Aluminum pot for wort?

Northern Brewer General
1

Well I found a turkey fryer kit for cheap but it came with an aluminum pot will this be okay for boiling wort for longer than an hour?

Help is greatly appreciated!

2

Yes. I’ve heard to boil water in aluminum first to season.

3

No problem. I’ve been using a turkey fryer/7.5 G aluminum BK combo from Bass Pro shop since May or so. To condition the pot, boil water in it for 10-15 minutes before using. Then make sure you DO NOT scrub off that dull oxidized finish.

4

I’ve given that same idea some very serious thought myself.I never did follow through with it,though.I bought a very good mash tun/brew kettle and a separate brew kettle and a fairly cheap campfire cooker,and I’m having decent results with that setup,as far as the length of brewing time and mash efficiency are concerned,although I’d really like to upgrade to a more powerful burner when I can afford to.My only concern with the turkey fryer idea is the thickness of the metal on the kettle.I’ve noticed that most of them tend to be pretty thin.While that might make for a quick boil,it might also mean that you have to be careful to keep the flame intensity low enough that the wort won’t scorch.If you decide to go with this idea,I’d recommend that you use a metal mash paddle or some other long metal tool to periodically scrape the bottom of the kettle during boiling to verify if there’s any scorching happening.If there is,turn the flame down.Other than that concern,I’d go for it.I’m sure there have been many homebrewers out there who have used that kind of setup successfully.If you do go ahead with the purchase,please post the rest of us on how it goes for you.

5

Awesome thanks for all the help guys!!!

6

Well damn. I boiled some a few days ago in my turkey fryer and noted the large burn mark in the bottom of the kettle after I racked it into primary. I hope that doesn’t screw up my honey brown . . . Though perhaps a bit of scorch won’t be too bad in this beer. We shall see.

Thanks for giving me something to worry about for the next 6 weeks.

7

Well damn. I boiled some a few days ago in my turkey fryer and noted the large burn mark in the bottom of the kettle after I racked it into primary. I hope that doesn’t screw up my honey brown . . . Though perhaps a bit of scorch won’t be too bad in this beer. We shall see.

Thanks for giving me something to worry about for the next 6 weeks.[/quote]

Are you using extract? Scorching can be a problem in any pot if it settles to the bottom and isn’t mixed in well.
Instead of worrying for 6 weeks, brew some more beer. :cheers:

8

Well damn. I boiled some a few days ago in my turkey fryer and noted the large burn mark in the bottom of the kettle after I racked it into primary. I hope that doesn’t screw up my honey brown . . . Though perhaps a bit of scorch won’t be too bad in this beer. We shall see.

Thanks for giving me something to worry about for the next 6 weeks.[/quote]

Well,at least you know what to look out for in the future.I imagine your beer will be fine,though.

9

Well damn. I boiled some a few days ago in my turkey fryer and noted the large burn mark in the bottom of the kettle after I racked it into primary. I hope that doesn’t screw up my honey brown . . . Though perhaps a bit of scorch won’t be too bad in this beer. We shall see.

Thanks for giving me something to worry about for the next 6 weeks.[/quote]

Are you using extract? Scorching can be a problem in any pot if it settles to the bottom and isn’t mixed in well.
Instead of worrying for 6 weeks, brew some more beer. :cheers: [/quote]

Good point.I hadn’t even considered the extract issue.That definitely does scorch more easily than all-grain wort.

10

I’ve brewed a few extract batches in a turkey fryer setup (from menards, I believe). When making any ME additions- I turn the burner off or way down, and stir the wort to dissolve the extract before it even thinks about sinking to the bottom of the pot. The rest of the time (60+ minutes) the burner is at whatever setting will keep the wort at a nice boil. On my first batch there was a small amount of scorching, but since then appropriate dissolving of the extract has prevented any other batches from any scorching.

11

I brew in an aluminum pot. I have no reference otherwise but I did season the pot as suggested.

Inside will turn black and you dont want to scrub that off. As far as I can tell, none of that transfers to the wort…

I just checked a hefeweizen I brewed a few weeks ago…light as can be!

12

I’ve been using my original 5 gal aluminum pot for about 2 1/2 years now and 34 brews (not counting some crappy Mr Beer kits I tried to fix), and I did burn some LME long ago. There hasn’t been any noticeable taste passed on.

I do BIAB now, but some time back I quit using LME at the beginning of my boil so as not to need to take the pot off of the heat. I use either (or both) DME or the wort from steeping/mashing, and there is no concern of this happening. I save the LME (and honey) for flame out.

I really like my thin aluminum pot as I enjoy brewing in the kitchen on the electric stove. We’ve replaced the large burner with a hotter coil, though I’ve had a standard burner work well with 4 gals. In Texas it’s just too hot for too long to brew outside, and all of the flies and gnats for miles come hang out when I BBQ. Not to mention I love the way the house smells for the rest of the day!