[zawker]

I have been making wine from kits off and on for years. I am thinking about doing up some beer for a change of pace.

Can I reuse my primary fermenter pails for beer or should I have a separate set?

Any useful tips?

[hevimees]

I've been making beer and wine for a couple of years now as well, and I use the same set of equipment for both. If you clean and sanitize your pails well, I can't see what harm it could do.

If however your pails are old and badly scratched, you should consider buying now ones. The scratches can be a home for stubborn bacteria that just might spoil your beer.

There's a lot of good information about brewing beer at www.howtobrew.com . Follow the instructions found there and you can't go far wrong, with one exception:

If you decide to take the easy way and make your first beer from a beerkit that doesn't tell you to boil the wort, then don't boil the wort. Some people will say that boiling the wort of a no-boil beer kit will make the beer better, but they are just wrong.

Feel free to ask any questions. Usually people reading this forum are happy to help new and old brewers alike.

[zawker]

If however your pails are old and badly scratched, you should consider buying now ones.

Good point. The pails I use are 10 years old and have seen a number of batches. Time to buy extra pails anyway I think.

There's a lot of good information about brewing beer at www.howtobrew.com .

Looks useful. I have bookmarked the site and will give it a good read later tonight.

Thanks

[mattbussey]

I've brewed beer and wine in the same pails and I haven't had any problems with it.

[Aneurysm]

the guy at my local brew store told me he would use a different pail so there would be no chance of getting a beer flavour in your wine. he is convinced the plastic will hang on to the odour.

You could consider getting a glass primary, then its no problem what you brew in it.