Local source for 1 gallon jars?

Hi,
Does anybody know a place to get large glass jars? They don't have to be mason jars, but should be heavy enough to stand up to repeated use.

The thread about Moscow Mules, got me thinking about homemade Ginger Beer, so I ordered a Ginger Beer Plant. Now, I need 4 big jars to hold my experiments.

dave

d,

You could go down to your favorite watering hole, and ask if you could take some of their olive / maraschino cherry jars. If the place is big enough they should be recieving them in 1 gal jars from GFS/Sysco, or the likes.

Flip

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=850&f=3079

these aren't even that expensive, considering it's crate and barrel.



http://www.instawares.com/anchor-hocking-glass-jars.4524.6.4434.0.0.8.htm

i've purchased from this restaurant supply house and they're fast, good, and cheap.

My go-to place for all things container-like is American Science and Surplus where I bought new spice jars (surplus jelly jars, methinks) for .25 apiece. Not gallon sized, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had some.

I often see people who look suspiciously like home wine or beer makers perusing the glass container aisle. Plus, you might find some cool gallon beaker-like container and have the added benefit of science-fair geekiness to your home brewed concoctions.

Thanks for the suggestions. I like those crate and barrel jars. I may get one for the Ginger Beer Plant to live in when it is not in use. Unfortunately, the openings are too wide to brew in, and I can't use the carboys that I use for beer, because the openings are too narrow. I forgot completely about American Science. That used to be one of my favorite places to shop, but for some reason, I haven't been there for years. It is worth a trip even if they don't have the jars I need.

Since an airtight seal is probably important, these hermetically sealed jars may be worth looking into:

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Pr ... ODID=74412
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Pr ... ODID=60178

The Container Store
908 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL
(312) 654-8450

Flip wrote:d,

You could go down to your favorite watering hole, and ask if you could take some of their olive / maraschino cherry jars. If the place is big enough they should be recieving them in 1 gal jars from GFS/Sysco, or the likes.

Flip

Most have switched from glass to plastic. Not sure it they will work.

d4v3 wrote:...so I ordered a Ginger Beer Plant...

Where did you order this, and what exactly did you order?

Mhays wrote:My go-to place for all things container-like is American Science and Surplus where I bought new spice jars (surplus jelly jars, methinks) for .25 apiece. Not gallon sized, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had some.

I often see people who look suspiciously like home wine or beer makers perusing the glass container aisle.

You must have seen me there! Seriously though, lots of brewers shop there. Its great for DIY experimenter type people who are a little off the beaten path.

chicagojay wrote:

d4v3 wrote:...so I ordered a Ginger Beer Plant...

Where did you order this, and what exactly did you order?

I ordered it from fermented treasures.

A Ginger Beer Plant (GBP) is basically a slimy lichen comprised of symbiotic yeast and bacteria, that produces both an alcoholic and lactic fermentation when introduced to sugar water. It is much like a sour dough starter, but it is removed from the ginger beer after it has done its job and stored in a jar until it is needed for another batch. Eventually it will grow (hopefully), and can be split up. All GBP are descendants of an original GBP brought to England from the Caucuses during the Crimean War.

http://www.fermentedtreasures.com/gingerbp.html

I intend to document my experiments in the Something to Drink section. Hopefully, I will eventually have some excess GBP (and ginger beer) to share with others.

chicagojay wrote:...people who are a little off the beaten path.

Yes, me exactly ! I typically shop there for parties, halloween costumes, and kitchen supplies - often simultaneously.

Interesting. It basically contains Saccharomyces and Lactobacillus which are common to beer making, especially Belgian beers. Careful though, their recipes are bottle bomb recipes, and beer does not stop fermenting in the fridge, despite what they say. You could always use lactose or some other unfermentable sugar for sweetening and use the proper amount of table sugar for carbonation.

Interesting recipes though. Maybe I will try them sometime.