Brew Kettle Question

[wsender]

Will this kettle be okay to brew with?

The pot has been used for canning, so the rust really isn't that much of an issue there. However, I'm sure it's not good for beer, but maybe I'm wrong. If the rust needs to be removed is there anything better than soap and water to do the job (which was successful in removing some rust), that I might have already in my kitchen?

 

[tre9er]

it's rust or just some sort of deposits from previous cooking/canning? What's it made of? I'd hit it with oxyclean overnight or PBW and then boil water in it the next day after you've scrubbed it out. Keep the boil going for an hour or so. After that there's likely nothing left in there that can affect your brew.

How big is it? You can get pretty big pots nowadays, brand new, for like nothing ($30-$40)

 

[unionrdr]

Likely no more than 20Qt,or 5 gallons. That's the size we always wound up with when we bought canning kettles & racks when we were younger. Looks more like staining on an aluminum pot to me. Like when you guys boil in the aluminum ones to season them so the acids in the wort won't give a metallic taste.

 

[tre9er]

Probably. Again, hit it with a soak cleaner over night and boil it for an hour the next day after scrubbing. Anything that survives that aint coming off/into your beer

 

[wsender]

It is aluminum. Can I just soak it in water and soap?

 

[tre9er]

It is aluminum. Can I just soak it in water and soap?

Yeah, but there's nothing like OxyClean to get rid of stuff like that. My wife complains about stuck-on food and I say "Soak it in oxy!" Then she does and it eats the junk right off the pots/pans.

It's cheap, too. $7 for a huge tub of it. Probably only need half a scoop or less.

 

[unionrdr]

You don't want that soapy taste in the metal. PBW is made exactly for this sort of thing. Sometimes going cheap is not a good thing. It already looks like it's been seasoned to me. That's what a new aluminum BK looks like after the 1st boil to season it. Just make sure it's got the visible stuff cleaned off,& boil in it to sanitize & make sure it's reseasoned well. Then you're all set. That isn't rust,& it isn't food. It's what seasoned aluminum looks like.

 

[tre9er]

You don't want that soapy taste in the metal. PBW is made exactly for this sort of thing. Sometimes going cheap is not a good thing. It already looks like it's been seasoned to me. That's what a new aluminum BK looks like after the 1st boil to season it. Just make sure it's got the visible stuff cleaned off,& boil in it to sanitize & make sure it's reseasoned well. Then you're all set. That isn't rust,& it isn't food. It's what seasoned aluminum looks like.

My aluminum HLT is "seasoned" but it's not brown. My BK was (it was aluminum) but that I attributed to wort staining. My HLT is a darker shade of grey than the upper part that doesn't usually see water.

 

[unionrdr]

Some that I've seen on here,besides our old canning kettles,looked like that. Some more charcoal gray maybe. But basically the same. Depends on the water makeup as well.

 

[tre9er]

Depends on the water makeup as well.

That's very true. Could have been from well water or somewhere with old iron pipes.

 

[wsender]

That's very true. Could have been from well water or somewhere with old iron pipes.

It came from and old, 19th century, farm house so I would not be surprised.

 

[wsender]

You don't want that soapy taste in the metal. PBW is made exactly for this sort of thing. Sometimes going cheap is not a good thing. It already looks like it's been seasoned to me. That's what a new aluminum BK looks like after the 1st boil to season it. Just make sure it's got the visible stuff cleaned off,& boil in it to sanitize & make sure it's reseasoned well. Then you're all set. That isn't rust,& it isn't food. It's what seasoned aluminum looks like.

My local shop doesn't have PBW, would B-Brite be a descent alternative?

 

[unionrdr]

I never used it myself,But give it a shot.

 

[gannon]

i would be careful when using strong cleaners on aluminum. your gonna need to reseason afterwards. if it was my pot i would boil water mixed with white vinegar and lemon juice.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

My local shop doesn't have PBW, would B-Brite be a descent alternative?

B-Brite's pretty similar to PBW if I'm not mistakin'. Oxyclean or One-Step (oxygen bleach) will work quite well. And in case no one mentioned it before, re-season the kettle after cleaning.