Beer Forum

I usually brew with store bought water, but I'm making an IPA and figured I could probably use my tap water (I live in LA and the water is full of chlorine). So I took my boil kettle, which is aluminium, and boiled some water to help dechlorinate last night (I'm brewing later this afternoon). When I woke up this morning my pot was making 'crackeling' noises and small white specks were present at water level and below.
I know aluminium is more reactive the stainless but I really didn't expect a reaction overnight.
Does anyone know what this is?? And is it harmfull to the beer or person drinking the beer.

Thanks
Ted

I think Doc or Colin Kaminski spoke about that one time - boiling the night before to reduce alkalinity. The carbonates precipitate out as calcium carbonate. Just rack off of it into another container and then clean.

I thought you just need to let the water sit to reduce chlorine...didn't think you needed to boil it. If it's chlorimines in your water, then use Campden tablets.

to quote saco, those are flavor crystals, they're delicious.

There was no reaction with the aluminum going on there. As stated earlier, that was just a calcium carbonate precipitate you are seeing there. Rack out the water and GENTLY scrub out the deposits making sure you don't scratch the oxide layer inside the pot. If you do, you will expose naked aluminum which may impart a metal taste to your wort until the oxide develops again.

Wayne