Alum brew pot

I searched but could not find anything on this specific subject, anyway..

I finally got all my stuff moved from virginia beach to MD and tonight I finally got a chance to try out the new burner I got for my birthday and 15 gallon pot. Today I was just testing it all out. The inside of the pot got nice and dark with the layer of aluminum oxide but the very bottom is still shiney (see pic). After i got about 9 gallons to a nice boil i shut it down and looked at the water. It was very brown and there were particles floating around that appeared to be metallic. Is that normal for the first time? After it cooled down I emptied the water and i actually found a bead of metal stuck to the side (looked kind of like a drop of soder). I am relaxed and having a homebrew but i was just wondering . Thanks!

That is normal, except for the bead of soder.
You may want to scrub the bottom to remove any "residue" coatings, and then boil maybe 2 more gallons, see if the bottom forms the coating also.
15 gallon pot - SWEEEEET. Very nice.

Looks like the same pot I picked up from Amazon for $44 back a few months ago.

Give it a good wash with a washcloth and dish soap. Don't use anything that will scour the oxide finish. Then boil a few gallons of water.

Washing the pot will remove any "floaties" and the boil will build up the oxide surface on the parts that didn't cover previously.

It's a very nice pot to boil in. Enjoy. I like mine.

It is the same $44 pot from amazon. I scooped that up as soon as I saw that thread. Talk about a steal. The next day it doubled in price. Someone else said that theirs had a dent in it. Mine has a small dent as well. It does not matter that there is a small dent and i don't care whatsoever, but maybe that is why they were on sale for so cheap.

Yeah you're fine with that. Just clean it out real good before you use it for a real batch. AND, don't scrub too hard, you want that varnish you obtain during boiling water on an aluminum pot.

You are smarter than me. I went with a 10 gallon. Oh well, I'll have a sparge water pot when I go to 10 gallon batches.

Ok, so i threw a few gallons in my pot and did a boil. I had my burner on low and the bare bottom of the pot seemed to develop a nice black layer but as soon as i kicked up the burner to high it seems like the oxide went away. I filled it up with about 8 gallons and set it on high for a while and it seemed to blacken a little, but the bottom is still a bit shiney. Is this OK to brew in?

I just ordered a 15 gal aluminum pot today so I will do the same "seasoning" that you guys mentioned.

mmb, that is an awesome backyard! Nice backdrop for a nice looking brew setup!

Doog_Si_Reeb said:

mmb, that is an awesome backyard! Nice backdrop for a nice looking brew setup!

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right when i saw that pic of the backyard i wished i could be mmb...that is an awesome awesome brew spot

Redskins838891 said:

Ok, so i threw a few gallons in my pot and did a boil. I had my burner on low and the bare bottom of the pot seemed to develop a nice black layer but as soon as i kicked up the burner to high it seems like the oxide went away. I filled it up with about 8 gallons and set it on high for a while and it seemed to blacken a little, but the bottom is still a bit shiney. Is this OK to brew in?

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That will be fine. Just remember to not scour the pot clean when you wash it and you're good to go.

Thanks for the nice comments about the brew view. We like it.

If you liked that view, you'll love this one...

Now I'm truly jealous! Beautiful brewing location and a very nice looking place to enjoy the fruits of your labor! Life in Michigan must be good.

(sorry to distract the thread, but I couldn't help myself)

To get back on track, I can't wait to get my 15 gallon brewpot. I'm going to do a barleywine in it for the first batch in the big brewpot.