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Food grade buckets - Why won't you stop smelling!?
Happy brew day fellas -
Few issues here.. yay
First off.. Has anyone ever noticed their food grade buckets retaining the strong odor of previously fermented beer or sanitizing solution. My buckets (after the first use) have ALWAYS maintained these smells. If I put a little One Step sanitizer in there, throw the lid on, and shake it around a few times thing will smell just like One Step. I tried filling it with water and letting it sit for a few hours.. Sure enough.. the water picked up that off flavor.. I mean I can rinse the thing till my arm falls off but it still smells.. Is this a common thing?
Another thing about the One Step - I have read you should let the equipment dry completely before using it.. I'm still not sure how to accomplish that without exposure to air, paper towels, etc. If I seal it up the bucket, then the water cant evaporate.. It makes me want to rinse it but thats going to expose it to the tap water.. Why not just use the tap to clean to begin with?! I dunno.. Everyone seems to have their own way of doing this stuff but how clean can you really be?! I guess how clean do you really need to be is the question.. It seems to be a huge priority but it can get pretty stressful trying to avoid every possible contamination.
Also, do youz guys recommend bottled (drinking water) for the top off or would you use boiled tap water? My tap water actually tastes pretty darn good.. I'm more worried about the bucket throwing the flavor off than anything else.. I would just ferment in a carboy but when I started I went out and bought like 8 buckets..
Ahhhhh ... Thanks for your advice.. I need a beer after all this contemplating 
I've been using the same buckets for 5 years. The aroma will not hurt your beer but I understand the feeling you get when wanting it clean. From time to time, especially after brewing an IPA, I'll toss some unscented bleach into the bucket full of water and let it sit over night. That will do the trick. Oh and for the top up question, go ahead and use your boiled tap water.
Good luck,
Wild
My buckets have smelled since after my first brew. I know they are clean/sanitized, they just hold a beer aroma to them. I have seen no adverse affects of this aroma.
I use my tap water to top off as well. I may have to start boiling first though now. They took 4 samples and sent 2 ea to different labs, and one came back with traces of e-coli. Now you can smell the chlorine that they have used to combat this.
But I did brew last friday and added the tap water as-is to top off the bucket. So we will see if there is actually enough chlorine to effect the brew. Definately has no effect on fermentation!!
Healthy yeast pitched into any wort should eliminate any real concerns about using tap water to top off a partial boil or to make up lost volume. Not a problem.
From a taste and aroma stand point your buckets seem unclean. But from a sanitation stand point after a good cleaning then a sanitizing step there is close to no abberant microbes around to screw up the beer, even if you can smell and taste beer in the bucket. I still have and use the same buckets I got with my first kit. They have an off white color from all the beer over the years. The off white color fills the bucket inside all the way up to the 5 gallon mark. But if you are just putting beer in these buckets then its not a problem.
That is also the reason why you can't go get a large pickle bucket and hope to clean it out and ferment in it. The pickel smell is too strong and in that plastic good.
brewchez wrote:
even if you can smell and taste beer in the bucket.
But to keep it sanitary, you can't be licking the bucket! 
Wild
Wild wrote:
But to keep it sanitary, you can't be licking the bucket!
Wild
I keep a side bucket specifically for that purpose.
Sweet! No worries then 
I'll prolly just start using tap water.. maybe boil it to be safe.. That'll save some $$ for the yeast starters I'm gonna need..
Almost 2 lbs of DME for a 2 Liter starter!?
***UPDATE: Okay I just re-read Mr.Malty's explanation and have no idea where I got 2 lbs of DME for a 2 L starter... He says use 200 grams which is about 6 oz... Where in the hell did I get 32 OZ?!?! I guess the 3 lb bag of muntons was feeling light and I assumed 2 lbs were gone.. jeeze who knows.. no more beer & math for me.. 
6oz for a 2 L starter is way more economical..
I read it takes a 2 L starter (double your yeast vile) or a minimum of 1 L (50% increase in yeast count) for anything with an OG of 1.060 and above... Fun calculations/info here
http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.htm - Thanks Mr.Malty
Hey, I've been wanting to go in and lick my buckets from time to time.. and now.. thanks to you guys.. I'm not afraid anymore ~
This site is gonna do alotta good for alotta people.. No fear 
2# DME for 2l starter? I just pitched a 2l starter that I made w/ 10Tbsp of DME, which is about 10-11 oz. Makes a wort of about 1.030. You want your yeast to have a good time in there and let them think they've got it made for awhile so they can get busy building up that colony. Give them 2# of DME and they will be too fat and lazy to do the do. If you are doing 1.060 beers a 1l starter will be fine anyhow. It seems like Mr malty gives crazy high pitching rates, unless you are going after a really heavy beer.
I think Mr. Malty (Jamil Zainasheff, 2007 ninkasi winner) use pitching rates that are consistent with what most all commercial brewers do.
0.75million cells/ml/Plato
I think right?
You are absolutely correct sir... I had my wires twisted the first time I read his explanation.. It makes a lot more sense now ~
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