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Author Topic: Aluminum Pot Oxidation  (Read 7234 times)

Offline jyohe09

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Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« on: October 18, 2014, 02:28:44 pm »
I recently purchased a turkey fryer combo from Sams club due to my current brew pot not being able to work with the stove(glasstop) in my new apartment. Today i boiled some water in it for about 30 minutes to oxidize it and prepare to use it tomorrow to make a pumpkin ale.  I knew coming into this that it would discolor it but I didnt think it would discolor it this much!  Does everything still look alright to the fellow brewers out there?




Offline dkfick

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2014, 02:30:33 pm »
Ideally you want the entire inside of the pot to look like that before you ever brew in it.
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Offline jyohe09

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2014, 02:33:11 pm »
So what would be the best way to get the top to look like this then?

Offline jyohe09

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2014, 04:05:36 pm »
After letting the pot dry i wiped the inside out with a sponge and the sponge came out with some black on it? I wiped it clean before I oxidized as well... as long as i clean it out again before I brew it should be ok to use right?

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2014, 07:44:07 pm »
So what would be the best way to get the top to look like this then?
Put an inch or 2 of water in it, boil with the lid on is the standard advice.
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Offline dkfick

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2014, 10:03:35 am »
Yes if you boil hard water in the pot... then just let it cool and it should oxidize.
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Offline tress

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2014, 05:36:39 am »
After letting the pot dry i wiped the inside out with a sponge and the sponge came out with some black on it? I wiped it clean before I oxidized as well... as long as i clean it out again before I brew it should be ok to use right?

Your pot looks just like mine.  For cleaning, always use the sponge side and try not to use the abrasive side too much or too hard and try to avoid any harsh detergents.
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Offline BairsBrewing

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2014, 10:13:39 pm »
I was always told to never use aluminum because it will impart off flavors in the wort.  I use stainless and it was quite spendy, aluminum would've been a lot cheaper but I have already made the investment.

Offline mabrungard

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #8 on: October 29, 2014, 07:36:42 am »
I was always told to never use aluminum because it will impart off flavors in the wort.

That may be true if you started with a freshly scrubbed kettle that was shiny and bright. But if you start with an oxidized dull gray surface like shown above, there is no chance of metallic flavor.  My kettle now has a tea-colored finish to it. I only scrub to the degree necessary to remove trub, never hard enough to remove the patina. Aluminum is well suited to homebrewing use.  Its not suited for kettles that get scrubbed and polished, like in a commercial brewery.
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Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2014, 08:09:17 am »
I was always told to never use aluminum because it will impart off flavors in the wort.

That may be true if you started with a freshly scrubbed kettle that was shiny and bright. But if you start with an oxidized dull gray surface like shown above, there is no chance of metallic flavor.  My kettle now has a tea-colored finish to it. I only scrub to the degree necessary to remove trub, never hard enough to remove the patina. Aluminum is well suited to homebrewing use.  Its not suited for kettles that get scrubbed and polished, like in a commercial brewery.

Aluminum's oxide layer will not stand up to the caustics that breweries use when they CIP.

One should not go too acidic with aluminum either. Boiling wort is fine as it is only mildly acidic, but cooking tomatoes in aluminum will also damage the oxide layer. 
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Offline BairsBrewing

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2014, 08:12:00 am »
If only I knew this 15yrs ago. Well, hopefully someone else will read this and save some huge $$$

Offline denny

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Re: Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2014, 09:49:29 am »
I was always told to never use aluminum because it will impart off flavors in the wort.  I use stainless and it was quite spendy, aluminum would've been a lot cheaper but I have already made the investment.

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Offline jyohe09

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Aluminum Pot Oxidation
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2014, 10:00:52 am »
Well hopefully in a couple weeks here I can put the questioning to rest in this thread when I try my pumpkin ale.  So results will follow...
« Last Edit: October 29, 2014, 10:04:41 am by jyohe09 »