"Bowed" cans. OK to use?

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1eyedjack

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Hi

I have just bought a kit of Muntons "Autumn Blush" cider from their Premium Gold range.

Opening the box, I find that both ends of both cans are bowed out as if from a build-up of internal pressure. They remain sealed (although I may have problems opening them with my particular can opener).

Should I take it back, or risk it? Is this normal, or experienced by you guys?

With kind regards
 
I think I'd be inclined to return it.

I once bought a pack of sausages that was all blown up. All the packs on the shelf were like that and I naively thought it must have been some new protective atmosphere technology. It was yeast....
 
sell by date is Feb 2012. Seems a bit soon for a can (albeit in date). Seems a bit late for a packet of yeast, mind, not that that was the complaint. Indeed, I would expect the sell by date to be determined by reference to the (shorter) shelf life of the yeast, so it may not be a good guide for this purpose.
 
Raises an interesting point:

I wonder what they do with any kits that reach their sell-by date unsold? It would seem rather a waste to discard the tins of perfectly good concentrate, when all that needs doing is replacing the sachet of dried yeast. Perhaps they do recycle them through the retailers with new yeast packets?
 
Another vote for returning them it sounds like the cans are blown

two dangers here
1 when you puncture the can the pressure inside is going to spray the contents everywhere :eek: and
2 it is almost definately going to be infected so is going to be :sick: :sick: :sick:
 
1eyedjack said:
I wonder what they do with any kits that reach their sell-by date unsold? It would seem rather a waste to discard the tins of perfectly good concentrate, when all that needs doing is replacing the sachet of dried yeast. Perhaps they do recycle them through the retailers with new yeast packets?
My LHBS [the Thrifty Shopper, yay!] occasionally has near-date or out-of-date kits on the counter heavily discounted. I picked up two kits - Brupaks Scammonden Dark, two-can kits retailing well over twenty quid apiece - for a tenner each. No sign of any spoiling and the first is ready for bottling...
 
Feeling a bit down now. :cry:

The replacement kit bubbled happily through the primary fermentation period but doesn't seem to want to prime in the pressure barrel. Either that or the barrel isn't airtight somewhere. Anyway, it is not building up any pressure. Not sure if there is any way to tell whether it is not airtight or simply no activity. I suppose I could pump it up with CO2. If no activity, it will probably taste a bit sweet, as the priming sugar will still be in there. I wonder if pitching in a bit more (hydrated) yeast would help.
 
You'll need to leave it a week or so at room temperature to get a bit of pressure up. I'd leave it longer still.

If there is a leak on the seal in the lid, vaseline really can make a difference. I re-primed my Norfolk Nog when it went flat after only a few pints. I put petroleum jelly on the rubber seals, seated them straight and now I'm over 3/4 of the way down the barrel and it's still lively. It's so lively, in fact, I have to open the tap just a tiny bit when serving to stop a massive gassy head forming.

Good luck. I'm sure all isn't lost.
 
I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but:

:hmm:

What I should have done, and have now done, is pump it up with some CO2, and leave it for an hour to see if it remains pumped up. If not, then I have a leak.

Well, I have now done it and it depressurises within a minute. So the odds are it has been happily "priming away", but to no avail other than getting a bit more alcoholic and totally flat.
:evil:

I slapped on loads of vaseline and screwed it down so tight it is not easy to undo, but still no go.

Guess it is back to the shop again. Perhaps I am destined not to get this kit to work.

At least I have learned a lesson.
 
When sealing you keg you should.

Put a light coating of vaseline around the rubber washer. If you put loads on it will not seal, vaseline is not airtight, it's purpose is to lubricate the rubber seal into an airtight position.

Do not do the cap up too tight, of you do you will disort the rubber seal and it will no longer be airtight.

The cap should only be finger tight, and should be easy to undo.
 
Thanks for the tips.

I think I got it right first time, then. It was only when I observed the problem that I slapped on progressively more of the Timothy Whites, and screwed the top down tighter, having no effect. Clearly as that was not the problem in the first place I can go back to moderation.

I have a few other kegs that have not given me this grief, so I think it will still be a trip to the shop on Saturday.
 
New seals / 'o' rings required.

I have exactly the same problem - worse, in fact. The beer is being forced out around the tap seal - I noticed it last night. The barrel sits in a tray next to my budgie's cage so no harm done, but as I was pouring a glass I noticed very little pressure - then I saw a little pool of beer in the tray. There's also a mould growing in it - I shall call it 'Arthur'.

I was down to the last gallon in the barrel so I ran it into a 5 litre water container and shoved it in the fridge. Half went lasht night and the other half ish deshtined for thish evening - I'll be pished.

(you're my besht mate you are)
 
Lo siento!

Yes, I have been down the leaking tap seal road. Nowadays I stick with barrels that have the tap at the top and a float system to drive the fluid up under pressure. I was a bit apprehensive at first - the more complex the mechanism, the more there is to go wrong. But so far (touch wood) they have worked very well for me and cut out the liquid loss through the tap.

I was advised by the guy in the shop that a smear of plumber's cement helps. Tried that, and it didn't. Didn't really expect it to. If the leakage is being forced out under a head of pressure then short of sealing the leak properly, nothing would stop the seepage other than reducing the head of pressure, and plumber's cement is never going to do that.

I did find that tightening up the tap screw beyond the recommended finger-tight did actually stop it in my case on the one barrel that I still use with a bottom-fitted tap, but I do worry that the whole thing will explode one day when the thread finally gives in.

What I would really like is some nice brass taps, and not have to rely on this cheap plastic. I would be prepared to pay a premium for them, but they just don't seem to be available.

Here is another quick tip, though: If buying a new plastic barrel, unscrew the tap from it before you commit to buying it, and have a careful look at the positioning of the hole that has been drilled into the reserved flat circular area on the barrel. If they didn't do it carefully you may find that the hole has not been drilled central in the area, which can have the effect of not leaving sufficient plastic all the way around the hole in order to bind properly with the rubber washer seal attached to the tap fitting.

In my problem case it is a new barrel, so should not require a new o-ring just yet. Hence the planned trip back to the supplier
 
Ok shop agreed that the cap was faulty. Now all I have to do is wait a few more days to find out if the cider is completely ruined.
Good job I still have 40 pints of St Peter's Ruby just coming on stream as a backup plan :twisted:
 
Well it wasn't a total disaster in the end, although I think it might have turned out better. May yet, with a bit more maturing. Seems a bit sweet for my taste, but that may be the effect of re-priming it about 3 times.
 
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