Amazon 26g Milk Cans - Experiences?

[Johnnywhiskey]

I'm looking to up my boiler game from a 15.5g keg to something larger. Amazon has a number of fairly affordable 26g milk cans that seem like they could be good options--201 and 301 stainless (I suppose 301 would be better). Anyone try ones of these? Good, bad or ugly?

https://www.amazon.com/Airtight-Silicon ... r=1-6&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/FresQa-Stainless ... r=1-4&th=1

Seems like adding a heating element would be no problem. I wonder about adding a ferrule to the lid--possibly silver solder it on if the lid is not too convoluted. Maybe a 3" ferrule or larger for strength. Or there are some distilling sites that sell lids for their own milk cans--maybe one of those would fit.

I've been mostly happy with my 15.5 boiler, but this fall I came into some hard cider to make brandy. But it was at only 6.5% abv. So I spent 2 weekends doing some serious reps distilling to get a 5g barrel of spirits full--probably ~60g of cider. I was thinking there has to be a more efficient way. Plus the top access of the milk can would be great and I could store some of my equipment in it when it is not in use.

Stay Thirsty, JW

[MooseMan]

No experience with the milk cans Johnny, but I moved from std 15g keg to a 26g boiler and it's a game changer, so don't hesitate.

Big strips, a doodle, foamy wash? No problems.

[Tammuz]

The second listing is 304, I've never seen a 316 milk can. The price is fair
.

[Yummyrum]

That second one looks a bargain . I’d be tempted to get one myself if Amazon could guarantee not to get it all beat up during shipping .

[Copperhead road]

That second one looks a bargain . I’d be tempted to get one myself if Amazon could guarantee not to get it all beat up during shipping .

Just use PayPal yummy, and if it did get damaged they will replace the item. Generally they don’t even want the damaged item back either.

[Johnnywhiskey]

No experience with the milk cans Johnny, but I moved from std 15g keg to a 26g boiler and it's a game changer, so don't hesitate.

Big strips, a doodle, foamy wash? No problems.

I've got to ask--what are you using for a 26g boiler?

[Yummyrum]

No experience with the milk cans Johnny, but I moved from std 15g keg to a 26g boiler and it's a game changer, so don't hesitate.

Big strips, a doodle, foamy wash? No problems.

I've got to ask--what are you using for a 26g boiler?

A piece of Welsh Rocking horse poo …….the lucky bastard

[zach]

Anyone try ones of these? Good, bad or ugly?

I purchased a pair of 88 lite milk cans about 5 years ago. Same design , but 23 gallons. I use one for as a thumper for stripping solids with steam, and another for storing low wines. I wanted a vessel bigger than keg with a large lid that is easy to dump and clean.

I used tri clamp bulkhead fittings to add connections. The construction is kind of light. I wouldn't try to solder connections. I'm happy with the purchase for the price ($90 each at the time)

I found that the distillation lid for a 35 liter digiboil worked better than the OEM lid with a bulkhead connections

lid.jpg

[Johnnywhiskey]

Was the Digiboil lid a direct fit for the milk can?

I'm a little hesitant to use a weldless bulkhead since it would have to support my whole column, and as you mention the construction of the can is a little light. My thought was to use a very short 3" diameter spool (my column is a 3" column) with tri clamp flanges on each end. I would sliver solder one of the flanges to the lid, the flange giving it extra surface contact to the lid, and hopefully stiffen the lid up some. I would not try to TIG or MIG weld a flange on.

I would love to turn the 26g can into a steam boiler--use my old keg boiler as the steam generator--not sure if that is in the cards right now. Do you have a writeup on you steam setup?

[NormandieStill]

Avoid 201 stainless. I once bought a 201 heating element (didn't read the listing properly) and it rusted after the first stripping run.

As for size, bigger is generally better, especially if you keep your smaller boiler for little batches. You can do a single strip in the big boiler and do your spirit run in the smaller one.

Or just scale up your fermenters and go for large volumes of spirit. As with beer making when you upscale the batch volume there's nearly no impact on time spent.

[NorthWoodsAb]

I use a 100L milk can boiler and like it. Comparing specs on this one and mine i notice this one has considerably smaller diameter than mine, which could be a good thing when running a smaller volume batch. At 20" ,508mm dia i need just over 20L to cover my element, so i have to be very careful with small batches. The unit you have noted has almost 1/2 the diameter so a smaller batch would be no problem at all.
But when you fill it up there is a huge difference in final product than a smaller boiler, the time factor between setting a larger mash/wash and a smaller volume is negligible, the time saving being able to run 100L per run, compared to smaller boilers at multiple runs for same volume, is huge.
I'd go for it.
JMHO.
Cheers

Edit. I totally missed the 201 grade stainless. 304/316 grade stainless are preferable for longer serviceable life of your boiler.

[PalCabral]

The 48L version seems to fit very well size-wise with my 50L milk can boiler from Oakstills. Same width at bottom and height, but the opening on top is only 22cm compared to the 48L version in the add, which is 26cm. Oakstill sells the lids that convert from milk can top opening to a 2"/3"/4" ferrule to mount the still head, but the sizes of the opening can vary it seems.

I failed to find how thick the steel is, did you see any notice on that? The Oakstills milk cans have 1.5mm thickness so they are quite durable. I have seen a lot of milk cans with a lot thinner steel and quite frankly they dont seem very robust compared to my milk can. Maybe something to look into before you buy?

But the price was very good I must say. I made the same experience as you stripping batch after batch of my apple pomace.

[MooseMan]

No experience with the milk cans Johnny, but I moved from std 15g keg to a 26g boiler and it's a game changer, so don't hesitate.

Big strips, a doodle, foamy wash? No problems.

I've got to ask--what are you using for a 26g boiler?

Yummy might be a bit jealous, but he's not wrong!
I got very lucky and stumbled on pretty much the perfect keg to build a still on.

viewtopic.php?t=91543&hilit=Stripper

And do you know what's crazy, I've never seen one anywhere else since, but the ugly sister to the keg I got, is still sat in the hedge, now completely covered in bramble and leaves and basically out of sight.
It's calling my name...

[NorthWoodsAb]

I failed to find how thick the steel is, did you see any notice on that? The Oakstills milk cans have 1.5mm thickness so they are quite durable. I have seen a lot of milk cans with a lot thinner steel and quite frankly they dont seem very robust compared to my milk can. Maybe something to look into before you buy?

I noticed the same thing but did look at weight, that would indicate a very thin wall thickness.

[NormandieStill]

And do you know what's crazy, I've never seen one anywhere else since, but the ugly sister to the keg I got, is still sat in the hedge, now completely covered in bramble and leaves and basically out of sight.
It's calling my name...

Come on... just pick it up already. I'd love to but I'm clearly never going to get that far west on one of my infrequent visits to the UK. Once it's at yours it'll find itself a future (100L pre-heater? You could strip three full batches of rum in a day!)

[MooseMan]

And do you know what's crazy, I've never seen one anywhere else since, but the ugly sister to the keg I got, is still sat in the hedge, now completely covered in bramble and leaves and basically out of sight.
It's calling my name...

Come on... just pick it up already. I'd love to but I'm clearly never going to get that far west on one of my infrequent visits to the UK. Once it's at yours it'll find itself a future (100L pre-heater? You could strip three full batches of rum in a day!)

Hmmmm, one day maybe, when I happen to be driving a van for some reason, and find myself in that area.

I know I should just get it and hide it away in the garden for now.

[zach]

Was the Digiboil lid a direct fit for the milk can?

I'm a little hesitant to use a weldless bulkhead since it would have to support my whole column, and as you mention the construction of the can is a little light. My thought was to use a very short 3" diameter spool (my column is a 3" column) with tri clamp flanges on each end. I would sliver solder one of the flanges to the lid, the flange giving it extra surface contact to the lid, and hopefully stiffen the lid up some. I would not try to TIG or MIG weld a flange on.

I would love to turn the 26g can into a steam boiler--use my old keg boiler as the steam generator--not sure if that is in the cards right now. Do you have a writeup on you steam setup?

The digiboil lid was very close to fitting without modification. I had to bend the out lip of the lid out slightly Then I replaced the silicon gasket with PTFE gasket.

I would not use the milk can to support a column even with the digiboil lid.

The milk can works well for steam stripping. I'm able to dump the load a few minutes after turning off the steam. This fall I stripped 300+ gallons of grape pomace. I've used it to strip whisky mash ferment on the grain as well.

I use a keg as a steam generator with propane heat as electricity is too expensive where I live a. My burner is 100,000 Btu/hr (29 KW) and I would not be happy with less than 10 KW of power. No write up, but here is photo.

stripingbypool (1).jpg

[Johnnywhiskey]

Well, I pulled the trigger and ordered the 100l 304 stainless milk can. I double checked with the seller and they said it was 304. I have to admit the seller didn't have a lot of reviews and looked kinda sketchy. But I've always had good luck with Amazon making things right. I'll fix the can up when I get it with ferrules and a temp port for distilling. I might also use it as a big masher/on grain fermenter. So many options.

I'll report back if/when the milk can is delivered.

Stay Thirsty, JW

[MooseMan]

304 will be fine for distillation Johnny, just make sure you re-passivate any areas that you work on, to keep the corrosion risk down.

If it's a bit thin, you can always reinforce the areas with joins.

[Homebrewer11777]

How will you verify the can is 304? That Amazon add seems to indicate for all the other sizes there is a 304 (ie 88L304) can and one that is apparantly 201 stainless (88L). The one you are looking at is labeled 100L and there is not 100L304 can offered...


If the can is 201 stainless is that a deal breaker? I've always bought 304 for my brewing equipment but never really evaluated whether another grade would be acceptable.

[Johnnywhiskey]

The seller said it would be stamped 304 stainless. I suppose that could be false labeling. I guess I'll get the milk can and decide if I like it, and return it if I do not. Yes, 304 stainless is better, but not a deal breaker if I like the milk can. Plenty of cookware is made of 201 stainless. If kept clean and stored dry, even 201 stainless should be fine.

[PalCabral]

Like you say, Johnny, the risks with 201 SS is corrosion. If the boiler is well maintained, cleaned and stored dry, it should be fine. I would be more hesitant to use 201 SS for pipes/spools/elbows/fittings where the steel exposed to alcohol vapors are obscured and possibility for a visual inspection difficult. The internal milk can is on the other hand easy to examine for damage and corrosion.

[zach]

My milk cans are 201 stainless. The first I purchased in June 2020. I use them to mash, ferment, as thumper and store low wines. I rinse them with water after use, but no special care. I see no corrosion.

[Johnnywhiskey]

Delayed update, but the milk can came in about 2 months ago.

Shipping: Ultimately it took about 2 months to receive the shipment. Lots of messages back and forth from seller. So that was a little frustrating. When I opened the box there was moderate sized dent in the side, which I was able to pop out pretty easily.

Quality: The can is stamped as SS316, but I wouldn't bet on it. It is fairly thin sheet metal, but I'm confident that it will hold water and serve its purpose. Upon measuring the can it is apparent that it is only 88l, not 100l as advertised. The seller knocked off $10 for this discrepancy. But 88l/23g is adequate for my purposes.

All in the milk can cost me $115 after the $10 refund. For a metal fermenter/boiler it seems like a pretty good deal. I'm going to have to treat it with more care than my keg shell boiler but the added volume and wide mouth top add a lot of functionality that the keg shell was missing.

After thinking about it, I'm going to build out the can to be both a fermenter and steam boiler. I'm an American whiskey guy, so the idea of easily distilling corn or rye mash is pretty exciting.

Just bought some parts from NorCal Brewing for a steam wand/downcomer (BTW they are unfortunately going out of business but have some good deals distilling related items https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com). I'll also solder some fitting on for a drain and temperature probe, and a tri clamp (in case I want to direct boil in the can). Oh yea, I need a lid with a tri clam fitting on it also. But it sounds like there are a few options that will fit.

Stay Thirsty, JW

[harleyrkc]

I've ordered quite a few milk totes over the last few years. I use them for maple syrup storage myself, though my local micro distillery has jumped on my orders for alcohol storage straight off of his stills. I've come to assume that 1 of 4 cans will have some minor damage. My last order I got a can that was unusable.

[PalCabral]

I've ordered quite a few milk totes over the last few years. I use them for maple syrup storage myself, though my local micro distillery has jumped on my orders for alcohol storage straight off of his stills. I've come to assume that 1 of 4 cans will have some minor damage. My last order I got a can that was unusable.

Was it imploded when you got it?

[Novice]

Walmart and ali had the cheapest prices on milkcans. I bought a small 20 liter that can support my large PC.