Granite Ware Stock Pot

Has anybody used this to brew with? It's pretty affordable, and comes in 34 quart and 50 quart sizes (that's 8.5 and 12.5 gallons, respectively). It doesn't seem to be the usual type of stockpot, though, which is why I'm posting about it. Can anyone think of any reason this product wouldn't be a good buy to use as a brewpot?

I'll copy and paste the item description and provide a link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000A3ZZXO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Granite Ware is made by fusing a thin layer of porcelain to high quality enameling steel. Columbian's technology for applying porcelain creates a durable, chip resistant product that lasts most families a lifetime. This makes an ideal material for large pots as the glass-like surface is inert and does not interact with or alter the taste of food. The steel core is an excellent heat conductor, requiring less time and energy. No PFOA's or any other chemicals are used that may affect food taste, color or healthfulness. This 50 quart size is great for seafood boils, and serving large groups.

That was what I used for my first 3 batches. It worked fine, and cleaned up easy. I had one smaller than the 34qt that I could only do partial boils in (I think it was a canning pot). I bought them from the local hardware store and when I viewed them, both the the 34 and 50qt seemed too wide to be boiled in easliy on my stove.

I used similar pots (although a bit smaller - 30 qts) for about 10 years. They work fine if the enamel doesn't get chipped, but once the enamel starts to go, you need to replace them. (My first one lated about 6 years, and the second one was fine after 4 years when I switched to SS.)
It's worth checking out the local hardware stores. You may be able to get a better deal.

-a.

You can definitely use those pots, just don't chip them like has been mentioned.

That is all I have used so far in my brewing career..

Awesome! I'll definitely check out around local hardware stores, thanks for the info!

I'm bumping this because I came across one cheap at my hardware store (the 34 quart one.) It looks like it would actually fit on top of 2 burners on my stove, surprisingly.

I'm wondering....Since the enamel can't be chipped, does that rule out the possibility of drilling through it and fitting a weldless ballvalve setup on it?

I use a similar pot, it is very wide but fits on two side burners on the stove. If you do boil on two burners make sure the pot is slid as far towards the middle of the stove as you can. The heat can burn the counters if you are not careful.

I used one that was about 20 quarts (IIRC). I didn't like it all that much - the material is pretty flimsy - when I set it on the stove with a burner in the center, the bottom flexed so much that it was resting on the stove top at the edges. But it's certainly a usable option and gets the job done, provided you don't chip it.

Just like with the thin aluminum turkey fryer pots, I would suspect it would not be a good idea to use a spigot - even aside from the chipped enamel risk, the pot itself is likely to be too flimsy to safely support a valve - if you bumped it, it might bend the metal enough to start leaking, which would suck if it was in the middle of a boil.

Revvy said:

I'm wondering....Since the enamel can't be chipped, does that rule out the possibility of drilling through it and fitting a weldless ballvalve setup on it?

Click to expand...

One word for you: RUST

you drill through that stuff, it rusts... end of story.
it is thin gauge crud steel, and the only thing that protects it is the enamel.
If you can manage to drill it and seal that area with out having any of the
enamel come off where you don't it to, you should be fine, but I know when
I drilled mine, it ended up cracking the enamel around the drilled area and it started to rust in nothing flat.

rabidgerbil said:

One word for you: RUST

you drill through that stuff, it rusts... end of story.
it is thin gauge crud steel, and the only thing that protects it is the enamel.
If you can manage to drill it and seal that area with out having any of the
enamel come off where you don't it to, you should be fine, but I know when
I drilled mine, it ended up cracking the enamel around the drilled area and it started to rust in nothing flat.

Click to expand...

Yeah I figured that would be the case. That's why I was wondering if anyone had actually attempted it.

Lets put it this way, when I had no money to spend on anything better, that stuff got me by... but it is light weight, damages easy, and scorches even easier. I am in the process of looking for a keg to convert into a kettle now.

rabidgerbil said:

Lets put it this way, when I had no money to spend on anything better, that stuff got me by... but it is light weight, damages easy, and scorches even easier. I am in the process of looking for a keg to convert into a kettle now.

Click to expand...

I live in a loft/no yard, so everything's done on the stove top. I liked the graniteware because it held 8 gallons, but was wide rather than tall...

But I sure as heck wouldn't want 7.5 gallons of boiling wort in a pot without a spigot....

Oh well, garage sale time is happening, maybe I'll stumble on an antique one in the same size, but either sturdier enamel or aluminum, or stainless...

I'm currently using one of those pots and wish I had spent 10 more dollars on a stainless steel pot. Like has been mentioned, they are wideer than the stainless pots, so mine doesn't fit in my sink for a post-boil chill. They are somewhat flimsy so it can be easily dented and shifts around on the stove. And my crappy stove is the electric coil kind so the burner only fits on a tiny portion of the bottom and since the pot is so thin, I get a ring of burnt wort on the bottom where the coil is, since the thin metal doesn't distribute the heat very well. If you haven't bought the pot yet, I suggest skipping on it and getting a nice stainless pot instead.