[daveyboy]

I want to brew some beer and I want it with only the microbes in there that I choose as much as possible. Noticed someone has dumped a small fridge by the side of the road which is big enough to hold my "brewing keg" so I figured if I check it's still a sealed unit and patch if it isn't, fit it with a grommet and pressure release valve plus an insert tap, then wash it with bleach and flush it with nitrogen I'll have a very very sterile place for my beer to get on making itself.

Is this a sound theory or crackpot?

Probably sterile for other things too.

[billnotgatez]

if the inside of the "keg" is stainless steel then it sounds OK

most people i know use a simple system of a crock pot with a cloth over the top.
some use a carboy with a special plug at the top that allows for carbon dioxide escape.

[daveyboy]

It's an HDPE fermenter with the plug so like a carboy

[billnotgatez]

The part about the refrigerator fooled me.
i assume you will use the refrigerator after you are done fermenting.

From my memory
the people that use glass carboys or ceramic pots just use bleach with a thorough rinsing afterwords.

i wonder if the HDPE would rinse thoroughly.

of course when people brew they do sterile practices like washing of hands and not leaving containers open to the air for long periods.

[daveyboy]

I want to brew this in a dusty shed so I wanted to put it in the fridge to keep the atmosphere nice. Other ideas welcome, maybe just some stuck down plastic with a pressure release valve put in it

[billnotgatez]

have you thought of using an brewing airlock

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=ldj&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&q=brewing+airlock&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=vE_2S9KlDcK78gbFxpjTCg&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQrQQwAA

[hobobot]

Yeah you'll be fine. use an airlock like billnotgatez posted.
Just remember that temperature is just as important as a sterile container. Beer should be kept around 70F.
And if your batch doesn't come out, just distill it and make vodka or something. (assuming that's legal where you live. Don't ask don't tell.)

[skyjumper]

You could make those airlocks real easily from the looks of it (especially if you have some lab gear.) Maybe even a one way valve (the ones that have the ball inside so air can come out, not go in.)