. I enjoyed the experiance and all went very smooth and easy. So I've taken the plunge

Ordered a stack of grain from the MaltMiller.
Bought some food grade HDPE 25L containers from the the local Chemical Suppliers at £6 each.

How long could I keep a 4.5% ale in a cube for before it deteriates?

And say I wanted to bottle some of the Ale which I had kept in a cube for a month, would I just be able to prime each bottle and drop some ale in? Or would I need to reintroduce some active yeast again?

The Dribbler

Sounds interesting. Can you post a pic of the cube? Or maybe a link to something similar?

Cheers

[The Dribbler]

Some on the bay which are identical

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3x-New-25L-25 ... 337788c282

[Fil]

i only know what ive read about the no chill brewing ,,
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index. ... ill_Method
for example..

pressure build up from any residual fermentation may be an issue, but kept in the dark you should get at least as long as the guys storing unfermented wort? 2-3months? probably longer
?? the type of plastic may be important? if its the same plastic as a pressure barrel i would expect a similar lifespan??

[floydmeddler]

Some on the bay which are identical

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3x-New-25L-25 ... 337788c282

Cheers for the heads up on this. I like the idea of using one of these as a secondary vessel. Would be nice to be able to connect a tap... would be massively fiddly though!

[charliefarley]

I bought 4x20L versions of these for exactly the same reasons.
They do work but was not happy with the air space at the top of the can. Being above the opening there will always be air there and quite difficult to flush with co2, so bit of a worry for secondary/layering when the beers isn't producing much co2.

They are also not easy to clean as the bit above the opening doesnt drain out fully.

I drilled a hole in the first jerry can for a tap before I realised that I couldn't fit my hand inside the 2" lid to tighten the back nut! One down...

I now use them for storing mixed cleaning solutions.

[ChuckE]

Yes, you can use the jerricans as a secondary. They're not so good as a primary because of the krausen. And as has been said, you can use them to no-chill. I no-chill most of my beers. In fact, I no-chill brew like a mad man in the spring time so when our nasty hot summer comes, I just pitch and ferment.

[ChuckE]

I bought 4x20L versions of these for exactly the same reasons.
They do work but was not happy with the air space at the top of the can. Being above the opening there will always be air there and quite difficult to flush with co2, so bit of a worry for secondary/layering when the beers isn't producing much co2.

They are also not easy to clean as the bit above the opening doesnt drain out fully.

I drilled a hole in the first jerry can for a tap before I realised that I couldn't fit my hand inside the 2" lid to tighten the back nut! One down...

I now use them for storing mixed cleaning solutions.

I've applied taps to jerricans. To tighten the nut, use an extended-arm ratchet. (I seem to remember you guys call a ratchet something else. Spanner maybe?) This is what I mean.

[ChuckE]

More Cornies would be nice, but they make an expensive storage/maturing tank. But love them for serving

I did my first AG brew the other week. I enjoyed the experiance and all went very smooth and easy. So I've taken the plunge

Ordered a stack of grain from the MaltMiller.
Bought some food grade HDPE 25L containers from the the local Chemical Suppliers at £6 each.

How long could I keep a 4.5% ale in a cube for before it deteriates?

And say I wanted to bottle some of the Ale which I had kept in a cube for a month, would I just be able to prime each bottle and drop some ale in? Or would I need to reintroduce some active yeast again?

The Dribbler

I've kept wort stored in a cube (jerrican) for months.

I believe there is a misunderstanding of no-chill. You thoroughly clean the inside of the cube, then rack near-boilng wort to the cube, get as much air out as possible, seal. Then, and this is very important, you place the cube on one side for 15 mins, then rotate it. The goal is for all surfaces to spend at least 15minutes in contact with the heated wort. Fermentation shouldn't occur until you're ready to pitch. This can be the next day, a week or several months later.

[Cazamodo]

More Cornies would be nice, but they make an expensive storage/maturing tank. But love them for serving

I did my first AG brew the other week. I enjoyed the experiance and all went very smooth and easy. So I've taken the plunge

Ordered a stack of grain from the MaltMiller.
Bought some food grade HDPE 25L containers from the the local Chemical Suppliers at £6 each.

How long could I keep a 4.5% ale in a cube for before it deteriates?

And say I wanted to bottle some of the Ale which I had kept in a cube for a month, would I just be able to prime each bottle and drop some ale in? Or would I need to reintroduce some active yeast again?

The Dribbler

Would it help to flush the cube with c02 first or will it make no difference? I only ask as my pump broke on me today (second one =[) and I couldnt run my wort through the CFC so I just left it to cool overnight. Im hoping it will be ok...

I've kept wort stored in a cube (jerrican) for months.

I believe there is a misunderstanding of no-chill. You thoroughly clean the inside of the cube, then rack near-boilng wort to the cube, get as much air out as possible, seal. Then, and this is very important, you place the cube on one side for 15 mins, then rotate it. The goal is for all surfaces to spend at least 15minutes in contact with the heated wort. Fermentation shouldn't occur until you're ready to pitch. This can be the next day, a week or several months later.

[ChuckE]

More Cornies would be nice, but they make an expensive storage/maturing tank. But love them for serving

I did my first AG brew the other week. I enjoyed the experiance and all went very smooth and easy. So I've taken the plunge

Ordered a stack of grain from the MaltMiller.
Bought some food grade HDPE 25L containers from the the local Chemical Suppliers at £6 each.

How long could I keep a 4.5% ale in a cube for before it deteriates?

And say I wanted to bottle some of the Ale which I had kept in a cube for a month, would I just be able to prime each bottle and drop some ale in? Or would I need to reintroduce some active yeast again?

The Dribbler

Would it help to flush the cube with c02 first or will it make no difference? I only ask as my pump broke on me today (second one =[) and I couldnt run my wort through the CFC so I just left it to cool overnight. Im hoping it will be ok...

I've kept wort stored in a cube (jerrican) for months.

I believe there is a misunderstanding of no-chill. You thoroughly clean the inside of the cube, then rack near-boilng wort to the cube, get as much air out as possible, seal. Then, and this is very important, you place the cube on one side for 15 mins, then rotate it. The goal is for all surfaces to spend at least 15minutes in contact with the heated wort. Fermentation shouldn't occur until you're ready to pitch. This can be the next day, a week or several months later.

If you are no-chilling (hot-packing wort) there is absolutely no need to flush with CO2.


edit to add - OK, I had a few last night when I posted here. Let me try again.

There are two uses for cubes; 1) as a secondary, and 2) as a no-chill vessel. The two are very different.

1) A cube used as a secondary- after primary fermentation the beer is racked into a jerrican or cube. In this case the cube doesn't prolong the life of the beer at all. The cube is just a different shaped secondary. Treat the beer as you would with any other secondary.

2) A cube used to no-chill- after the boil, near-boiling wort is racking into a clean cube and sealed. No-chilling wort creates a "pause" in the brewing process. If no-chilled properly, wort can be stored for months. When ready, rack (or pour) the wort into a primary fermentation vessel, pitch your yeast and you're off.

[darkonnis]

You can of course just use a lid with a tap built in
http://solentplastics.co.uk/Jerrycan%20Tap.jpg
No reason at all why you couldn't use one of these to condition, just make sure that your ferment is done and has hit its final gravity prior to pouring it in (ie leave for a few days extra before racking). Left in a dark cold place they should be fine. If it was me however, I would rack to a secondary FV first, then go on t othe jerrycan after, this would get rid of most of the yeast which will give a foul flavour/smell if they're left long enough to burst. You could then force carb at your leisure!