Aluminum Pot

[hiphops]

I am thinking about graduating from a 1 gallon to a 5 gallon fermenter, which means I'll have to get a much larger pot.

I saw that the aluminum pots are much cheaper than the steel pots. Any thoughts / ideas on the pros / cons of aluminum vs. steel, other than money?

 

[stageseven]

see post #8

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/

 

[AnOldUR]

I saw that the aluminum pots are much cheaper than the steel pots. Any thoughts . . .

I think my boil pot is aluminum . . . . . . . but I can't remember.



But seriously:
FAQ: Aluminum Pots for Boil Kettles?

 

[arturo7]

Find the sticky.

 

[mximus11]

I am sure that this will turn into a ss vs aluminum post but hopfully not. Aluminum is fine I've been using it for years and my brews come out great.

 

[iron_city_ap]

I have an aluminum pot from my turkey fryer that I've been spooked out of using and currently have a ss one on the way. I haven't used the aluminum one for any brewing. That might give me a good excuse to do 2 batches of something, one in each, and compare.

From what I've read, basically, there is more potential for bad things to end up happening with aluminum and SS is easier to take care of and less potential for bad things. In my case, my pot is pretty scratched up from many birds getting cooked in it and it getting scrubbed out pretty aggressively, so that's mainly why I'm not using it.

 

[haplo]

For me, stainless steel wasn't worth the extra money. My aluminum pot is pretty easy to clean so not being able to use PBW or Oxyclean isn't a problem. I just spray the inside with a hose and maybe wipe/scrub with washcloth. I'm not worried about dents(and I actually got my 15 gallon pot for $35 after they gave me a 50% refund as it was dented in shipping).

I also have a 5 gallon enamel canning pot that I got for $20 at Walmart. If I make a smaller batch I use that and haven't had any problems with that either.

 

[mikeysab]

hey iron, aluminum is bad. Luckily I have an aluminum destruction facility, or ADF, near me. Send me that pot and I'll have it destroyed for you.

 

[Bmorebrew]

My Al pot does the trick for me - only thing is I need to allow it to get nice and hot before I top it off. One of the handle rivets leaks just ever so slightly until it gets hot enough and the metal expands.

 

[captianoats]

I used one for 2 years. Worked great. I would still use it, but I moved to all grain and it wasn't big enough. +1 on the sticky. Just remember, you can polish aluminum, so if you want shiny but have aluminum budget, it is possible with some elbow grease.

 

[Token]

My Al pot does the trick for me - only thing is I need to allow it to get nice and hot before I top it off. One of the handle rivets leaks just ever so slightly until it gets hot enough and the metal expands.

Heh, heh... I like that.

And add me to the Aluminum crowd.

 

[marubozo]

My dad died from brewing with an aluminum pot.




j/k It's fine.

As long as you don't mind taking a little extra care to maintain the protective oxide layer you're good to go