Milk Can (40L, Aluminum made) can it be transformed into a good fermenter?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

allegrini

Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Location
Sao Paulo
Hi there, new to HBT (I debated if I should include this question in the newbies topic or here).

I'm assembling a new kit and I came accross a 40L Milk Transport Can, brand-new made of Aluminium, with an air tight lid, O-ring and clasp lock... Similar to the one on the end of the post.

I started thinking of getting one and converting into a Fermenter.

Here (I'm in Brazil) we do not have easy/affordable access to stainless steel conical fermenters so I'm after alternatives to plastic buckets.

Has anyone seen one of these converted to Fermenters?

My initial idea is:

1) acquire the milk-can
2) drill a whole on top and install an airlock
3) drill a whole on the bottom and install a 1/2" spherical ball-valve and spigot

Voila, I have a new fermenter. :ban:

Any ideas/Suggetions/critics/comments etc?

Thanks lads!

Keep Trying, Keep brewing, Keep Happy.

Allegrini


671786132.html
 
doesnt aluminum go pretty nasty when u leave liquid in it for long periods?
 
I would worry about metal flavor. Thats why soft drinks/beers in aluminum cans have a liner sprayed in them. To keep the leaching of metallic flavors. SS would be fine but aluminum will effect the taste if left in for long term.
 
Also beer gets much more acidic during fermentation. It might get to the point where it will eat away at the oxide layer and literally eat the aluminum. Aluminum is only stable to around 4.0ph. Fermentation drops ph to around that. Not a good idea.
 
I just can"t imagine an aluminum milk can. Aluminum?

This is not a storage can, normally used for transportation more than anything...

Once again, I'd prefer a Blichmann Conical Fermentor as an ideal choice, and even price taken out of the equation the problem is that it does not arrive here. It's not feasible to import it.
Just to illustrate how stupid taxation can be, I quoted a SS fermentor from China with all the hoops and loops and the initial USD 800 cost would have another USD 1700 added for Shipping and on top of that Brazil adds a lovely 70% import duty on the cost+shipping raising the purchase to a lovely USD 4250.:mad::mad::mad: Now, would you pay that for a 100L fermentor? I wouldn't...

So I'm looking into alternatives to plastic fermenting buckets...

J

Apologies for the rant on taxes....
 
Also beer gets much more acidic during fermentation. It might get to the point where it will eat away at the oxide layer and literally eat the aluminum. Aluminum is only stable to around 4.0ph. Fermentation drops ph to around that. Not a good idea.

Thanks, that's something to keep an eye on... And a very good reason not to use AL in the fermenting tank. Is there anyway to increase the oxide layer prior to fermenting? Maybe an extra boil or something?

Cheers!

Allegrini
 
I would worry about metal flavor. Thats why soft drinks/beers in aluminum cans have a liner sprayed in them. To keep the leaching of metallic flavors. SS would be fine but aluminum will effect the taste if left in for long term.

Brutal, Thanks for the reply! :) What do you think is "long term"
The initial 10 day for fermenting or up to weeks for conditioning?

I can see the trashing that leaving beer for long periods would cause the the AL and most likely transfer taste to the final product...

Any options you can think of? SS is not unfortunately and glass carboys are too expensive as well... I'm seeing lots of plastic buckets ahead of me in the future :(...

Cheers!

Allegrini
 
are you looking for alternatives to plastic buckets because of the plastic? or the size of the buckets?

if plastic isn't the problem, look to see if your LHBS sells liquid extract in these 15 gallon (56 L) containers, they make for awesome fermenters.

bottling spigot fits perfectly on the small opening. add a blowoff tube and you're good to go

IMG_8312.jpg
 
are you looking for alternatives to plastic buckets because of the plastic? or the size of the buckets?

if plastic isn't the problem, look to see if your LHBS sells liquid extract in these 15 gallon (56 L) containers, they make for awesome fermenters.

bottling spigot fits perfectly on the small opening. add a blowoff tube and you're good to go

View attachment 110203

Thanks, the idea is both to move from Plastic and Also to a larger vessel.

But this is a good idea. I'm wondering how easy is to clean and sanitize these containers? I've seen this type of container here for food stuff such as olives etc that are imported from Greece and other parts of the world. They must be food grade (or at least you hope so :) ).

Cheers!

Allegrini
 
Thanks, the idea is both to move from Plastic and Also to a larger vessel.

But this is a good idea. I'm wondering how easy is to clean and sanitize these containers? I've seen this type of container here for food stuff such as olives etc that are imported from Greece and other parts of the world. They must be food grade (or at least you hope so :) ).

Cheers!

Allegrini

when I got mine, there was a pound or 2 of LME still in there... if I had some spare hops and yeast, I would have made a small batch. Ironically, I also didn't have a fermenter.

was pretty easy to clean & sanitize, just took a boatload of hot water and a sink sprayer.

haven't used it yet. just got up to full 5 gallon boils, don't have enough spare bottles to package 4 cases and still trying to work out the logistics of bottling 10 gallons using a 5-gallon bottling bucket. maybe when I get to kegging, I can do ½&½
 
when I got mine, there was a pound or 2 of LME still in there... if I had some spare hops and yeast, I would have made a small batch. Ironically, I also didn't have a fermenter.

was pretty easy to clean & sanitize, just took a boatload of hot water and a sink sprayer.

haven't used it yet. just got up to full 5 gallon boils, don't have enough spare bottles to package 4 cases and still trying to work out the logistics of bottling 10 gallons using a 5-gallon bottling bucket. maybe when I get to kegging, I can do ½&½

Thanks! I think I will try that. If I recall correctly those big "drums" were not that expensive when I saw them, they were USD 17 for a 13 Gallons (50L) and USD 25 for a 60 Gallons (250L). So I think it will be the way forward. I will have to drill a whole, install a spigot and spherical valve and then have a fermenter that way...

But I'd end up with a huge fermenter... :rockin:

Cheers!

Allegrini
 
my LHBS owner had one that had just kicked sitting behind his counter. I asked him about it and he told me if I wanted it, I could take it.

can't beat USD 0!
 
Can you get your hands on a Sanke keg in Brazil? in the US they are used for 15gallons(about 58L) of beer from brewers to mainly bars, although you can rent one and buy the beer for parties and such.

Often they come back in such condition that the brewer decides they aren't worth refilling and they will sell them. The Sanke's are stainless. Often they are used here for brew kettles, but no reason they couldn't be used for fermenting. Well maybe there are, but non I'm aware of.

Additionally can you bet a 15 gallon SS pot? With lid? It seems crazy, and frankly it is, but you can ferment in that with the lid on. You don't need a tight lid to ferment beer well. You will see a lot of thread here on the 'my air lock doesn't bubble' which is often greeted by 'your seal isn't tight, don't worry it will be fine'
 
Another option if you don't like plastic, is glass. There are demijohn's that run large. (aka carboy's). I've seen ones for sale that are in the 15g/58L range. I don't recall the price. They are generally assumed to be used for wine production, but no reason beer couldn't go in there.
 
Can you get your hands on a Sanke keg in Brazil? in the US they are used for 15gallons(about 58L) of beer from brewers to mainly bars, although you can rent one and buy the beer for parties and such.

Often they come back in such condition that the brewer decides they aren't worth refilling and they will sell them. The Sanke's are stainless. Often they are used here for brew kettles, but no reason they couldn't be used for fermenting. Well maybe there are, but non I'm aware of.

Additionally can you bet a 15 gallon SS pot? With lid? It seems crazy, and frankly it is, but you can ferment in that with the lid on. You don't need a tight lid to ferment beer well. You will see a lot of thread here on the 'my air lock doesn't bubble' which is often greeted by 'your seal isn't tight, don't worry it will be fine'

ACBrewer,

Thanks for the idea, another good one. The Kegs we have them here although I have no idea what valve they use (apparently it's a brazilian type one). They have in 5L, 10L, 30L and 50L measurements.

I found some used import 50L Kegs with a D-type valve (mentioned in the ad that the valve is not the BR norm) so I was looking into getting a couple to see if i can:
1) Find a way to open the keg
2) Cleand and Sanitize
3) Use for two purposes:
3.1) Fermentor - Put the same valve back on, drill a hole and insert a airlock valve
3.2) Keg - Replace the valve with the BR Standard and then use as final storage instead of bottles

This would make me move completely from Aluminium and Plastic to SS and that's nice! :-D

Does anybody knows where D Type valve is used? I think it could be in the UK but not 100% sure....

In both cases I will have o acquire a few more tools, expand my workshop and of course get an agreement with SWMBO... Last is the hardest as usual...

With that many kegs I think I will have to throw a party here in Brazil and invite you all. BBQ and Kegs. Throw some Rock on the speakers and that's heaven on earth....

Cheers!

Allegrini
 
ACBrewer,

Thanks for the idea, another good one. The Kegs we have them here although I have no idea what valve they use (apparently it's a brazilian type one). They have in 5L, 10L, 30L and 50L measurements.

I found some used import 50L Kegs with a D-type valve (mentioned in the ad that the valve is not the BR norm) so I was looking into getting a couple to see if i can:
1) Find a way to open the keg
2) Cleand and Sanitize
3) Use for two purposes:
3.1) Fermentor - Put the same valve back on, drill a hole and insert a airlock valve
3.2) Keg - Replace the valve with the BR Standard and then use as final storage instead of bottles

This would make me move completely from Aluminium and Plastic to SS and that's nice! :-D

Does anybody knows where D Type valve is used? I think it could be in the UK but not 100% sure....

In both cases I will have o acquire a few more tools, expand my workshop and of course get an agreement with SWMBO... Last is the hardest as usual...

With that many kegs I think I will have to throw a party here in Brazil and invite you all. BBQ and Kegs. Throw some Rock on the speakers and that's heaven on earth....

Cheers!

Allegrini


Wouldn't I love to come to Brazil for a homebrew.
 
Hi there, Finally all set to go away completely from Aluminium. Bought some 13Gals sanke kegs cheaply (not free, but cheaply) from a reputable source and want to convert them to my SS brewing station.
Check out the lot! :)


My initial plan:

1) 1 Keg for Hot Liquor Tun and Keggle
2) 1 Keg for Mash Tun
3) 1 Keg for Fermenter
4) 1 Keg for future Kegging project

What I've done so far:
* Removed the valve and lid on two of the kegs and will do the same for the third one.
Here goes the valve:


here goes the lid:


And got it cleaned:

Before:


And After:


Acquired:
* Two 1/2" Weldless Bulkhead w/ SS valve (for the HLT and Mash Tun)
* A Thermometer (3" Dial with 6" Stainless Probe) weldless (for the Mash Tun)
* Two Bazooka Screen (for HLT and Mash Tun ?)

So no side holes drilled yet. And this is where I'd like your expertise.

I was thinking of placing it at the lowest possible point for both Bulkheads in the Mash Tun and HLT and a 1/4 of the barrel height from the bottom for the Mash Tun for the thermometer. Any ideas/suggestions/recommendations?

Should I place a pipe from the internal NPT plug to the middle of the keg and then run a pipe down so I don't "loose" those final quarts/gallons? Does this works on gravity alone? I'm upgrading in the future adding some pumps (SWMBO together with house mortgage will define how soon it will happen :cross:)

Last question, do you think it's feasible to use the same keg for both HLT and Beer Kettle? Or should I try to have a separate one so when I'm lautering, the wort goes directly into the Beer Kettle and not into a bucket while the HLT is being used for sparging? I have 5 kegs in total (the other 4 are for wine making - family adventure :rolleyes: )

Lot's a newbie questions :eek: but I prefer asking them instead of patching a badly made hole at a later stage... :)

Cheers!

Allegrini
 
Hi there, Finally all set to go away completely from Aluminium. Bought some 13Gals sanke kegs cheaply (not free, but cheaply) from a reputable source and want to convert them to my SS brewing station.
Check out the lot! :)
Lot's a newbie questions :eek: but I prefer asking them instead of patching a badly made hole at a later stage... :)

Cheers!

Allegrini

I have no advice, but AWESOME SCORE!! good luck!
 
This is not a storage can, normally used for transportation more than anything...

Once again, I'd prefer a Blichmann Conical Fermentor as an ideal choice, and even price taken out of the equation the problem is that it does not arrive here. It's not feasible to import it.
Just to illustrate how stupid taxation can be, I quoted a SS fermentor from China with all the hoops and loops and the initial USD 800 cost would have another USD 1700 added for Shipping and on top of that Brazil adds a lovely 70% import duty on the cost+shipping raising the purchase to a lovely USD 4250.:mad::mad::mad: Now, would you pay that for a 100L fermentor? I wouldn't...

So I'm looking into alternatives to plastic fermenting buckets...

J

Apologies for the rant on taxes....

I prefer almost anything over a Blichmann conical because the port at the bottom is too narrow and gets clogged.
 
I prefer almost anything over a Blichmann conical because the port at the bottom is too narrow and gets clogged.

Wow, I thought Blichmann were the thing to have! :eek: Always learning new things...

I saw a setup where instead of cutting the top of the sanke keg the bottom was cut leaving the valve as an extraction valve, anyone had any experience with this setup?

Too many kegs is a temptation to try new things... I will try to avoid flower beds for SWMOB....

Cheers!:tank:

Allegrini
 
Back
Top