I’ve got 10 gals of lager that I want to store for a few months in the cold.
Is there a problem with lagering in plastic buckets? I’ve heard that plastic is slightly O2 permeable so should I switch this to glass or would 3 months in plastic be acceptable?
Thanks
I would go with glass, unless your plastic is a better bottle - not all plastic is the same. For a #2 HDPE bucket I would say no.
There are plastic kegs that you could do lagering for long time without O2 issue.
Plastic bucket could be questionable solution.
So it is kind of plastic that is more suitable for longer time storages.
I would recommend to lager in your keg if you have any.
Keg would be best
i have lagered in a hdpe plastic bucket with no problems. both the better bottle (i think are pet) and the hdpe are oxygen permeable but you are not likely to notice. i would be more concerned about the oxygen in the head space. when i have done it i have moved the entire bucket near the end of fermentation in to the fridge with the air lock on, that way at least i am reasonable that the head space is co2. yes it was on the yeast still.
also thickness matters in terms of diffusion rate. those spray cylinders made for spraying decks and yards are also thicker hdpe usually.
some breweries now are using hdpe kegs (plastic kegs of america?) with little difficulty
PET is less permeable to O2 than HDPE. I think the bung is the weak link and that is common to carboys or Better Bottles.
+1
I prefer the keg because that’s how I serve the beer. The keg kills two birds with one stone.