Anyone know what this is?

I found this on craigslist but it dosen't have a lid anyone know where I could get a lid would like to use it to age and serve beer from.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/for/2981847261.html

Looks like a milk can that someone halfway converted into a kettle...

Have you tried emailing the seller and asking?
It looks like a milk jug to me also, but who knows what kind of lid it takes, or if it'll support any pressure.

Being as the inside dimensions are smaller than the outside it must be like a thermos bottle. My guess would be a semen tank, but I have never seen one with a bottom drain. It might have lost it's vacuum so the liquid nitrogen just boils out of it.

That sir is a craigslist fail...two pics and they are both of the same side. Not helping explain the spout on the dark side.
Looks like a milk can but the double wall seems more fitting for a lab container.

ruralbrew said:

My guess would be a semen tank, but I have never seen one with a bottom drain.

Click to expand...

Umm, I'm sorry, a whaaa?

I'd go along with the liquid nitrogen tank thought. The top probably clamped on similar to a tri clover clamp. I'm sure it was able to hold pressure at some point in it's life, but now....???

Yeah Liquid Nitrogen tanks are used to store Semen samples for fertilizing farm stock. Cows, Horses, Pigs... etc. Probably that.
It is 'possible' that it was a milking can. There is a Large Triclover style lid that clamps on them. Vacuum is hooked to it, and then the suckers are put on the cow teats. Small farms use that to milk a few cows and then dump it in the bulk tank. Most have a different shape tho.
similar to the one here

ruralbrew said:

Being as the inside dimensions are smaller than the outside it must be like a thermos bottle. My guess would be a semen tank, but I have never seen one with a bottom drain. It might have lost it's vacuum so the liquid nitrogen just boils out of it.

Click to expand...

+1 as soon as I saw it, I thought, that looks like a semen tank.

So I think I'm going to pass on this one, I don't really wanna brew in semen.

It's not "Literally" stored inside the vessel like a liquid (that'ld be ALOT of semen!). There is a rack in there holds the individual containers. Anyway... Being stainless you could clean it properly... but that vessel probably isn't something you would use for brewing purposes anyway. About the only thing it might be good for is yeast collection for a small brewery.

Do a google search for this "Large Italian Fusti Dispenser".

Most hold a few gallons, but you can get them up to 10 gallons.
With some work to the top, it could make an excellent mashtun.