Low Budget Student With Rusty Pot

[brewerG]

Hey,

I am living in Sweden pursuing a Masters Degree. I do not have the budget right now to buy equipment (at all) and have resorted to searching yard sales and thrift stores for cheap stuff. My stove is way too weak to boil enough water for brewing. I acquired a rusty vitreous enamel electric towel steamer for next to nothing at a yard sale (about 4 dollars). To give you some perspective on the dimensions, the vessel looks like your typical 7 gallon brewpot. The thing can boil over 5 gallons of water and plugs into the wall, which solves my problem of purchasing a gas burner and a kettle. The rust forms a pretty thick and nasty 2.5 inch band around the inside of the pot about 1.5 inches from the rim. The kettle is about 16 inches deep. The rust damage is pretty bad there (almost through the kettle at one spot). But I can still boil 5 gallons if I fill it to just below the rust band. If I work hard with some steel wool and a chisel, I think I can get most of the rust off. I guess my question is this: If can can manage to get most of the rust away, and only fill the vessel up to just under the rusted ring, will my beer taste like iron?

Cheers,
G

 

[david_42]

Probably. Once enameled pots start rusting, they don't stop. It is quite likely that there is a network of fine cracks inside the pot and rust under every crack.

 

[TopherM]

Don't they sell aluminum pots in Sweden? My first brew kettle was a 7.5 gallon aluminum pot that cost $15.00 at Big Lots. I realize there's not a Big Lots on the corner in Sweden (Bigin Lotsin Bergin Jergin!), but you have to be able to pick up a cheap aluminum pot around there somewhere.

DO NOT use a rusty enamel pot!! Recipe for disaster, or at least explosive diarrhea (<-- and yes, I took the time to look up how to properly spell diarrhea)!

 

[static]

Can you get a new aluminum pot and transfer the components from the rusty one to the new one?

 

[brewerG]

Thanks for the replies,

A couple things. I misspoke when I said the pot was enameled. Only the Outside is enameled. The inside is made of what looks to be a steel of some kind (not stainless, and not aluminum).

Topher- I found an aluminum 4.7 gallon kettle for canning at a thrift store, but I do not have a way to heat the brewing liquor. The stove in our rental apartment is a fancy magnetic stove, and only allows magnetic pots and pans. Also, a new 7 gallon aluminum kettle costs over 100 dollars, retail. Different place- different price, I guess.

Static- That's a clever idea, and I will probably do that as a last resort, but the heating unit is screwed to the pot under the units casing. I briefly unscrewed the casing and could see where it was screwed to the kettle, but there are other parts attached to the casing that make it difficult to see under it, and remove it without breaking the unit. I am a little worried about breaking parts/ putting it back together. I have been waiting over a year to get what I need to brew, and I am this close. Don't want to f*%# it up now...

So new question: Knowing that only the outside of the pot is enameled, and that the inside is badly rusted towards the top of the kettle, if can can manage to get most of the rust away, and only fill the vessel up to just under the rusted ring, will my beer taste like iron?

 

[TopherM]

Sure, this looks safe to brew in!