Will a plastic demijohn afect the taste?

Question

I'm about to start brewing my own cider and i was considering wether or not to use a plastic demijohn in case a glass one is damaged in the post. However, i am not sure if using a plastic one will affect the flavour of the cider?

Also is it easier to use a safety cork as opposed to a fermentation bung?

any help would be appreciated

Answer 1

You should be fine with food grade plastic. I use glass just because that's what I've collected over the years and I like to see what's going on with the fermentation. I would use a basic air lock valve if you have one available.

Answer 2

The plastic should have no effect as long as it is food grade (which I'm sure it is if bought from a homebrew supply).

I'm not sure what a safety cork is.  Fermentation airlocks are cheap and work well.

Answer 3

plastic is OK... its debatable if it affects the flavor, the nice thing is it may be easier to keep the light out, which light can affect the flavor.

most brewers of cider and beer use  plastic fermentation buckets these days, which are cheaper than demijohns or carboys usually. so a plastic demijohn is MORE than adequate.

as for capping it, as long as you have a good airlock, wether you use a cork or a bung it shouldn't matter it does the same thing, keeps air out, while letting CO2 past the airlock.