Found cheap Brew Kettle from Restaurant Supply Store

[Kalaloch]

Was looking to buy a new Brewing Kettle as my old Brewers Best one got warped and now jiggles like a drunk woman at the disco - when I brew.

I realized Restaurant Supply Stores probably has large stock pots and sure enough I found one that is 6 gallons and very heavy duty aluminum for $38. Does any one see any issue if I used this? I do 5 gallon batches - should I go bigger on the size? Afraid if I go bigger (it’s wider) it’ll take forever to boil on stovetop.

 

[lump42]

I would go larger (8gal min) if you think you'd ever want to do full boil, all grain, 5+ gal batches. A 6 gallon kettle doesn't leave much room for boiling 6.5-7 gallon pre-boil volumes.

 

[Kalaloch]

Ok thanks! Will there be any issues because it is aluminum? I think my Brewers Best kettle was stainless steel

 

[redllama]

I brewed for years with an aluminum 7.5 gallon tamale steamer that I got at Walmart. Worked great and was a super cheap way for me to get my first "full size" kettle when I switched to all grain brewing.

 

[lump42]

Ok thanks! Will there be any issues because it is aluminum? I think my Brewers Best kettle was stainless steel

Not at all, I used a 8 gal aluminum pot that I picked up from a used restaurant equipment store for 5 years. All of the health concerns were debunked a while ago, but the myths persist. The big thing is to wash it well and then boil a water init to build up a protective passive oxide layer. Never had any issues using mine other than out growing it. Aluminum is really great at spreading the heat. If you're brewing full-volume inside, I'd make sure to get the lid to help get up to temps and also some fermcap-s as extra assurance against boil overs.

 

[augiedoggy]

Ok thanks! Will there be any issues because it is aluminum? I think my Brewers Best kettle was stainless steel

This will depend on whop you ask since its a highly debated topic... Theres a sticky here I think on the subject. Keep in mind aluminum is strongly not recommended for cooking acidic foods like red sauce because it dissolves into the food over time pitting the aluminum. Beer wort is around 5.2-5.6 ph.... That said there are plenty of people using them with zero issues. You will get a dull passivation film you do not want to clean away on the inside this help prevent the reaction between the aluminum and liquid and prevents off flavors so Ive read. BTW aluminum beer or soda cans are lined with a coating to prevent contact with the metal to the liquid.

The health concerns are inconclusive from what ive read not necessarily bebunked... off topic,

Meanwhile you see less and less uncoated aluminum cooking utensils being made and sold. Same thing happened with things like the heavy metal tooth fillings.. They knew they were bad news but slowly removed them from use and years later started removing them from peoples mouths who still had them myself included. (who knew they had mercury in them too)
Lets not forget officially it wasnt until the 70s that cigarettes were officially bad for your health decades after science and health officials knew it to be true.. prior to that P morris kept saying theres no conclusive proof and people chose to believe them. they even said on tv things like small babies being born as a result was a good thing.

Dont get me started on how long asbestos was "safe" after they knew it wasnt... Look at all the recent news about universities like Duke taking bribes or publishing false reports...
history doesnt lie,
Just yesterday I saw a conference video of trump claiming the "whoosh sound" a wind powered turbine makes causes cancer...(It no secret why he would claim such things) You cant always believe what you hear, sometimes you have to use common sense and your own judgement as well.

 

[lump42]

Cooking a meal in an aluminum pot adds 1-2 mg of Al to the food, the World Health Organization has set an upper limit of 50 mg/day that can be safely consumed. Al is naturally found in our food and water and excess Al is processed by the kidneys and leaves the body. There is no clear connection between Al consumption and Alzheimers' (Alzheimer's Society & Alzheimer's Assoc.) It's not the aluminum manufactures saying there's no link, but the associations supporting the disease research. The vast majority of neurological issues are from occupational exposure (ie aluminum welders). As long as the passive layer is maintained, the contact time between the wort and aluminum is not extended (no kettle souring), it will be safe to use the aluminum pot.