Carboys and must

[MixItUp]

Is there any reason not to start the ferment in a carboy, if say, the recipe is using a whole fruit in it (smashed of thoroughly of course) such as strawberries, blackberries, etc? Or will it be too hard to remove the must on the bottom when all is said and done? Glass containers are cheaper than plastic here. Thank You!

 

[Runningwolf]

A plastic bucket will give your must more oxygen during the fermentation and less chance of a volcano from a carboy. Of course this depends on the size of your batch vs the size of your container.

 

[GerardVineyard]

You want to have more exposure to oxygen in the primary fermenterer thus you want a bigger surface area which a carboy does not provide like a bucket.

Typically a glass carboy costs $40+ and a 5 gallon plastic bucket can be had for a couple bucks. Where do you live that this is not the case?

 

[MixItUp]

How will the plastic one give more oxygen? And I thought oxygen was to be kept out?

The container would be filled. Why would it volcano if there is an air lock on the top?

 

[MixItUp]

When dealing with a batch size of one gallon (I'm planning on 5-10 gallon containers of different varieties at a time), a brand new gallon glass carboy can be had for under $5 where as the plastic ones I can find are $10....unless all plastic containers are "safe"? In which case I can go to Lowes or something like that.

 

[GerardVineyard]

How will the plastic one give more oxygen? And I thought oxygen was to be kept out?

The container would be filled. Why would it volcano if there is an air lock on the top?

Not so much that plastic gives more oxygen, but a bucket has a bigger open surface area than the narrow neck of a carboy. Oxygen is good in primary fermentation, helps yeast do it's thing.

A volcano could result due to the pressure and constricted head space in a carboy from the yeast, again doing it's thing, giving off co2 and the vigorous action of this process.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Yup - i agree with all the above..

 

[GerardVineyard]

When dealing with a batch size of one gallon (I'm planning on 5-10 gallon containers of different varieties at a time), a brand new gallon glass carboy can be had for under $5 where as the plastic ones I can find are $10....unless all plastic containers are "safe"? In which case I can go to Lowes or something like that.

Not all plastic is safe. You want to use buckets that are "food safe" or "food grade" At lowes, white or yellow trash containers made by Brute are food safe.

 

[MixItUp]

Thank you for the tip, regarding primary fermentation, I take it that I should have the air lock off and a cloth placed over the hole in the lid as opposed to having it in so oxygen can get in?

 

[MixItUp]

And how will I know if it is food safe or not? Is all plastic of certain types "food safe" or is it the process in which it is made?

Example, I see most containers being polyethaline or high density polyethaline.

 

[GerardVineyard]

These are food grade:

<2>HDPE (high density polyethylene) is used in milk, juice and water containers in order to take advantage of its excellent protective barrier properties. Its chemical resistance properties also make it well suited for items such as containers for household chemicals and detergents. Most five gallon food buckets are made from HDPE

And

<5>PP (polypropylene) has high tensile strength, making it ideal for use in caps and lids that have to hold tightly on to threaded openings. Because of its high melting point, polypropylene can be hot-filled with products designed to cool in bottles, including ketchup and syrup. It is also used for products that need to be incubated, such as yogurt. Many Cambo, Tupperware and Rubbermaid food storage containers are made from PP.