Beer Forum

I have a 7.5gal turkey cooker that I was considering using for my brew pot. It is aluminum and has a built in in spigot. The burner is a 10psi.
Since I am a newbie to brewing on a budget I thought this might be a good option to start with. I will be doing 5gal extracts so I thought this would work well.
What are the negatives with using Aluminum versus a stainless steel
Is a 10psi burner adequate for a 5gal boil

Turkey fryers are fine for brewing... the pot is a bit thin and taller than would be ideal, but it will do the job, and allow you to do all grain. Aluminum is fine, just make sure it's not oily inside if you've used it to fry. Most turkey fryers should have plenty of heat to get you up to boiling. (they do have to heat oil to 350F)

Do be aware that if you move to doing a full boil, that you won't have the same ability to use an ice bath to chill it if that's what you've been using. You would want to look into getting ahold of a wort chiller of some sort, which may go against the 'brewing on a budget' thing for now. You could always move outside and continue doing partial boils and save up for a better way to chill your wort if you don't have one already.

A 7.5 gallon turkey fryer is exactly how I moved my brewing outside (and shortly thereafter switched to AG). There is nothing wrong with aluminium. However, I found I really had to babysit it as it came to a boil to prevent boilovers (a squirt bottle is quite handy for this). Other than that it works just fine (I got tired of the babysitting and upgraded to a Penrose kettle before too long). Maybe look into some of those foam control drops and you'll be happier.

Thanks for the tips/reassurance on the Turkey kettle

Still debating buying a wort chiller. Would like to save up for a counterflow/pump sytem eventually. That Penrose kettle would be sweet with a pump system.

I too have a turkey fryer, but I just ordered a new 10kettle gal with a valve. The fryer works, but you will want to upgrade in the future. Do not hesitate on getting a chiller, though. I went without for far too long. You will literally shave HOURS off of brewday.

Also, if you are buying ice, the cost of a wort chiller will be covered the money you save from ~20 batches (plus water costs).

Once you go to 5 gallon full boil batches, ice baths no longer cut it.
5.5 gallons of near-boiling wort is too much to move around without serious risk of scalding yourself or someone else.
It takes far too long to cool down, and all along the way, it's a great environment for bacteria to take hold and ruin your beer before its even out of the pot. Of course, you can cover it, but that prolongs cooling and any SMM that would escape can't because of the lid.

Bottom line, the turkey fryer and wort chiller go hand in hand. You'll be glad you got them together.

RipCity wrote:That Penrose kettle would be sweet with a pump system.

Yes, yes it is

I agree with everyone else on the wort chiller. Do not discount the cost savings of the time saved--it will be well worth it.