Input on Cask 2 head Manual canning

[tjc27]

Anyone have any input to share on this? We are looking at buying a similar machine.

[DowneastCider]

Get ready for a lot of manual labor.

We started with a 2 head manual cask then upgraded to a 5 head ACS and now have a 10 head Wild Goose.

Make sure you know how to check seams before you start and pay close attention to it. The bearings in the seamer assebly wear out quickly.

You can get 12+ cans per minute if you start filling one, wait a little bit, then start filling the other. By staggering the starts you can transfer quicker (with only 1 at a time) and keep the seamer running more (passing 2 cans to the seamer is useless if it can only do one at a time).

[tjc27]

Thanks, any issues with oxidation or poor fills?

[DowneastCider]

We had no way to monitor at the time and saw no signs of issues (although cider is not suscpetiple to oxidation the way beer is).

Fill height is very easy to control as long as your product is cold (to prevent too much foaming). There is a small sensor that sticks into the can that is easy to adjust on the fly.

[a10t2]

I've used a couple of them and while there are definite downsides (low volume, dubious support, and they can be finicky), the price is right, spare parts are readily available, and once they're running smoothly losses are low, since the operator can visually assess fill level for every single can. With a filler, seamer, and six-packer working full time I seem to average ~1.5 bbl/hr. I wouldn't try to run a packaging brewery off of one, but for small canning runs as a sideline in a brewpub or something like that I think they can be a good solution.

[tjc27]

that is essentially what we are looking to do, probably 2 batches a month 5 bbls each.