First Brew Results / Questions

So I brewed batch #1 today and I'm pretty sure I've created a liquid known as beer (we'll find out the quality of it in 7 weeks). I made a Dry Irish Stout (6 lbs LME, 1 lb Roasted Barley, 1 oz Nugget Hops). I've been reading this board for a while and while I've learned tons of great information I still came across a few small issues during the brew.

I learned that there's things I need to do to shorten my brew day like sanitize equipment while waiting for the boil (I did the cleaning & sanitizing of everything beforehand and it lengthened my day). The good news is that I had plenty of beer bottles in the fridge that needed emptying while I waited around.

The two issues that I had were my brewpot seems to be stained. I have an aluminum pot and there's a brown stain around the top of the pot (where wort might of splashed up but too high for the liquid to have been). I wondered if this was normal to have stains on the brewpot or if I need to soak and clean it better. There's another stain on the outside of the pot where it was sitting in the waterbath to cool the wort. The top half and bottom half of the pot are clearly different shades of aluminum following the waterbath.

The other issue that I had was my O.G. is 1.052 and my expected O.G. should've been 1.044. I think this may have to do with my fill volume for my 6 gal better bottle. I filled it up to the point of where the bottle starts bending in towards the middle. Is that the 5.5 gal mark or would it need more water?

Anyways, I learned quite a bit during the brew and believe that I've created a beer in some shape or form. We'll find out in 7 weeks. Time to empty some more bottles.

I believe the stains are actually oxidation and are, in fact, desireable. The oxidation layer "seasons" the pot and prevents off flavors from leeching into the wort as it boils.

I haven't used a better bottle, but it sounds like you don't have enough water in the fermenter. I think it would be safe to boil up some water and cool it then add it until you reach your target OG. However, leaving it alone might be ok as well. It will be slightly higher if ABV, but the flavors will concentrate as well. Take a sample and taste it. If you like it then leave it go. If you think it's too roasty, bitter, harsh, etc. add the cooled water and gently rock the bottle to mix it up. Then take a gravity reading.

My wife bought me a new brew pot for my b-day and the first time I used it it stained a little on the bottom. I used some Barkeepers Friend (liquid version) on a paper towel, rubbed it in, and it was gone just like that!

Aluminum will turn dark as you use it and it oxidizes. I found out ahead of time to boil some water and speed up that process. I usually clean up with a green scrubbie pad, but very gently. If'n I was smarter, I'd clean up while the gunk was still soft.

My kettle is sort of brownish on the bottom and greyish up the sides. No worries. Just make sure to try and leave it on there.