If you had to choose between starting to can beers or having a glycol chiller for temp control which would you pick and why? I am looking at getting either the brewbuilt glycol chiller or the cannular top can seamer. Any advice would be great.
True, but depending on location, winter could help delay the purchase of the chiller (tax return?) while getting the seamer now. Or the purchases could get flipped.Temp control is more important then Canning.
True, but depending on location, winter could help delay the purchase of the chiller (tax return?) while getting the seamer now. Or the purchases could get flipped.
BTW, if you do get the can seamer, make sure you get the shield for it. Unless you want to get hit by the foam flinging off the can as it spins.
I never liked bottling. I fill a small keg (2-1/2 or 3 gallon) of each batch and can the rest for others to take with them. Since I carbonate in conical, canning off that is easy. Especially with the right equipment.Canning home brew reminds me of bottling days with a lot more hassle and waste. Unless you need a glycol chiller, which is much more useful than a canner, I’d say package home brew in kegs.
I've built 2 one ton glycol chillers for super cheap but I would have no way to build a can seamer so I would have to buy that item. I say get the seamer and DIY a chiller.
I’ve always used a beergun and bottles for handouts. I don’t think I’ll ever buy into canning home brew.I never liked bottling. I fill a small keg (2-1/2 or 3 gallon) of each batch and can the rest for others to take with them. Since I carbonate in conical, canning off that is easy. Especially with the right equipment.
I started with the original beergun for filling bottles from keg (as needed). I still use it to bottle mead (not carbonated). But, for canning I'm using the Tapcooler counterpressure can filling setup. They missed a few marks on their redesign. Namely NOT having an option where you can mount it on a table like you could with the previous design. I had to make mounting hardware to get it to work on my wire mesh cart. I have it right next to the Cannular Pro to seal the cans once filled.I’ve always used a beergun and bottles for handouts. I don’t think I’ll ever buy into canning home brew.
I started with the original beergun for filling bottles from keg (as needed). I still use it to bottle mead (not carbonated). But, for canning I'm using the Tapcooler counterpressure can filling setup. They missed a few marks on their redesign. Namely NOT having an option where you can mount it on a table like you could with the previous design. I had to make mounting hardware to get it to work on my wire mesh cart. I have it right next to the Cannular Pro to seal the cans once filled.
IME, the Tapcooler and Cannular Pro are as easy to use as a beergun and cap crimping item. Especially if you start off with carbonated beer/product.
I have a batch that I plan to keg and can some night this week (or Saturday morning if I can't get to it before then).
It would be helpful to know a bit about your current process/brewing equipment to assess. If, for instance, a glycol chiller would allow you to introduce temperature control for the first time it would be my preference.
In my case, I already had temperature control via old refrigerators with Inkbird controllers and pressure fermentation in used kegs. A glycol chiller and stainless fermenters would be cool to look at, but would not fundamentally change the quality of my beer. A canner, on the other hand, makes it far easier to give away my brews and has that wow factor. I went with the Oktober SL1 and have zero regrets.
That's another reason I ferment in the basement. Cooler than the rest of the house year round.so I have yet to have any temp control for fermentation. Best I was able to do is hope and pray the house didn’t get warm.
NOT needing to clean bottles is not a minor aspect IMO. Storing cans (empty or full) is also far easier than bottles. When I started brewing I had horrible luck getting caps to crimp onto bottles. To the point where I ditched that type completely and went to the swing tops (NOT cheap). I still have a few of those IF I want to use them for some strange reason.I'm with @Jayjay1976 canning homebrew seems like a hassle and a waste of time/resources. Unlike bottling cans aren't reusable and create waste and extra costs (bottles are practically free).
I would understand if you're pumping out a huge volume and shipping it across the country as cans weigh significantly less than bottles. But otherwise canning looks like a novelty that would lose its luster pretty fast.
Since OP doesn't currently have temp control glycol looks like a good plan.
Add to that, the state of flux the can market is in with Ball's policy changes would help me make a decision right now also.
Between the first case of 500ml cans I ordered and when I needed to order more, they went up about $30. So I ordered two cases to be sure I wouldn't have to worry about getting them again too soon (if the prices went up more). Hopefully by the time I need more of those the price will either be the same I paid on the second order, or closer to the first order.Well, I don't think any of us are ordering pre-printed pallets of cans so maybe out of the woods there. But that said, I ordered $160 worth of cans to be safe and should be good for a hot minute.
Not bad on the pricing, even shipping to NH. I'll keep them in mind for when I need more cans.I'm under 3 hours from Oktober so I couldn't get shipping much cheaper but I paid about $100 shipped for 192 16oz cans early last fall and bought 2 more cases for the same price around the holidays. I bought a stack of 4-pack holders but also asked friends to save them and am getting as many back as I give out even though some of the beer is traveling out of state. If I get 6 pack holders I trim off 2 and add the remaining 4 to the stack.
For those of you that can , is there a technique to getting the can full and staying hard? My aunt got a canner a couple years ago and we tried it out . It seemed like the cans were plyable once filled , kind of squishy.
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