Aluminum pot vs. Stainless Steel

[johnnysoj]

Thanks for the replies. I spotted some aluminum pots at a market. 8 gallon for $39.
Looking on Craigslist and Ebay but not finding great deals.

Want to start my first brew, but I have been told its too hot right now. I have read that ales need to ferment at less than 75 degrees or I will get shitty beer. I want to brew an IPA. Im am excited but restrained!!! Been wanting to do this for some time and have finally told my wife its happening. Look forward to learning from you all.

Hey Trex,
There are ways around the heat that don't involve breaking the bank buying a fridge, or running the AC for days on end. You can buy an ice cube cooler from walmart for ~30 bucks, and some styrofoam insulation panels from HD or Lowes. You use the panels to build a stepped up lid so your carboy fits covered in the cooler, then you put a frozen water bottle and some water in the cooler along with the carboy, the ambient temperature with the fermenting wort should stay well within acceptable temps. Here's a link where I found the plans.

http://www.bayareamashers.org/gadgets/Dave%27s%20Cheap%20n%20Easy%20fermentation%20chiller.pdf

The great thing about homebrewing is the tinkering and macguyvering you can do to build the devices you'll use to make great beer!

Good luck!

[Beer_Baron]

Can I get away with an aluminum pot or is stainless steel required? Pros and/or Cons?

I wonder why more people don't use aluminum pots for Hot Liquor Tanks. I use a 10 gallon aluminum "tamale steamer" pot ($30) as an HLT for my AG rig. You don't really have to clean HLT's with anything caustic or sanitize them with anything acidic so no worries about the reactivity of the metal. They are lighter than stainess, so if you have a gravity system that makes it easier to lift the HLT up to the top level. That said, I love my stainless 15 gallon B3 "heavy duty" boil kettle. But for folks thinking about building an all-grain system, consider an aluminum HLT.