# Use Culligan plastic jug for skeeter pee ??



## Twintrades (Feb 26, 2012)

Im thinking about starting some skeeter pee.

Do i have to use a glass carboy or could i just use a 5 gallon jug from culligan ???


----------



## Runningwolf (Feb 26, 2012)

For a short term wine like Skeeter Pee you'll be fine with that jug. For long term storage..no way.


----------



## Twintrades (Feb 26, 2012)

Yea im not planning on storing it in this. Just to ferment and then ill rack into Bottles. Now to find some bottles......


----------



## FTC Wines (Feb 27, 2012)

I use the plastic water jugs for SP all the time. I save my glass carboys for the long term wine. Soon you'll be making 10 gal. batches of SP, it goes that FAST! Roy


----------



## MurphyTexas (Feb 27, 2012)

I like doing things as inexpensive as possible but doing it right so it turns out tasting great. 

If the Culligan is PETE1 carboy then great! If it is another number then no. 

The Skeeter Pee directions call for you to use a wire wisk to get air into the primary. I did this and it fermented right away. If you start in a Carboy jug then you cannot wisk it daily. 

I'm using 5 gallon food grade buckets from Lowes for primary so I can wisk air into the SP. They are $3.97 each but if you buy 5 you get the "contractor pack discount" for $3.45 each. Then if you go to the post office beforehand and get the moving packet there is a 10% off coupon. They also sell the food grade lids with a seal for $1.45. So you could get a couple of these and then when it's time to go to secondary you could fit an airlock in the lid. 

Personally I like using a carboy for secondary. I prefer PETE 1 plastic carboys over glass. I like the plastic Better-Bottle but a less expensive route I also use is to get a 5 gallon NESTLE brand water bottle from the grocery store. Just make sure the water bottle is PETE 1 and not another number on the little triangle on the bottom. 

After secondary I am putting it in Corny kegs and charging it with CO2 to make it carbonated.


----------



## Twintrades (Feb 28, 2012)

Around here thers only no 7 for water jugs and the sort. We dont have lowes only home depot. Im planning on whisking with a electric drill that has a chunk of plastic rod thats bent on the bottom. That should arreate it just fine thought.

Not shure if the home depot buckets are food grade or not?


----------



## MurphyTexas (Feb 28, 2012)

The drill wisk sounds interesting. What I can say is that I think it is very important to getting it to strongly ferment. On Friday morning I mixed the Lemon Sugar per SP recipe (1.075) and hand wisked it until I was sore. On Saturday afternoon I added my Lees from a Blueberry Pomegranate Juice wine that I racked into a secondary. Again wisking at an angle to add air (not just mixing). Sunday it was a volcano and I wisked again. I had put it into 2 five gallon lowes buckets as I wanted plenty of head room for wisking. Monday morning wisked and it was at 1.065. Today Tuesday it had at least 2 inces of active foam in each bucket and it was at 1.020. I was suppose to add the last bottle of lemon / 3 tsp Y nutrient and 1 tsp of Y energizer at 1.050 and it was already down to 1.020 so I added lemon juice and wisked again. This stuff is fast. 

Regarding the plastic PETE1 versus number 7 water bottle carboy I will not use the number 7 because you have no idea what is in the plastic nor what will come out of the plastic and into your wine / Skeeter Pee. I went to Better-Bottle website and read their research on this. What I learned from them is that PETE1 is the way to go. I kept looking at all the different places that sold 5 gallon water bottles until I found a Nestle brand PETE1. It was at a grocery store called Safeway Tom Thumb. I also have purchased some 6 gallon Better Bottles from the local brew store which are the best. 

About 5 gallon buckets... I read a lot of threads on plastic buckets. I want to make beverages that will not harm the people who drink it. The food grade Number 2 looks the same as the non food grade - there is no special markings. The plastic bucket manufacturer pays a premium to have the food grade tested and approved per NSF21 I think. What is important is that Lowes sells both. The non food grade is $2.78. The Food Grade is $3.97 and has a big sticker that says it is food grade and suitable for food and BEVERAGES. Both manufactured by the same plastics company. I cannot tell them apart except for the sticker and that the non food grade are fun colors. If you only have Home Depot, ask the store manager why Lowes has food grade buckets and Home Depot can't get any.


----------



## Twintrades (Feb 29, 2012)

i found some culligan bottles that are no 1 PET we good to go soon !


----------



## WildBill (Mar 1, 2012)

MurphyTexas said:


> The Skeeter Pee directions call for you to use a wire wisk to get air into the primary. I did this and it fermented right away. If you start in a Carboy jug then you cannot wisk it daily.



What I do is put the lemon juice in my kitchenaid mixer and run it at high speed using the whisk attatchment for about30 minutes. You can smell the sulfites boil out. I have great fermentation with no further whisking. I just stir it every day like I would any wine.


----------



## MurphyTexas (Mar 1, 2012)

Twintrades - PET 1. Good. Let us know how it works out. 

Wild Bill - Great Idea that I will use on my next batch. This forum is great for learning from each other. When I wisk I just smell lemons not preservatives. 

Last night I racked Cranberry / Apple starter SP into secondary. Today I will do the same for Pomegranate / Blueberry starter SP. Sanitizing 2 corny kegs in anticipation.


----------



## donaltman3 (Mar 6, 2012)

Most all of the local water bottles around here are PET 1. A number 10 bung works well in them.


----------

