New can seamer

[thunderwagn]

I just started using mine and I can't even begin to tell how much I'm loving it! Yes, it's an investment but the guys in the homebrew club can't wait to get a turn on it and they're willing to pay for the use of it. I've realized that I can legitmately monetize the process by offering service not only to homebrewers but to anyone else who wants to put their personal concoction into cans - cold-brewed coffee, herbal tea, wine coolers, coconut/gensing/hempseed/chia energy drink, etc... It being illegal to actually sell homebrewed alcohol and all. I don't expect that there's a lot of $$ to be made, but even a few bucks here and there over a long enough time would eventually cover the cost.

Getting cans in a reasonable quantity at a decent price can be tricky but around here so many local brewers that need can and canning service, there are convenient sources here in town. I couldn't afford the half-pallet minimum from the warehouse, but I got a "layer" of pint cans (368, I think) from the local mobile canners for .20 a can and the local supplier doesn't have a minimum dollar amount so I got a sleeve of ends for .04 apiece. Investing (eventually?) in a half-pallet will get my price down to .16 per can.

I've been sharing cans like crazy and putting together x-mas-present 4-packs. I've filled with my "beer gun" bottle filler and that was fine and I've filled with a growler tube off the keezer tap and that worked like a charm and I even filled a number of cans direct from a picnic tap on a keg in the fridge and that was perfectly good too! I'm working on a "hands-free" filler with a 2- way mini ball valve that will allow me to drop the filler into the can on a vertical slide, flush with CO2, hold slight pressure and turn the valve to allow liquid to fill the can while I work the canner for the last one filled.

The seamer couldn't be more perfect. Turnkey right out of the box and dead simple to use. You can count to about 8 or 10 from the time you put an end on a filled can, pop onto the lifter, rotate the lever right and left and drop the can into a bucket of sanitizer to rinse the spillage and grab the next can. I figure if I can get the beer flowing just right so that it takes about 12-15 seconds for liquid transfer and get into a rhythm, I could probably fill and seal about 4 per minute for as long as I've got cans and ends sitting ready to grab.

For taking a 6-pack or two to a party it would be perfect. Much more than that and I'd always default to one of my 2.5 gallon kegs.

Super cool. Does it have the ability to do different size cans? Like the 16, 24, or 32 oz?
Hmmm, would selling starter wort be illegal I wonder??

 

[Blackmuse]

I just started using mine and I can't even begin to tell how much I'm loving it! Yes, it's an investment but the guys in the homebrew club can't wait to get a turn on it and they're willing to pay for the use of it. I've realized that I can legitmately monetize the process by offering service not only to homebrewers but to anyone else who wants to put their personal concoction into cans - cold-brewed coffee, herbal tea, wine coolers, coconut/gensing/hempseed/chia energy drink, etc... It being illegal to actually sell homebrewed alcohol and all. I don't expect that there's a lot of $$ to be made, but even a few bucks here and there over a long enough time would eventually cover the cost.

Getting cans in a reasonable quantity at a decent price can be tricky but around here so many local brewers that need can and canning service, there are convenient sources here in town. I couldn't afford the half-pallet minimum from the warehouse, but I got a "layer" of pint cans (368, I think) from the local mobile canners for .20 a can and the local supplier doesn't have a minimum dollar amount so I got a sleeve of ends for .04 apiece. Investing (eventually?) in a half-pallet will get my price down to .16 per can.

I've been sharing cans like crazy and putting together x-mas-present 4-packs. I've filled with my "beer gun" bottle filler and that was fine and I've filled with a growler tube off the keezer tap and that worked like a charm and I even filled a number of cans direct from a picnic tap on a keg in the fridge and that was perfectly good too! I'm working on a "hands-free" filler with a 2- way mini ball valve that will allow me to drop the filler into the can on a vertical slide, flush with CO2, hold slight pressure and turn the valve to allow liquid to fill the can while I work the canner for the last one filled.

The seamer couldn't be more perfect. Turnkey right out of the box and dead simple to use. You can count to about 8 or 10 from the time you put an end on a filled can, pop onto the lifter, rotate the lever right and left and drop the can into a bucket of sanitizer to rinse the spillage and grab the next can. I figure if I can get the beer flowing just right so that it takes about 12-15 seconds for liquid transfer and get into a rhythm, I could probably fill and seal about 4 per minute for as long as I've got cans and ends sitting ready to grab.

For taking a 6-pack or two to a party it would be perfect. Much more than that and I'd always default to one of my 2.5 gallon kegs.

Sounds to me like I might make the dive. I wish I had seen it sooner as now it is 879.00... Come June I'll have 300-400 in cashback points so I suppose I can wait until then. Maybe they'll have another sale between now and then. Honestly, I want to share beer with people to take home and drink at their leisure. This sounds like the way to go. I guess I can start peeking around on how to obtain cans at a decent price. I won't be canning whole batches so I won't need a ton. I brew a batch every other month or so so I don't have beer pouring out my ears. As the kids get older though I'll be brewing more.

Thanks for the input.

 

[jmcnamara]

Super cool. Does it have the ability to do different size cans? Like the 16, 24, or 32 oz?
Hmmm, would selling starter wort be illegal I wonder??

While I mostly specialize in bird law, since it doesn't have alcohol I think it should be legal in that sense

 

[J A]

Super cool. Does it have the ability to do different size cans? Like the 16, 24, or 32 oz?
Hmmm, would selling starter wort be illegal I wonder??

Only 12oz and 16oz and only standard (LOE?) beer can ends.
I've already computed what it would take to produce pints of starter wort that could be re-constituted to a 2-liter starter. Bit of a stretch in terms of economy and ROI, but definitely a potential revenue stream not to mention a huge convenience factor just having them around.
And as far as legality goes, beer only happens when the yeast is pitched. Up to that point there's no statute anywhere that prohibits anything to do with the process. You could very well sell 5 gallons of proper wort to homebrewers who don't have the ability to mash and all-grain beer. Breweries can sell or give away un-pitched wort to their hearts content without it impacting their barrel tax liability. With a canner you could sell a carbonated malt beverage that wasn't alcoholic. The limit is something like a half a percent. There are ways of producing a malt soda or near-beer but you'd have to be certain about sanitation and pasteurization.

 

[Hogarthe]

I've seen homebrew kits that were pre made wort. Just add yeast. And someone did sell pre made starter cans, it was either Midwest or Northern Brewer. So if they can sell it, I don't see how you couldn't. Of course they have big operations and would have better cost effectiveness, but that's a different thing then legality.