20l Willow Containers

[rendo]

Hi All,

Just bought a 20L Willow container and I am thinking there are several (brewing) uses for this little gem, please share your additions:

I hear a bit of talk about challenging ways to get your temp right when placing a brew on before pitching the yeast. SO....I was thinking that if you filled up this container a day before, then chuck it in your brew fridge and set the degrees to say 18 as you will need some hot water, then all that should help get the right temp with a brew each and evert . Does anyone do this?

Other thoughts?

1. Cold Crashing
2. Lagering
3. Bottling? WHo bottles from this device?
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[Bandito]

I expect you are talking about the blue 20L willow jerry cans right? $25 at kmart, $15 at bunnings.

I currently have 4 of these as fermenters - just because I can fit 4 of them into my cheap 500bob fridge. Havent got to the stage where I have needed to clean the trub out of any of them, but with naipsan/caustic I cant see why they wouldnt be usable (obviously cant get into it to clean it manually so need to use chemicals to do it for you). So for me they are main fermenters in order to increase the fermenter density of the brew fridge from 2 x 20L round to 4 x 18L batches.

 

[rendo]

Hi Bandito,

They are the ones I am talking about alright. I might consider using them as fermenters too...could definitely fit more of them in my fridge!!

Does anyone bottle straight from them? Looks like the tap is pretty high, not that you want to get the sludge, but it looks like it is leaving a good 3-5 litres under the tap.....thats alot of precious beer to waste

I expect you are talking about the blue 20L willow jerry cans right? $25 at kmart, $15 at bunnings.

I currently have 4 of these as fermenters - just because I can fit 4 of them into my cheap 500bob fridge. Havent got to the stage where I have needed to clean the trub out of any of them, but with naipsan/caustic I cant see why they wouldnt be usable (obviously cant get into it to clean it manually so need to use chemicals to do it for you). So for me they are main fermenters in order to increase the fermenter density of the brew fridge from 2 x 20L round to 4 x 18L batches.

 

[Screwtop]

Look up "Jerrys" lots/most brewers use them. Many have the old 25L ones, used to be available at BigW but havent seen them for a couple of years, they are the ducks do do's for brewing (20L plus headspace).

Screwy

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I'm still using the duck's don't don'ts...

 

[rendo]

Thanks Screwy, will do.

Look up "Jerrys" lots/most brewers use them. Many have the old 25L ones, used to be available at BigW but havent seen them for a couple of years, they are the ducks do do's for brewing (20L plus headspace).

Screwy

 

[manticle]

Hi All,

Just bought a 20L Willow container and I am thinking there are several (brewing) uses for this little gem, please share your additions:

I hear a bit of talk about challenging ways to get your temp right when placing a brew on before pitching the yeast. SO....I was thinking that if you filled up this container a day before, then chuck it in your brew fridge and set the degrees to say 18 as you will need some hot water, then all that should help get the right temp with a brew each and evert . Does anyone do this?

Other thoughts?

1. Cold Crashing
2. Lagering
3. Bottling? WHo bottles from this device?
4.
5.
6.
.
.
.
.
.
.

I use these for no chilling and also as fermenters. Of course you can bottle from one.

It's just a plastic container with a lid and a tap, same as a fermenter. Its shape makes it easy to squeeze air out when no chilling and easy to fit on ot two (or more) in a fridge.
There seems to be a spate of threads on these at the moment - they have been used by many brewers many times. Thirsty Boy posted some information about rinsing several times with boiling water before use.

 

[RobH]

I use one for bulk priming & as there is no sediment in the bottom when doing this I just tilt the container when I am getting low so I can bottle all but a few drops out of it.

I have also had the thought of filling it with water and chilling it a day or two before brewing - especially if I plan on steeping some grains and boiling in some hops... however I have not been that organised yet, but having icy cold water to offset boiling hot water when trying to get the wort to pitching temperature would be a very handy thing I rekon.

I have also mixed up a non alcoholic Ginger Beer in mine - but the brew only stays in the fermenter for a couple of hours doing a non alcoholic GB, so sediment and cleaning wasn't really an issue.

 

[rendo]

I use these for no chilling and also as fermenters. Of course you can bottle from one.

What is no chilling? Just storing it in the container and letting it condition?? Like a giant bottle? (minus the carb sugar of course )


....now that is a thought!! A 20L beer bottle....do you reckon these would hold the pressure????? joking

....and also as fermenters. Of course you can bottle from one.

Excellent.....thanks. I saw also RobH using for bulk priming. Great idea, Thats a winner I think! I might need to get more than one

 

[manticle]

What is no chilling? Just storing it in the container and letting it condition??


....now that is a thought!! A 20L beer bottle....do you reckon these would hold the pressure????? joking

No chilling is only relevant to full volume boils and full volume boils are mainly relevant to partial grain mash and all grain mash brews. You can do full volume extract boils but it's not really necessary.

Basically, when you do a full volume boil, you traditionally chill as quickly as possible to pitching temperature.

No chill circumvents this. Do a google search for 'aussiehomebrewer no chill' for a more detailed explanation
for your own knowledge.

 

[roverfj1200]

I no chill with my 10L extract boils with great results . I also leave all the hop debris in the cube as well. I do drop the cubes in the pool after filling....


Cheers

 

[manticle]

@rendo - just thought I should clarify a bit.

No chilling is an alternative to chilling after you've boiled up your ingredients for the wrot.

It is pre-ferment. Conditioning is post ferment.

Cheers

 

[rendo]

sweet, got it. Have done some reading and yep, I get it. For when I eventually start AG or real partials

No chilling is only relevant to full volume boils and full volume boils are mainly relevant to partial grain mash and all grain mash brews. You can do full volume extract boils but it's not really necessary.

Basically, when you do a full volume boil, you traditionally chill as quickly as possible to pitching temperature.

No chill circumvents this. Do a google search for 'aussiehomebrewer no chill' for a more detailed explanation
for your own knowledge.

 

[Spiesy]

looks like Bunning's no longer stock these. They now only have 20l "cubes" without a rubber gasket in the lid - they're not airtight. They do have 25l cubes - but that's too much headroom for me. Ray's Outdoors don't have them either.

But.. SuperCheap Auto do: http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-st...453#Description

I'm going to head down and grab a couple tomorrow.

Just a heads up.

 

[Nick JD]

looks like Bunning's no longer stock these. They now only have 20l "cubes" without a rubber gasket in the lid - they're not airtight. They do have 25l cubes - but that's too much headroom for me. Ray's Outdoors don't have them either.

But.. SuperCheap Auto do: http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-st...453#Description

I'm going to head down and grab a couple tomorrow.

Just a heads up.

BigW also still stock them ... but beware, their taps are six bucks! Bunnings are $3 IIRC.

 

[Florian]

Kmart also. Used to at least.

I had the first one blow on me the other day.
One of the old white ones, first one i ever bought. After cleaning I added some more sod perc and (which I usually never do) a kettle of boiling water, closed the lid and started shaking the thing. Got hot water sprayed in the face, it blew a hole in the middle of the cube.

Very glad i added the boiling water this time rather than blowing the hole while transferring near boiling wort.

 

[pyrosx]

Kmart also. Used to at least.

I had the first one blow on me the other day.
One of the old white ones, first one i ever bought. After cleaning I added some more sod perc and (which I usually never do) a kettle of boiling water, closed the lid and started shaking the thing. Got hot water sprayed in the face, it blew a hole in the middle of the cube.

Very glad i added the boiling water this time rather than blowing the hole while transferring near boiling wort.

I don't think wort would ever have caused the geyser you experienced....

I've done exactly the same thing with an almost-brand-new cube. Boiling water + sodium perc (or psr) = a butt load of gas = massively increased pressure in your sealed cube = geyser in the face, regardless of the age of the cube.

I now do my shaking with the lid off, at least for the first minute or so... I lid up and shake around gently only after the initial gas been released.

 

[Maheel]

i have a "cleaning wand" to blast out the muck from cubes

just a bit of copper pipe with a hook bend on the end to direct the water back up and into the handle / top area.
has a small hole in the end to create a jet stream

much like a pressure washer effect but can point it all around the cube / jerry

then its the napisan / boiling water / starsan treatment

 

[twizt1d]

i just put the hot water/nappisan in, seal the cube then turn it upside down for an hour or so (lean it against something so it stays upside down)
no need to shake the **** out of it really

i got called off to work once and only had enough time to rack from cube to keg then the cube sat for near 2 weeks, this cube had been blowing off krausen so the top/handle was crusted in ****
doing the upside down soak for a couple hours the **** came off with a gentle shake and hose out

i stick the blowoff tube in the fermenter while its soaking too, always comes up sparkling with minimal or no effort at all

 

[Florian]

I don't think wort would ever have caused the geyser you experienced....

I've done exactly the same thing with an almost-brand-new cube. Boiling water + sodium perc (or psr) = a butt load of gas = massively increased pressure in your sealed cube = geyser in the face, regardless of the age of the cube.

I now do my shaking with the lid off, at least for the first minute or so... I lid up and shake around gently only after the initial gas been released.

I knew someone would say that as soon as I pressed post. Still think the cube would have given up either this brew or one of the next, even without the excess pressure.

I transfer my wort at 93 degrees, so the cube gets pretty soft as it is. Plus i left it out in the sun for a few weeks before using it which might not have helped.

Usually I just rinse, then fill with coldish water and sod perc and leave until the next brew.