How to get all the malt out of the kit can

When I was a young lad at High School, it was mandatory to take a woodwork class.

It was simple stuff like make a pencil case, make a toolbox, turn a candle on a lathe.

The teacher was a 'dude' who wasn't like other teachers. He didn't care about pulling socks up or shirts tucked in.

What he did care about was cutting wood properly.

His mantra was that 'if you cut on the line of your measurement mark, you are changing the size or shape of your intended cut'. That is to say you saw next to your mark, not on it. 

I never forgot this and I randomly remembered it the other day when I was using a kit (a nice nut brown ale) and was trying to ensure I got all the malt out of the can. This was because the kits are designed to make a certain amount of beer and if you leave malt in the tin, you are changing the 'shape' of the recipe. But it can be a pain to get it all the malt out. It is thicker than chainsaw bar oil and takes some time to come out of the can.

So here's what I did to get all the malt out:



As you can see, I opened the tin with an opener but didn't completely cut it off. I then bent it up so I could rest it as pictured. I was quite happy with this little discovery!

I let it sit there for a few minutes and most of it goes into the fermentor. Then I add boiling water to the can and let that site for a short while. The water dissolves any residue and then I pour the rest into the fermenter.

If you'll note that glass on the window sill - that's the yeast soaking in water prior to pitching.

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