Anyone Canning Beer?

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LarMoeCur

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My wonderful wife heard me talking to the brewer at my local brewery. He was canning up a few crowlers for me to go. I said something to the fact that I was thinking about switching from bottles to cans. Well a week later a Cannular and two boxes of cans shows up at my house. Clearly mis-delivered because my wife doesn't love me that much!

Anyway back to the question. Anyone canning? What are your feelings on canning?

I'm not completely sold yet. I like cans but yet I like bottles too.
 
I don’t can but IMO cans travel much better, like In a cooler when I’d prefer to take some beer with me fishing.

Of course you can be like my son who attends U of Tampa and tossed a can of Bud Light (tight spiral,of course) some 30 yards (he was his HS QB) into the hands of Gromkoski during the SB parade who one handed it, popped it open, chugged the beer and gave the thumbs up to my son.

Try that with anything other than a can
 
I don’t can but IMO cans travel much better, like In a cooler when I’d prefer to take some beer with me fishing.

That is exactly the part I like the best. My buddy has a absolutely no glass rule around his pool. It sucks to have to get out of the hot tub/pool to refill your plastic cup all the time. Plus no koozie to keep it cool.

My second favorite part is when people crack the top take one taste and ask where did you get this beer! I need to go pick some up. No one expects homebrew to be in cans. Cans for sure break the stigmatism of homebrew being bad.

Now, I hate the cost. I just canned 36 IPAs up for my homebrew club event next week. As I'm watching my stash of cans shrink, I'm thinking these cans are 33 cents each. Are my club buddies worth 33 cents? I never thought that with bottles because I knew they were coming home to get refilled.
 
If it weren't for the cost of canning equipment and one-time use cans, I'd absolutely be canning. I don't bottle much anyway, but I'd love to be able to bring a 6-pack to a cookout or pool party instead of bottles or growlers or mini-kegs. I just can't justify the cost right now for a "luxury" brewing item. Perhaps someday.
 
I’ve canned half of a few batches and I’m loving it. Not having to worry about glass is great. I really like designing labels and putting them on packaged homebrew. The 4 pack can holders are compact for giving away beer and it shows the labels right up front. The cost is definitely high to get up and running, but it has motivated me to keep beers moving through the pipeline. I have a 3 tap kegerator, 2 keg aging/carbing fridge, and 2 fermentors. When I need to make room for a new keg, I know I gotta can some beer.
 
I bought a case of the Twistee Can crowlers and like them. It was pricey but I pretty much have a lifetime supply as I'm finding I can reuse them for short term use a few times. I mark the bottom with a Sharpie and toss them after 3 uses because I've had a couple take a little extra effort to seal at use 3. For short term use I fill them with a growler filler but I filled a few with a beer gun last summer and drank them over the holidays and the beer remained good--no signs of oxidation or lost carbonation.

I keep kicking around the idea of getting set up to do 16oz cans but its not cheap. I put together the comparison below for my benefit. If you take out the cost of the canner, the number in yellow is what it costs to give a friend a 4-pack (excluding contents, labels, and a 4-pack carrier.) Total cost is your lifetime cost if you fill X cans and sell the seamer.

All these prices include tax and delivery to my location. Resale values on the canners I'm just making a guess based on average homebrew equipment resale prices. Obviously the older the machine gets the lower the resale will be and one could argue the Cannular might depreciate faster than the Oktober.

Personally if I make the leap I'm probably just buying the Michigan-made Oktober. But I also question whether I'd ever get to the 400-500 can mark where its worth it. And Twistee offers an advantage space wise as I can store 48 cans instead of 192 and don't need to store the machine or have it take up space on the counter.

If a larger homebrew club wanted to split a pallet of 4,668 Twistee cans the cost does go down to $3.98/4pk.

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Matt - I've thought the same thing. I've shopped around quite a bit and most can companies want you to buy a pallet of cans. The cheapest I've found cans is .12 cents a can. Now the pallet quantities is the issue. 7002 cans is a butt-ton! I have a big garage but my wife would kill me if I put a pallet of cans in there. It would take me a life time to use up 7002 cans! Now spitting 840 bucks between 7 people sounds perfect! 120 bucks for 1000 cans. I'm up for that!

I store some of my bigger dark beers for years. I'm not sure, I'd trust screw on lids for long term storage. I looked at the Oktober Seamer quite a bit. It's nice but not over double the cost nice. Morebeer had the Cannular for $379. I guess the rollers got installed in reverse so they discounted them. It took me less than 5 minutes to take them out and reverse them correctly.

BTW I've found 16.9oz Cannular cans for $90 a box of 207 delivered (.43 cents a can).
 
Of course you can be like my son who attends U of Tampa and tossed a can of Bud Light (tight spiral,of course) some 30 yards (he was his HS QB) into the hands of Gromkoski during the SB parade who one handed it, popped it open, chugged the beer and gave the thumbs up to my son.

Try that with anything other than a can

I expect it would work with a pet bottle, more ball shaped as well!!!
 
Morebeer had the Cannular for $379. I guess the rollers got installed in reverse so they discounted them. It took me less than 5 minutes to take them out and reverse them correctly.

Wow, good deal--wish I'd seen that. That pushes the break-even to 100 cans!
 
It can certainly be an issue with bottles, also, but I judged at a club competition a month or so ago. A member of the club cans and he helped a number of folks can their beers for the competition. Every single one of them lacked carbonation. I'm sure its possible to do it right, but my friend hasn't figured it out yet.
 
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I have the cannular it’s pretty awesome. The only thing is you need to plan ahead to can I very often still just pour beer in a growler to take with me. This is because in order to properly can you have to break out the beer gun and then clean that too. I haven’t tried pouring it directly i to the can from the tap and canning yet to see how it holds up.
 
The only mess problem I had is you need to fill the can to the point that when you put the top on there is some overflow. Other than that nothing I wouldn’t buy the guard.
 
It can certainly be an issue with bottles, also, but I judged at a club competition a month or so ago. A member of the club cans and he helped a number of folks can their beers for the competition. Every single one of them lacked carbonation. I'm sure its possible to do it right, but my friend hasn't figured it out yet.

I haven't noticed any under carbonated beers with my setup. I still use my Blichmann Beer Gun. I fill cans the exact same way I fill bottles. I'm wondering if he is filling out of the tap.

The only mess problem I had is you need to fill the can to the point that when you put the top on there is some overflow. Other than that nothing I wouldn’t buy the guard.

To me it's about as messy as filling bottles. I always had a bucket Starsan that I would submerge bottles in. Pulling those bottles out and draining always left a puddle of sanitizer on the floor. I now just fill the cans in a roasting pan which catches the over flow when I put the lid on. I also don't fill the can to the top. I fill it just below where I think the lid with sit. I hold the lid almost closed as I'm pulling the beer gun. Right before the beer gun tip leaves the beer. I give it shot of CO2 until the beer foams enough to hold the lid. I then seal. There is still some foam that over flows but not nearly as much as when I fill full.
 
I’ve canned half of a few batches and I’m loving it. Not having to worry about glass is great. I really like designing labels and putting them on packaged homebrew. The 4 pack can holders are compact for giving away beer and it shows the labels right up front. The cost is definitely high to get up and running, but it has motivated me to keep beers moving through the pipeline. I have a 3 tap kegerator, 2 keg aging/carbing fridge, and 2 fermentors. When I need to make room for a new keg, I know I gotta can some beer.
Do you use a particular software for designing the cans?
I’ve canned half of a few batches and I’m loving it. Not having to worry about glass is great. I really like designing labels and putting them on packaged homebrew. The 4 pack can holders are compact for giving away beer and it shows the labels right up front. The cost is definitely high to get up and running, but it has motivated me to keep beers moving through the pipeline. I have a 3 tap kegerator, 2 keg aging/carbing fridge, and 2 fermentors. When I need to make room for a new keg, I know I gotta can some beer.
Do you use a particular software for designing the cans? Ordering blank stickers from Amazon and printing? How do they hold up to getting wet in a cooler per say?
 
I found Fiverr a year back and pay graphic designers between $10 to $20 to take the ideas from my head onto a label. I then have Grogtag or BeerLabelizer print them. They are both adhesive vinyl and look awesome. The GrogTag ones are reusable. They are designed to get wet so they’re waterproof.
 
I see they now sell a splash guard for the Cannular. How much mess does the actual canner make?

haha, I’m estimating but like 7 feet without the splash guard. If you cap on foam and put it straight on the machine, the rapid rotation can fling everything off very quickly and in every direction.
 
I found Fiverr a year back and pay graphic designers between $10 to $20 to take the ideas from my head onto a label. I then have Grogtag or BeerLabelizer print them. They are both adhesive vinyl and look awesome. The GrogTag ones are reusable. They are designed to get wet so they’re waterproof.
Thanks! I have bookmarked both sites. Do you have a particular artist you use that charges the $10-$20 or just use random artists each time?
 
Can someone with the factory power supply list the specs? They don't quite make them readable in the product shots of course. I can made a holder for my Milwaukee batteries but might be just as easy to buy a different power supply--theirs is clearly overpriced.
 
How are people powering the Cannular? They say an 18V power tool battery works well?

I bought a 2 dollar Anderson plug. I already had a drill battery adaptor laying around so I just paired up the two with a little wire. My 20v Dewalt batteries work perfectly. I've run 50 plus cans without a battery change.

Can someone with the factory power supply list the specs? They don't quite make them readable in the product shots of course. I can made a holder for my Milwaukee batteries but might be just as easy to buy a different power supply--theirs is clearly overpriced.

It's a 110 volt, 150 watt, 24 volt, 8300 mA output power supply. I'm planning on building one in the near future.
 
This might help you re power supply.



You can buy adapters as well for batteries so that you plug them in and then put your andersen plug on the other end.

See in this video



I just hacked a spare charger adapter to fit the battery for supplying power having bought 2 drills with battery on each as it was cheaper than a standalone battery. One connector on the charger plate goes to a different input on the battery so it can be charged. You have to move that connector to the same position as on the drill to get output from the setup. Could post photos if needed but I think most people won't have two chargers for the same drill.
 
Finding it hard to get the cans? I’ve seen multiple items indicating there is a national aluminum can shortage. We’re finding it hard to even find canned cat food these days.

Seems to be a perfect storm of big breweries canning more, cheaper canning machines available so every small microbrewery is canning, the rise of hard seltzer which is everywhere and all cans, and wineries that are now canning - coupled with labor shortages from covid.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sp...-aluminum-cans-seek-additional-resources/amp/
 
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Finding it hard to get the cans? I’ve seen multiple items indicating there is a national aluminum can shortage. We’re finding it hard to even find canned cat food these days.

Seems to be a perfect storm of big breweries canning more, cheaper canning machines available so every small microbrewery is canning, the rise of hard seltzer which is everywhere and all cans, and wineries that are now canning - coupled with labor shortages from

Finding kegland cans is easy. Almost all the homebrew suppiers have them in stock. Because of the milliliter conversion they have wierd volume in ounces. Now finding american 12 oz cans all but impossible. Oktober has them but their cost to ship sucks. Almost double the cost of kegland cans. Then there's the problem of finding a smaller amount. Most companies want you to order a pallet full.
 
I finally pulled the trigger on an Oktober which will be here tomorrow!

Canning is really starting to grow on me. I've found some very interesting uses for canned beverages!

Bottle of bourbon - 20 dollars
2 liter of Coke - 2 dollars
Can Sealer - 350 dollars
Cans - .30 cents each
The look on your golf buddies faces when they have been waiting for the drink cart for 5 holes at the golf course and then they realize your cart cooler is full of ice cold pre-mixed Bourbon and Cokes - PRICELESS!
 
i know this is about canning, but being i am cheap. i'd use these...reusable, and wouldn't have to keep buying caps for them....

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=132347
$48 for 150 of em... 7 cents a cap, so ~$60 all said and done.

or if you're willing to spend more to make people say, "huh?"

you could get these, tell people you prefer the 'taste' of peroxide, lol

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=133280

Those are not for carbonated beverages and you would blow the bottle up. Do not use these.
 
i use flimsy soda bottles all the time? is it the cap that just wouldn't hold pressure? i seriously doubt it'd blow up, looks thicker then a 2-liter? same material?
 
i use flimsy soda bottles all the time? is it the cap that just wouldn't hold pressure? i seriously doubt it'd blow up, looks thicker then a 2-liter? same material?
I work in plastics engineering developing new bottles. But yeah it more than likely would just blow the cap off but could crack the bottle too depending on the material distribution. Either way it’s not meant to hold pressure, only water. They also use a different resin than 2 liters. Soda bottles are fine as they use a resin for carbonated packages.
 
I work in plastics engineering developing new bottles. But yeah it more than likely would just blow the cap off but could crack the bottle too depending on the material distribution. Either way it’s not meant to hold pressure, only water. They also use a different resin than 2 liters. Soda bottles are fine as they use a resin for carbonated packages.


as an experiment, i just filled a little flimsy dasni water bottle with beer...shook it up with the cap on, no explosion. but the lid was oozing.....

but you're right i couldn't find a cap for those bottles with the little gasket that soda bottles have.....
 

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