Canning process

[Archibald]

When canning your homebrew, do you add priming sugar or is it more like force carbonating a keg, but on an obviously smaller scale?

 

[J A]

Only way I know that it'll work is canning from a fully-carbonated keg. You can do it very carefully from a tap with a growler tube or build a filler setup. I put one together using a 2-way valve for purging/filling and a plexi, sealed cap that helps hold a little pressure in while filling. Whatever you do the beer has to be super cold and ideally in a relatively cool environment so it doesn't heat up in the hose and foam up.

Can priming won't work, AFAIK. I've never tried it but I've heard of failures.
Pressure built up by producing the proper volume of CO2 at fermentation temp is pretty high and the CO2 doesn't stay in suspension. Cans don't hold as much pressure as bottles. Once the beer is fully carbed and cold, there's no pressure on it even though it's holding the proper volume of CO2 so it can be transferred carefully while keeping the CO2 suspended.

force carbonating a keg, but on an obviously smaller scale

...no way to do that without tiny CO2 valves on the can. You can't inject pressure into the can once it's sealed.

 

[Bubba Wade]

The can would probably hold the pressure (Coca Cola is in a can and it's more highly carbonated than beer). However, if you naturally carbonated the beer, you would have additional yeast drop out in the bottom and you probably wouldn't want to drink straight from the can.

If you're looking for an alternative to glass , you might try the PET bottles. I've used these for both naturally carbonated beer and as mini-growlers. And they are reusable dozens of times.

 

[Nosybear]

I'm with Bubba Wade: It's possible. I believe you'd have to keep the carbonation in check - I don't know the burst pressure of the cans. When I've seen it done in breweries, they cap on foam, pour the beer, lay the cap on top of the foam and then seal to keep oxygen out. But if you were careful with your priming, I don't see why, other than oxygen, you couldn't do it.

 

[J A]

I'd say if you have a can seamer and cans or have access to that and you'd like to try it, go ahead. If you're thinking of investing in a seamer without kegging and filling capability, you may be wasting your time and a lot of money.