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Galvanized Tub for making Root Beer

I will soon be making a large batch (16 gallons) of root beer using dry ice for carbonation and cooling. My first choice for a container would be a hot-dipped galvanized tub. What I've found so far is that the zinc coating would be a problem only for acidic foods, which I don't think includes root beer. Does anyone know more about the safety of my plan. The root beer is primarily for children at a church function.

Ken Foote
user / volunteer - Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
February 18, 2011

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Hi, Ken. I'd say no good. Galvanized tubs are not meant to directly hold food. Find a large stainless steel or enameled pot, or one of those large bottles used for office water coolers.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
February 18, 2011

Root beer has a pH of around 4.0 depending on the brand. It is fairly acidic.

Jim Schwartzmyer
- North Tonawanda, New York, USA
First of three simultaneous responses -- February 21, 2011

Soft drinks are acidic. Some but not all is caused by the carbonation. Not good with zinc

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
Second of three simultaneous responses -- February 21, 2011

Thanks, Ted, for your quick response. I've used a plastic storage tub in the past with a wire cooling rack to guard against direct contact with the dry ice. I'll check on your other suggestions, but I may need to go that way again. I'm having a hard time finding anything else big enough.

Ken Foote
- Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Third of three simultaneous responses -- February 21, 2011

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Hi, Ken. Lining the galvanized tub with a plastic food storage bag would be fine, but I'm hesitant to recommend a trash liner these days when they feature perfumes and odor absorbers and what not.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
February 21, 2011

Thanks, guys, for the info and for saving me from making a potentially bad mistake. I'll be looking at other options.

Ken Foote
- Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
February 22, 2011

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Funny how this particular thread came up. I was just griping the other day as to how my waste water effluent is limited to a pH above 5, yet one has to wonder how many 100's of thousands of gallons of soda pop with a pH of less than 5 is dumped down the drain every day/week by the American public.

Marc Green
anodizer - Boise, Idaho
February 23, 2011

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Hi, Marc. Tyranny of the majority? You get one vote, they each get one vote. Which product dump should be regulated? :-)

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
February 24, 2011

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Friend of mine had the same conundrum a few years back. She is a caterer and had to come up with a super sized punch bowl for a HAGG. A HAGG in rural Alberta is the ladies version of a stag. Not exactly sure what goes on there but I do know that copious amounts of alcohol tend to get consumed. She had to find a way to provide enough poison punch to knock the sox off approximately 100 redneck women all crammed into an old curling rink. Her answer was one of those silly plastic kiddie splash pools. She claims she and her husband poured in 2 cases of vodka "24 bottles" and topped it up with ice, fruit and juice. Tables with enough food to feed an army and then herded the women in and closed and locked the doors. I guess at some point in the night they gnawed the locks off the doors and went forth and flattened several small towns in Saskatchewan. Some husbands later reported that some of their women didn't get home for a week or more. A friend of mine said he was tempted to run his Ole Gurl through the local car wash to get the two week, unwashed drunk smell off of her. He said it was the only time in his life he ever voluntarily slept on the couch. My friend claimed the kiddie wading pool was licked clean and only a few orange peels remained.

Rod Henrickson
gunsmith - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
February 25, 2011

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I hear ya Ted, but I still can whine a little bit, can't I?


Marc Green
anodizer - Boise, Idaho
February 28, 2011