Not a noob but starting back after 3 years.

[GeorgiaTiger]

So you can say I'm a born again noob. Question...for kettles, I know Stainless is best but I'm not that wealthy (yet), so I'm wondering if aluminum is ok? I'm thinking about buying a turkey fryer to use to brew with. Will that work as a short term fix? My wife doesn't want me in the kitchen brewing since the last time I made a huge sticky mess. So, it's outside for me.

I looked and I've got fermentation buckets and car boys, and racking bucket, and auto siphon...even have some sanitizer that I bought before I got sick and had to stop. Is the sanitizer liquid still good from 3 years ago?

Those are a lot of questions. Any advice?

 

[ncbrewer]

An aluminum kettle is fine, but has limitations. This article has good info about kettles and lots of other questions: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=109318

 

[PADave]

Lots of people love their aluminum, but personally I won't do any cooking with it.

 

[RedlegEd]

So you can say I'm a born again noob. Question...for kettles, I know Stainless is best but I'm not that wealthy (yet), so I'm wondering if aluminum is ok? I'm thinking about buying a turkey fryer to use to brew with. Will that work as a short term fix? My wife doesn't want me in the kitchen brewing since the last time I made a huge sticky mess. So, it's outside for me.

I looked and I've got fermentation buckets and car boys, and racking bucket, and auto siphon...even have some sanitizer that I bought before I got sick and had to stop. Is the sanitizer liquid still good from 3 years ago?

Those are a lot of questions. Any advice?

Welcome back to the obsession! Hope you've recovered fully and are ready to hit it again. Regarding the AL kettle, yes, just make sure to fill it and boil water for about 20 minutes to passivate the aluminum so it doesn't throw a metallic taste (it'll turn kind of gray.) I started with a 10 gallon turkey fryer/propane burner from W-mart. I've since "graduated" to a Bayou Classic 44 qt Stainless kettle. If you can hold off and wait to afford it (it's not that much more,) I'd definitely recommend going stainless. The sanitizer should be just fine if it was kept in the original container and doesn't look or smell nasty. Ed

 

[GeorgiaTiger]

Hmmm...i SS isn't that much more, id love to just get SS kettle. What are some of the less expensive side SS kettle makers? I would just need a burner after that and id be pretty good to go.

Sanitizer was stored in original bottle as well as in a closet so it has been dark for 3 years.

 

[eadavis80]

This place is solid: http://www.homebrewing.org/Sale-Items_c_21.html

 

[GeorgiaTiger]

This place is solid: http://www.homebrewing.org/Sale-Items_c_21.html

Well thanks for this! Much easier on the wallet for this stuff. Ill upgrade later but this site will serve me well for now. THANK YOU

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Aluminum is all I could afford. Been using the same 10gal since 2009

 

[Atlmustang]

Good to see another Georgia brewer! I used AL for a bit doing BIAB. It didnt bother anything. I bought a SS eventually because I have heard aluminum being so soft can impart metal after a while. My kettle now is surgical stainless steel which means it has dome titanium in it to fortify it and keep metal out. Had to save for that though!

Whats your favorite local brew?

 

[bucfan1234]

I used aluminum until this year. There are articles that tell you how to condition the pot before brewing with it.

Personally, I think aluminum is fine. My grandmother cooked nearly every meal in aluminum pots (and washed everything in bleach), and that generation of my family was very long lived and had their faculties until the end. If there was a problem with the material, I doubt that would have been the case.

 

[GeorgiaTiger]

Whats your favorite local brew?

I really like most of the Burnt Hickory stuff. I used to help those guys out with brewing a little and really like them. Red Hare is pretty awesome too.

 

[Elkobrewer]

Welcome back.