stainless steel or aluminum?

[liquid134]

im just starting out, and am planning on doin 5 gallon batches. was originally going to get a 5 gallon stainless steel brew pot, (or maybe even larger) but then i saw on here, some people mentioning aluminum pots. i just kind of figured everything had to be stainless.

so.... does it have to be stainless steel?

whats the plus/minus's for both?

 

[fosaisu]

There's a full discussion here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/faq-aluminum-pots-boil-kettles-49449/

My two cents: aluminum is cheap, light, and there's no compelling evidence that it causes health problems when used in this application. Others disagree, of course, which is why there are so many threads on the topic! But if you read trough that FAQ you can get the full spectrum of opinions and make up your own mind (that's what I did before buying my aluminum kettle).

 

[stvo]

They both work well and get the job done...... Get the largest you can afford that way you'll never have to upgrade.

 

[woknblues]

im just starting out, and am planning on doin 5 gallon batches. was originally going to get a 5 gallon stainless steel brew pot, (or maybe even larger) but then i saw on here, some people mentioning aluminum pots. i just kind of figured everything had to be stainless.

so.... does it have to be stainless steel?

whats the plus/minus's for both?

You will find tons of threads about this topic. See below!

I like aluminum because it is a much better conductor of heat, therefore heats more evenly, therefore no (or less) boil overs/scorching. Also, it is light and cheaper than comparable SS options.

I eat in restaurants on occasion, so I am not afraid to use aluminum as it would be weird to not use it in making beer, but still eat in restaurants where probably 90% of the cookware is aluminum, for most of the reasons I cited above.

 

[unionrdr]

Aluminum kettles need that oxide layer boiled onto them to be useable with acidic wort. Stainless Steel doesn't. Aluminum seems to gather heat about as fast as it dissipates it.

 

[grv]

Aluminum was fine for me. Many tasty batches in that pot. As already noted, debate on this subject is extensive. For my own experience, I boiled a large quantity of water in my aluminum pot for about a half hour to season it, was careful not to scrub the oxidation layer off, and it treated me well. I won a stainless steel pot, otherwise I'd still be using aluminum.

Get at least an 8 gallon pot for 5 gallon batches. 10 even better. Pre boil volume for 5 gallons may boil over with less. Good luck!

 

[fosaisu]

Aluminum was fine for me. Many tasty batches in that pot. As already noted, debate on this subject is extensive. For my own experience, I boiled a large quantity of water in my aluminum pot for about a half hour to season it, was careful not to scrub the oxidation layer off, and it treated me well. I won a stainless steel pot, otherwise I'd still be using aluminum.

Get at least an 8 gallon pot for 5 gallon batches. 10 even better. Pre boil volume for 5 gallons may boil over with less. Good luck!

Agree with the sizing advice (this will end up mattering a lot more than whether you go SS or aluminum). I went with a 10 gallon and have never regretted it -- I think it would be a little exciting trying to do a full boil of a 5 or 5.5 gallon batch in even an 8 gallon kettle, it's nice to have a few extra inches of space since the boil can really kick up when you throw in hops or other additions.