Is my pot causing infection?
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Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
You're kettle can't cause an infection. The pot is supposed to be black inside. It's an oxide layer that forms after boiling, and it is a protective layer. Usually you want to boil water in a new aluminum kettle for an hour or so to create this layer. If you didn't do that before you boiled wort in it, then likely your beer tasted bad for this reason. Don't scrub off the black layer!
WannabeBeerNerd
Active Member
Pretty new to this myself and I'm sure you'll hear people say to go stainless vs. aluminum, but from everything I've read and brewed so far your pot looks fine. That dark gray layer is oxidation and you want it to protect your beer from the raw aluminum of the pot....that said I've read several times to Never use your brew pots for anything else, especially anything as flavorful and acidic as pasta sauce or chili as it will cause off flavors in your beer
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
The Stainless vs. Aluminum debate is really just a matter of personal choice. There is no problem with using aluminum. I've made lots of really good beer in aluminum pots. If you clean your kettle good after cooking with it there's no reason why you can't use it for food and for beer. If you cook something so acidic that it strips the oxide layer, then you might have to re-apply the layer by boiling water in it again. I doubt acidic food will even do that, though. If it did you'd be eating that stuff, and if that was the case people wouldn't cook in aluminum at all. It's more of a concern when cooking fatty/oily foods in a brew kettle, but even that is fine if you clean the kettle very well after each use.
WannabeBeerNerd
Active Member
Wasn't arguing the Alum/Stainless thing at all, I still use aluminum and all my beers have come out good, so I'm in no great hurry to change and while the taste/cross contamination of flavors issue is anecdotal at best I was just offering up what I had heard and aluminum is cheap enough that I reserve mine for brewing only and take one more variable out the 100 other things I can, and routinely do still screw up😱
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I don't use my large kettles for food either. I do have a couple smaller ones that I do use for food and small batches of beer, though.
Since you will never completely scrub the flavors from a pot, mixing food and wort in the same pot will likely cause off flavors.
Thanks for the input. I think my best bet from what everyones posted is just to buy a new pot for brewing only. I am planning to brew tonight so hopefully i can find a new one locally for cheap. I let my pot soak in bbrite overnight, so if i cant find one today i may try to brew in it again until i can order something online. Maybe ill just boil some water now to make sure that oxidation is still there cause i did scrub some off.
Sorry man, i am not buying into this at all...the OP's pot is absolutely fine IMHO, clean it well, rinse, repeat...make food beer whatever!
Buy another kettle if you want to, or because it may save you the trouble of really meticulously cleaning your pot when you switch from food to brew.
I would simply clean it very well, twice, and not be concerned, at all! Also depends a bit on how much dough you have, and how much storage space you have. But please don't think your kettle is ruined cause you made a batch of chili in it.
+1 I did a seafood boil in mine and then brewed a batch. No issue at all.
I used my aluminum pot for lobster before brewing beer in it. I have never had any off flavors that I would attribute to the pot. I now use stainless steel most of the time but that is mostly because I found a great buy on two 10 gallon pots on Craigslist.
The black is an oxidation layer and that is good. Do not try to scrub it off. If you do, boil some water in the pot first to re-establish an oxidation layer.
The black is an oxidation layer and that is good. Do not try to scrub it off. If you do, boil some water in the pot first to re-establish an oxidation layer.
PastorofMuppets
brewing beer leads to happy life
As others have said the pot is not the issue.
Post a pic of what you see as infection.
Post a pic of what you see as infection.
darrenbrews
Well-Known Member
I use the same pot to make tomato sauce and brew beer, and I have no issues with off-flavors or infections. Soaking the pot in star san removes all traces of food that might still be in the pot.
I believe the issues of off-flavors and infections are slightly overstated.
I believe the issues of off-flavors and infections are slightly overstated.
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
After you do the boil for the oxide layer you don't need to star-san it. Be sure to put water as close to the top as possible when you do the oxide boiling.
Boiling is the only 100% way to kill all bacteria.
There is no way for any germ to survive in boiling wort.
There is no way for any germ to survive in boiling wort.
homebrewdad
Well-Known Member
Yep. No point in star san for the pot. Sanitize items that will touch the beer post boil, but pre boil is irrelevant - boiling kills all junk.
Update. I brewed tonight.
1lb carapils steeped at 160 for 30min in 2gal water
6.6lb lme briess wheat
1.25oz cascade at 60min
.75 cascade at 20min
Whirlfloc at 15min
Cooled to 70 degrees in 25min
Dumped through strainer into fermenter
Add yeast s05
Added 3 gallons bottled spring water(didnt boil)
Hydrometer read 1.045 which is on target but it has a caramely sweetness similar to my bad stout which turned to a sourness. Hoping its not another lost batch.
1lb carapils steeped at 160 for 30min in 2gal water
6.6lb lme briess wheat
1.25oz cascade at 60min
.75 cascade at 20min
Whirlfloc at 15min
Cooled to 70 degrees in 25min
Dumped through strainer into fermenter
Add yeast s05
Added 3 gallons bottled spring water(didnt boil)
Hydrometer read 1.045 which is on target but it has a caramely sweetness similar to my bad stout which turned to a sourness. Hoping its not another lost batch.
Sourness, not to be confused with twang, is usually an infection. If so, it HAS to have been introduced AFTER you cooled down.
Do you take apart the spout on your bottling bucket and clean in there? Do you take apart the spring tip on your bottling wand? Those 2 seem to be the most commonly missed by new brewers.
Do you take apart the spout on your bottling bucket and clean in there? Do you take apart the spring tip on your bottling wand? Those 2 seem to be the most commonly missed by new brewers.
OK, I give. I'v been brewing for awhile and didn't know this could be disassembled. So how does it come apart?
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I've used the same wand for two years and I've never taken mine apart. I've never had an infection. I just soak the entire wand in oxi for a few hours, rinse, and use...
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