OK I am moving up to do all grain and need to get a bigger pot. I am tossing between Aluminum enamel because they are lower cost the the stainless steel and was told that the old adage of have to have stainless steel has been debumked.
I found enamel 36 qt for 45 bucks, I know Al is about the same. does anyone favor one vs. the other.
Why not just straight aluminum?
I’m much more familiar with enameled cast iron for cooking, not brewing. It will chip if dinged, but not a biggy when on aluminum for brewing. But, why add extra weight to your boil pot with the enamel?
If you go the aluminum boil pot route I’d suggest get the thickest gauge you can afford to avoid scorching and don’t use pbw or oxyclean on it if you do scorch it.
Something I have learned with many hobbies and interests. If you really are planning on doing your hobby for any length of time bite the bullet up front and spend a little extra to get the good stuff (in this case; thicker bottom, heavier gauge, larger size) because if you don’t you can find yourself re-buying it again.
I didn’t answer your question but rather gave my sideways opinion. 
All-grain is fun, enjoy! Good Luck :cheers:
Brew On
Skip the enamel.
I am guessing the OP means enameled like a granite-ware or canning pot. An enameled cast iron pot that large would be pretty difficult to work with and pretty expensive.
But I think the enameled aluminum also chips pretty easily.
I am a new brewer so I may be off on this, but if your doing all grain on a bit burner you might need something heavier than a cheap aluminum . Seems like the cheap thin aluminum would scorch you wort very quickly. I would thin you need a heavier pot to distribute the heat well.
Unless I have miss-read things.
Whatever route you choose make it big enough for the batch size you might evetually brew. I agree that otherwise you will end up with more than one large pot (not a bad thing in itself, but it does mean more cost overall in getting to the final larger size).
As said above - brew on!
I used an enamel canning pot for a long time. Worked just fine and was inexpensive. Yes you can chip the enamel off but I only managed to get one small one in the rim. It was a 7 gallon, just large enough for a 5 gallon full boil.
When I stepped up to 10 gallon batches kettles became a big expense so I made my own converted Sanke keg. If you are handy with tools, use a outdoor propane burner and want a big kettle they are the way to go IMO. If you can or know someone who can weld aluminum then you can have a really nice one. Mine was made with a Sawzall and homemade weldless spigot but worked fine. They are also pretty much indestructible.
Do yourself a favor no matter which pot you decide on and get one with or install a spigot.
I bought a 60 qt aluminum pot and it was very reasonable. Sides are thick and it has zero flex. Installed a stainless steel valve and couldn’t be happier. I clean it with dish soap every once and a while and it has a nice black patina where the wort contacts.
Whatever you decide to do, I wouldn’t skimp on quality. I would also think about your future needs. If you ever plan to move up from 5 gallon batches, try to make the investment now in the equipment you will need.
I use a Sanke as my electric kettle to brew 10 gallon batches. Like others have said, it’s extremely durable and will last forever. It’s a little hard to work with if you ever try to drill holes or cut it. It’s worth the money to have a good welder make the necessary modifications unless you have the proper tools to do the job.
