What the hel! happened to my new brewpot?

[trub quaffer]

Just finished brewing a hefeweizen with my brand new bayou classic propane burner. Love it. The burner kicks a$$!!! The burner also came with a shiny aluminum? 7 gallon kettle. Don't love it- doesn't kick a$$. After my brew water came to a boil, my shiny new brewpot turned an a$$-ugly brown color and my brew water turned an equally a$$-ugly gray color. What the hel! happened to my shiny new brewpot??? I've always used stainless steel pots and have not experienced this before.

I decided to go ahead and brew with this wonderful gray water and see what would happen. My golden hefeweizen not surprisingly turned out kind of a muddy clay color. The sample I pulled for my OG reading had a very slight metallic flavor (may have been my negative attitude playing on my imagination- not sure.)

I have a couple of questions. 1) Will this discoloration drop out of solution as precipitate or am I stuck with a mud colored hefeweizen? 2) Will this pot stop discoloring my water after 1 or 2 brewing sessions or should I just chuck the pot in the trash along with the packing material the burner and pot came in?

 

[EvilTOJ]

The black dullness is aluminum oxide. The oxide layer is normal on new aluminum pots. You should have thrown out the water you first boiled it in, but it's perfectly normal. It's actually encouraged to boil water in a brand new aluminum pot. The reason you've never seen this before is because you've always used SS pots before, which don't build up a layer like that.

Relax. Don't worry. It's normal! I don't know if the mudness will drop out of your hefe though. Have someone else taste a sample, and don't tell them what you're looking for. If they say it tastes metallic, then it's not your imagination.

 

[AnOldUR]

There has to be a thread here somewhere dealing with conditioning your aluminum pot. One thing to keep in mind is to not scrub that "brown" from the inside of your pot. It is a protective coating. If you clean it with a paper towel or rag it will not wipe off.

I use an 11 gallon Bayou pot. I'm always looking at the stainless pots, but have to remind myself that the one I have works great.

But shiny stuff sure is nice

 

[trub quaffer]

Sorry for the late night tirade on an issue that's been more than adequately covered already. I know better than to post without searching but I guess intoxication and aggitation got the better of me. Thanks for the feedback sans flames. I boiled a pot of water this morning and it came out nice and clear so I guess my aluminum pot is now appropriately "seasoned". Hey, I'm starting to like that pot more already! Now I'll just have to wait and see how my Aluminum Hefe turns out....

 

[RodfatherX]

There has to be a thread here somewhere dealing with conditioning your aluminum pot. One thing to keep in mind is to not scrub that "brown" from the inside of your pot. It is a protective coating. If you clean it with a paper towel or rag it will not wipe off.

I use an 11 gallon Bayou pot. I'm always looking at the stainless pots, but have to remind myself that the one I have works great.

But shiny stuff sure is nice

LOL I've tried to clean it off a small pan that I didn't mean to get it in. I scrubbed and scrubbed....even with baking soda. And barely made a dent in the oxide.