Ok, tell me why I shouldn't buy one of these...

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dunnright00

dunnright00

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Big Aluminum pots, probably really weak handles, but $10 for a 10 gallon pot?!?
$24 for a 13 gallon pot?!? Looks like a good deal to me, until I can afford to get a keggle set-up

Edit: I meant $20 for the 10 gal... :drunk:

8204479206_93b219f0be_c.jpg
 
Now ya done opened the debate can. Some people believe there is a link to aluminum pots and Alzheimers. Which makes some kind of sense, but there are plenty of notes and studies that say otherwise. So I would say use it. I did for a while... here's the deal:

When people saw me using my pot, the same pot that I had created them hundreds of batches of tasty beer, they freaked out. Yep, freakout out so much I stopped using my trusty old 10 gallon. But hey they make a killer HLT though.

If you use one, stay in the closet. :mug:
 
You mean $20 for the 10 gallon, right?? :D

I would check the thickness of them. If they're not 4mm thick (wall) then I'd pass. Also check to see how strong the handles are, and are held onto the sides.

Do you have a way to get that much wort up to a boil? :eek:
 
If you're not carrying it around full of liquid, and you're sure you can boil that much volume, why not. Just temporary, don't expect it to last long, and definitely vigorously boil water in it for a good half hour before first use. Never clean it with oxy clean or put star-san in it. LEave that discolored oxide layer on it, just clean with hot water and a mild scrubbie. Aluminum is fine, but again, those pots aren't made to last. But for $20?? Save your pennies in the meantime though.

My first kettles were 8g aluminum from instawares.com for about $30something shipped. Still use one for the HLT. 4mm thickness.
 
Golddiggie said:
You mean $20 for the 10 gallon, right?? :D

I would check the thickness of them. If they're not 4mm thick (wall) then I'd pass. Also check to see how strong the handles are, and are held onto the sides.

Do you have a way to get that much wort up to a boil? :eek:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I meant $20 for the 10 gal...

I have a 32qt turkey fryer right now that I;m looking to turn into a HLT. I do plan on getting a better burner soon, but for 6 gal batches this works for now.

I do plan on adding a ball valve (on whichever one I end up getting), so I won't be lifting it too much while it's full.
 
IF it's 4mm thick walls, then it should last a good long time. The better ones are made for use in restaurants where they're getting the snot beat out of them on a daily basis.

I agree that you'll need to boil as much water in it as possible, before you use it for the first time. This will build up the oxide (aluminum oxide) layer that will be a barrier between the aluminum pot and your wort. Leave it intact and all will be very well.

BTW, I used an aluminum kettle (converted the pot into a kettle myself) that was 4mm thick walls. I've moved on to bigger, and brighter (stainless) things (keggles) but my brew-buddy is still using it. I expect it to last for many years, and hundreds (if not more) of batches.
 
xeno said:
Now ya done opened the debate can. Some people believe there is a link to aluminum pots and Alzheimers. Which makes some kind of sense, but there are plenty of notes and studies that say otherwise. So I would say use it. I did for a while... here's the deal:

When people saw me using my pot, the same pot that I had created them hundreds of batches of tasty beer, they freaked out. Yep, freakout out so much I stopped using my trusty old 10 gallon. But hey they make a killer HLT though.

If you use one, stay in the closet. :mug:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've heard the debate and I figure some will come here and present this argument. I'm not too worried about it for a temporary solution though...
 
dunnright00 said:
Yeah, I've heard the debate and I figure some will come here and present this argument. I'm not too worried about it for a temporary solution though...
Click to expand...

IF it's a well made pot, it could be about as temporary as life. :eek: If it's cheaply made, then I'd pass. Would seriously suck to have it fail during a brew-day.
 
dunnright00 said:
Yeah, I've heard the debate and I figure some will come here and present this argument. I'm not too worried about it for a temporary solution though...
Click to expand...

Mine was supposed to be temporary too. LOL. I had it for 5 years. Worked great then one day.... people. Can't change perception and it became a huge issue among my supposed beer following. But in reality Brewing on a temp system is BETTER than brewing on NO system. I live out west so I have seen those pans in the latino marts they seem ok.
 
Do a quick search for tamale pot and see what comes up.
There is a thread that was started in the last couple days by someone using one of those pots. Others chimed in.
The pot warps, bows and dances on the stove because it's not well made, or not made well for the use that you want to do.
Probably made very well for what it's sold as.
There is a reason it's so cheap. It does the job of boiling a small amount of water to steam those awesome little tamale's great, but based on reports of guys using them it doesn't hold up to the heat of a heavy boil for extended periods of time.

Found the thread!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/dancing-tamale-pot-368679/
 
xeno said:
Mine was supposed to be temporary too. LOL. I had it for 5 years. Worked great then one day.... people. Can't change perception and it became a huge issue among my supposed beer following. But in reality Brewing on a temp system is BETTER than brewing on NO system. I live out west so I have seen those pans in the latino marts they seem ok.
Click to expand...

You live out west? Colorado is a two day drive east from here!
 
If you want something slightly better, consider what I mentioned from instawares. They are a restaurant supplier and I got my 4m thick Update International pots there for $27.99 + shipping. They have large sizes for very reasonable, too.
 
Those are the greatest pots ever. I have 2. Had them for 4 years. Not a single issue.
 
tre9er said:
If you want something slightly better, consider what I mentioned from instawares. They are a restaurant supplier and I got my 4m thick Update International pots there for $27.99 + shipping. They have large sizes for very reasonable, too.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's one THICK wall... :eek:

I got my aluminum pots from a restaurant supplier too. Far cheaper that way (typically).

As I mentioned, I wouldn't go with anything that's below 4mm thick wall. 3mm would give me concerns.
 
45_70sharps said:
Do a quick search for tamale pot and see what comes up.
There is a thread that was started in the last couple days by someone using one of those pots. Others chimed in.
The pot warps, bows and dances on the stove because it's not well made, or not made well for the use that you want to do.
Probably made very well for what it's sold as.
There is a reason it's so cheap. It does the job of boiling a small amount of water to steam those awesome little tamale's great, but based on reports of guys using them it doesn't hold up to the heat of a heavy boil for extended periods of time.

Found the thread!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/dancing-tamale-pot-368679/
Click to expand...

My old pot warped a little over the years. So did my first stainless pot. But some of those threads are damn scary. So if I were considering one of those things, I would test it with a few gallons of water and then take it back if I saw some serious metal fatigue.
 
You don't have to have a caliber. You could us a string and measure outside and inside diameter then do a little math and you can get the thickness.
 
Not sure if it's been said but I would pass. Those are CHEAP 1mm aluminum. You'd be hard pressed to find something of lower quality but if you're on an extreme budget then hey it'll boil water...
 
Timaithis said:
You don't have to have a caliber. You could us a string and measure outside and inside diameter then do a little math and you can get the thickness.
Click to expand...

That's pretty precise measurements with a string on the inside of a cylinder when you figure you are trying to come up with a very small percentage of difference in the diameters.
 
I got lucky and found a 40 qt aluminum pot at a used restaurant supply store for 25 bucks. It's a bit beat up, but the metal is very thick and the handles are held on by 4 beefy rivets each. See if you can find a store that sells used supplies, you should be able to get a good deal.
 
dunnright00 said:
The same pots as in the picture?

I want to go back and check the thickness...
Click to expand...

When I bought mine they had a different picture on the label, but Im pretty sure they are the same pot. They have served me right for everything from brewing to crab boils. Yeah I crab boil in my brew pots from time to time. I've added a pic of mine for reference.

CIMG0073.jpg
 
You should buy them immediately, patina them and make lots of beer. There is no link between aluminum and alzheimers. There is a strong link between having a nice brewpot and making lots of very tasty beer.
 
Timaithis said:
You don't have to have a caliber. You could us a string and measure outside and inside diameter then do a little math and you can get the thickness.
Click to expand...

A caliper makes it much easier, faster, and infinitely more accurate.

dcarter said:
You should buy them immediately, patina them and make lots of beer. There is no link between aluminum and alzheimers. There is a strong link between having a nice brewpot and making lots of very tasty beer.
Click to expand...

I don't recall anyone posting, in this thread, anything about alzheimers... You sure you don't have it? Most of us are just warning against getting an aluminum pot that has too thin of a wall thickness. I've used a 4mm thick wall aluminum kettle without issue before. It's still in use by another brewer (who was using smaller aluminum pots before getting to use my old one). :fro:
 
Golddiggie said:
I don't recall anyone posting, in this thread, anything about alzheimers... You sure you don't have it? Most of us are just warning against getting an aluminum pot that has too thin of a wall thickness. I've used a 4mm thick wall aluminum kettle without issue before. It's still in use by another brewer (who was using smaller aluminum pots before getting to use my old one). :fro:
Click to expand...

I've been meaning to mention that but I keep forgetting!
 
I've been using one for years now. It's more durable than you'd think. I've gone to a 15gal stainless boil kettle, but the aluminum pot is still trucking along as an electric HLT. Their dirt cheap, buy one, you won't regret it. You may move on down the road, but crap, $23, why not. That's cheaper than my average bar tab.
 
Golddiggie said:
A caliper makes it much easier, faster, and infinitely more accurate.



I don't recall anyone posting, in this thread, anything about alzheimers... You sure you don't have it? Most of us are just warning against getting an aluminum pot that has too thin of a wall thickness. I've used a 4mm thick wall aluminum kettle without issue before. It's still in use by another brewer (who was using smaller aluminum pots before getting to use my old one). :fro:
Click to expand...

xeno said:
Now ya done opened the debate can. Some people believe there is a link to aluminum pots and Alzheimers. Which makes some kind of sense, but there are plenty of notes and studies that say otherwise. So I would say use it. I did for a while... here's the deal:

When people saw me using my pot, the same pot that I had created them hundreds of batches of tasty beer, they freaked out. Yep, freakout out so much I stopped using my trusty old 10 gallon. But hey they make a killer HLT though.

If you use one, stay in the closet. :mug:
Click to expand...

Nope. No alzheimers here, just a guy who reads the thread from the beginning. The post above was the first reply to the thread.
 
45_70sharps said:
That's pretty precise measurements with a string on the inside of a cylinder when you figure you are trying to come up with a very small percentage of difference in the diameters.
Click to expand...
Yeah it is close. I wasn't saying it is the best way to do it but if you don't have a caliber or want to buy one. And hey if it worked for Archimedes to find a really good approximation of pi you could do it if you are precise.
 

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