I'm moving from all extract to partial mash. I have a mini-mash tun in the works, and I'm looking to add a full size brew kettle so that I can do full volume boils. I'm curious as to which is better... aluminum or stainless? I know that stainless can be much more expensive. I also know that there is anecdotal evidence that aluminum pots have been implicated Alzheimer's disease. All the same, I lean toward aluminum because I want to drill the pot for a spigot and perhaps a thermometer. I see people using converted kegs as brew pots, and they sure look aluminum to me.
Brew pot material
- Thread starter ModlrMike
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First off welcome to HBT! 
Now. Are you trying to start a riot?
This is a debate that goes on and on. I think aluminum is just fine for brewing but there are folks that swear that it will give you Alzheimer's or something. The argument has been going as long as I've been a member and I think you just stirred it up again. :rockin:
All kidding aside. I'm glad you became a member and I look forward to hearing about your brews.
Now. Are you trying to start a riot?
This is a debate that goes on and on. I think aluminum is just fine for brewing but there are folks that swear that it will give you Alzheimer's or something. The argument has been going as long as I've been a member and I think you just stirred it up again. :rockin:
All kidding aside. I'm glad you became a member and I look forward to hearing about your brews.
FlyGuy
Well-Known Member
Welcome!
If you want the full spectrum of opinion, this question gets asked a lot here. The search tool is your friend....
Bottom line: both SS and Al are safe. The Alzheimer implication has been retracted by the medical community as bad science.
Aluminum is cheaper and a better material for a brew kettle.
Stainless steel is much more pretty, easier to clean, and will hold up marginally better.
It's all personal preference. I have both types, and prefer aluminum. Having said that, I prefer using my SS keggle because of the size.
If you want the full spectrum of opinion, this question gets asked a lot here. The search tool is your friend....
Bottom line: both SS and Al are safe. The Alzheimer implication has been retracted by the medical community as bad science.
Aluminum is cheaper and a better material for a brew kettle.
Stainless steel is much more pretty, easier to clean, and will hold up marginally better.
It's all personal preference. I have both types, and prefer aluminum. Having said that, I prefer using my SS keggle because of the size.
"I also know that there is anecdotal evidence that aluminum pots have been implicated Alzheimer's disease."
The study this persistent rumor is based on was demonstrated to be grossly contaminated. There is and never was any connection.
The study this persistent rumor is based on was demonstrated to be grossly contaminated. There is and never was any connection.
I think any more it boils down to SS having a longer lifespan on average than aluminum. i see plenty of seasoned brewers here saying they love their 10 year old aluminum pots, and never noticed any metallic flavors in their finished beers.
aluminum transfers heat really well too...it might be a better material for electric range brewers like myself.
aluminum transfers heat really well too...it might be a better material for electric range brewers like myself.
For me, the main reason I went with SS over Al is because of heat transfer. Aluminum is much better at transfering heat, is lighter and most often much thinner than SS. Because of better heat transfer and thinner walls and bottoms, you can end up scorching the contents of the boil. Sure it's hard to burn water, but it's not that hard to burn the hot and cold breaks that end up near the bottom. That being said, I cannot say that I have actually compared a recipe prepared in a SS versus Al pot. I doubt you could perceive much difference if any. My particular pot is SS and the bottom is aluminum sandwiched in between SS layers so that I get good heat transfer that is much more uniform than Al. One drawback is that my pot weighs close to 60 lbs (it's 25G) and therefore heavy to lift etc. The counter arguement to weight is that with 15+G of wort in there, there is no way that I'm going to lift it in any pot
rdwj
Well-Known Member
aluminum or stainless are both fine choices for a kettle...
Wood is a poor one
Wood is a poor one
OP
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ModlrMike
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the help, guys. My treasure hunt has yielded a 48L (12.6 us gal/11 imp gal) aluminum pot for 55 CAD, and a 68000 BTU burner for 45 CAD. I still have a couple of places to check, but that 48L pot sure looks nice. Any tips on drilling out the side for a spigot etc, like one does on the coolers?
Dish soap (the liquid, not dishwasher type) makes a good lubricant. A step bit or bimetal holesaw will make pretty quick work of it.ModlrMike said:
FlyGuy
Well-Known Member
That seems like a really good price on the pot -- where did you find that, Mike?ModlrMike said:
I'm curious myself, I bought my 40QT pot at a restaurant supply and it cost me 90CDN. Big thick bugger though, sidewalls are 3/16" thick.FlyGuy said:
Pabst Blue Robot
Well-Known Member
One consideration that isn't brought up very often is that aluminum has a much higher galvanic index than 316 SS. Because of the voltage difference between aluminum and SS or copper, there is the potential for corrosion of the AL (the anode) particularly in the presense of heat and wort (the electrolyte.) The smaller the cathode (SS fittings or copper manifolds) the more time the pot will take to corrode.
That said, I use both a 15 gallon and a 25 gallon aluminum pot with SS fittings and copper bits and am happy with the beer.
That said, I use both a 15 gallon and a 25 gallon aluminum pot with SS fittings and copper bits and am happy with the beer.
Wables
Well-Known Member
I used to have a good reason for brewing in my aluminum pot...but I forgot what it was.
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ModlrMike
Well-Known Member
I saw both the pot and the burner at Rona. The burner really interests me because it is mounted on four stout legs, unlike most other that I have seen, which only have three. If I can find the SKUs, I'll post them.
FlyGuy
Well-Known Member
Rona eh? I'll have to check them out. Thanks for the tip.ModlrMike said:I saw both the pot and the burner at Rona. The burner really interests me because it is mounted on four stout legs, unlike most other that I have seen, which only have three. If I can find the SKUs, I'll post them.
I had no idea they even carried that kind of thing. But then the one near me is just a lumber yard.ModlrMike said:I saw both the pot and the burner at Rona. The burner really interests me because it is mounted on four stout legs, unlike most other that I have seen, which only have three. If I can find the SKUs, I'll post them.
Nostrildamus
Well-Known Member
ModlrMike, here is what our Government says about Aluminum:
Aluminum is lightweight, conducts heat well and is fairly inexpensive, making it a popular choice for cooking.
Canadians normally take in about 10 milligrams of aluminum daily, mostly from food. Aluminum pots and pans provide only one or two milligrams of the total. While aluminum has been associated with Alzheimer's disease, there is no definite link proven. The World Health Organization estimates that adults can consume more than 50 milligrams of aluminum daily without harm.
During cooking, aluminum dissolves most easily from worn or pitted pots and pans. The longer food is cooked or stored in aluminum, the greater the amount that gets into food. Leafy vegetables and acidic foods, such as tomatoes and citrus products, absorb the most aluminum.
That being said, an aluminum pot will be just fine to begin with but once it becomes worn and pitted you probably want to get rid of it. Anything that is heavily scratched from cleaning with abrasive compounds or steel wool and/or cooking with metal utensils is much more likely to hide infectious bacteria. As the above states, aluminum will dissolve into your brew quicker once the pot becomes worn. How quick this will happen depends on how often you brew and how aggressively you have to clean the pot but rest assured, it will eventually happen. Keep in mind too, that your brew is acidic. Not highly acidic but acidic nonetheless.
Stainless steel on the other hand is much harder and takes abuse much better. It will last far longer and will leach metals into your brew at a much slower rate. Among the metals it will leach is iron, which is beneficial to your body. Here's what our government says about it:
Stainless steel, made from iron and other metals, is strong and resists wear and tear. It is inexpensive, long-lasting and the most popular cookware in North America. The metals used in stainless steel or iron cookware which may produce health effects are iron, nickel and chromium.
Iron is essential to produce red blood cells. Large amounts can be poisonous, but in North America, we are more likely to lack iron than have too much. Iron cookware provides less than 20% of total daily iron intake - well within safe levels.
Nickel is not poisonous in small quantities but it can provoke a reaction in people allergic to nickel. The average adult consumes between 150 to 250 micrograms of nickel per day. Using corrosion-resistant nickelcontaining stainless steel cookware, even for cooking acidic foods such as rhubarb, apricots or tomatoes, will not add significant amounts of nickel to the diet.
Small doses of chromium, like iron, are good for your health, but they can be harmful in higher amounts. The safe intake range is about 50 to 200 micrograms per day, what most Canadians take in. One meal prepared with stainless steel equipment gives you about 45 micrograms of chromium, not enough to cause concern.
So if you are looking at brew setups like the one at Rona or the ones at Canadian Tire, you need to ask yourself how much a good pot is worth and how long you intend on using it. I myself have done the same and I'm going with Stainless Steel as I don't see the exta $100 as a big sacrifice when it gives me the piece of mind that I'm not getting harmful metals in my brew. I also know that I won't need to replace it as soon as if I had bought an Aluminum pot so it gives me the "taken care of", satisfied feeling.
Here's the link to the above data: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/prod/cook-cuisinier_e.html
Aluminum is lightweight, conducts heat well and is fairly inexpensive, making it a popular choice for cooking.
Canadians normally take in about 10 milligrams of aluminum daily, mostly from food. Aluminum pots and pans provide only one or two milligrams of the total. While aluminum has been associated with Alzheimer's disease, there is no definite link proven. The World Health Organization estimates that adults can consume more than 50 milligrams of aluminum daily without harm.
During cooking, aluminum dissolves most easily from worn or pitted pots and pans. The longer food is cooked or stored in aluminum, the greater the amount that gets into food. Leafy vegetables and acidic foods, such as tomatoes and citrus products, absorb the most aluminum.
That being said, an aluminum pot will be just fine to begin with but once it becomes worn and pitted you probably want to get rid of it. Anything that is heavily scratched from cleaning with abrasive compounds or steel wool and/or cooking with metal utensils is much more likely to hide infectious bacteria. As the above states, aluminum will dissolve into your brew quicker once the pot becomes worn. How quick this will happen depends on how often you brew and how aggressively you have to clean the pot but rest assured, it will eventually happen. Keep in mind too, that your brew is acidic. Not highly acidic but acidic nonetheless.
Stainless steel on the other hand is much harder and takes abuse much better. It will last far longer and will leach metals into your brew at a much slower rate. Among the metals it will leach is iron, which is beneficial to your body. Here's what our government says about it:
Stainless steel, made from iron and other metals, is strong and resists wear and tear. It is inexpensive, long-lasting and the most popular cookware in North America. The metals used in stainless steel or iron cookware which may produce health effects are iron, nickel and chromium.
Iron is essential to produce red blood cells. Large amounts can be poisonous, but in North America, we are more likely to lack iron than have too much. Iron cookware provides less than 20% of total daily iron intake - well within safe levels.
Nickel is not poisonous in small quantities but it can provoke a reaction in people allergic to nickel. The average adult consumes between 150 to 250 micrograms of nickel per day. Using corrosion-resistant nickelcontaining stainless steel cookware, even for cooking acidic foods such as rhubarb, apricots or tomatoes, will not add significant amounts of nickel to the diet.
Small doses of chromium, like iron, are good for your health, but they can be harmful in higher amounts. The safe intake range is about 50 to 200 micrograms per day, what most Canadians take in. One meal prepared with stainless steel equipment gives you about 45 micrograms of chromium, not enough to cause concern.
So if you are looking at brew setups like the one at Rona or the ones at Canadian Tire, you need to ask yourself how much a good pot is worth and how long you intend on using it. I myself have done the same and I'm going with Stainless Steel as I don't see the exta $100 as a big sacrifice when it gives me the piece of mind that I'm not getting harmful metals in my brew. I also know that I won't need to replace it as soon as if I had bought an Aluminum pot so it gives me the "taken care of", satisfied feeling.
Here's the link to the above data: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/prod/cook-cuisinier_e.html
OP
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ModlrMike
Well-Known Member
I'm a small volume brewer, less than six batches per year, so I'll probably go with the aluminum pot in the end. For those interested, the SKUs are:
Pot - 1700-7989 ($55.84)
Burner 1700-7988 ($44.50)
If you have trouble finding them, ask the customer service people to look for one in the system. There might be one at a larger store. I found them in the BBQ aisle.
Pot - 1700-7989 ($55.84)
Burner 1700-7988 ($44.50)
If you have trouble finding them, ask the customer service people to look for one in the system. There might be one at a larger store. I found them in the BBQ aisle.
FlyGuy
Well-Known Member
No, that's fine. Just don't store the copper chiller in the aluminum pot when not in use.ModlrMike said:
Also, something that I don't think was mentioned -- before you use that Al pot for the first time, you want to build up a passive oxide layer inside. This will protect both the pot and your wort. You can do so by filling it with water and boiling for at 30 - 60 mins, or by sticking it in the oven at 350F for a couple hours.
efreem01
Well-Known Member
For $80 at a local restaurant supply store, i can buy a 60qt aluminum pot. Would i be wasting my money?
P.S. I'm getting the 14 gal SS kettle from morebeer whenever the damn thing finally comes in. I just want something so i can leap into all-grain already. I have an MLT ready to go.
P.S. I'm getting the 14 gal SS kettle from morebeer whenever the damn thing finally comes in. I just want something so i can leap into all-grain already. I have an MLT ready to go.
I use a 40QT restaurant grade aluminum pot and I love it. You can always use it for heating sparge water later on.efreem01 said:
Rhoobarb
Well-Known Member
efreem01 said:
Hell, no.
bradsul said:
Same here! I'll soon be getting a keggle (thanks to Snakebone) so that I can do 10 gal. batches (whoo-hoo:rockin
, but I'll still have my 40qt, AL pot for the fives and sparge water.
efreem01
Well-Known Member
That was the answer i'm looking for. I'll pick it up tomorrow and maybe get some grains and do a batch.
