Darin

Recipes 

I got some new equipment for my birthday and can't wait to use it. My wife bought me a Blichmann floor burner with a 10 gal Blichmann kettle on back order. I'm and extract/grains brewer used to doing partial boils. I'm pretty excited to use the new equipment and start on full boils.

Now I just have to pick up the leg extensions and a propane tank. Does anyone have any tips for a propane newbie?

beerman1957

Recipes 

My tip is to have TWO tanks of propane. I seem to run out in the middle of a brew.
You also don't want to have a raging boil when you do a full boil. Just a soft boil is good enough and that will cut down on scorching the wort. Lastly, your hop recipe will need to be adjusted because a 60 min hop addition needs to be accounted for if you haven't been doing 60 minute boil times yet.

cvstrat

Recipes 

Congrats on the major gear upgrade! I've been using a 10gal megapot for about a year and for Christmas my g/f surprised me with a 15gal Blichmann. They're pretty beast.

Going all grain full boil is only way to go. You'll be happy you did.

Just be aware of how you're going to get the burning hot liquid transfered to the mash tun and whatnot. The Blichmann is heavier and taller than my megapot, and is therefor a LOT harder to pick up and pour into the mash tun. The 10gal might not be as bad.

Also do yourself a favor and get 2 propane tanks. It's expensive up front, but you're going to run out in the middle of a brew one day and that's a major beyotch. Find a place that will fill your tank for you (not exchange it). Places that exchange tanks give you a tank that's not totally full. You could be paying for a 20lb tank and it's got 15lbs of propane in it.. It's a common practice. Find a gas supply place if you can, like a welding supply store or whatever and call and see if they will fill tanks. It's usually like 15-18 bucks, but it's totally full and you can take in a partially filled one to top if off and just pay for what you get.

Darin

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Not going AG quite yet. I don't have any of that equipment and really don't have the space. Thanks for the tips and advice though. I really appreciate it.

Hex

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All it takes for you to AG from this point is to buy a $5 nylon paint strainer bag and BIAB or LIAB (Brew or Lauter In A Bag).

Seven

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Congrats on the 10-gal Blichmann! I got one of these for Christmas too and I love it.

One thing you may or may not be aware of (I sure wasn't) ... if you're planning to use the built-in ball valve spigot to transfer wort from the kettle then you will also need one of these:

Stainless 1/2" NPT x 3/8" Barb

Luckily I figured this out prior to brewing my first batch of beer and I had time to order this crucial part.

Enjoy!

Darin

Recipes 

Thanks for the info on the getting the barb. I'll make sure and order one. I'm also planning on getting the 24" leg extensions. Does anyone know if they are sold as a set of 4 or separately? It seems like they should come as a set but you never know.

Seven

Recipes 

The 24" leg extension kit comes as a complete set. Also, save the default/short legs that come with the burner because you'll need them later if you ever plan to switch to the Blichmann top-tier rack system.

maida7

Recipes 

My tip would be to use your burner in a well ventilated place. Preferably outside. Legally these kind of burners are only for use outdoors. Lots of people use them in their garage. If you do use it in the garage make sure you keep the door open for fresh air. Also, don't burn your house down as that may not be covered on your insurance.

Do you have a chiller? As soon as you start full sized boils you will want/need a chiller. I recommend an immersion chiller. They are affordable and work really well.

Danbreeze

Recipes 

+1 for this idea. I ran out of propane in the middle of a 75 min boil and it was a huge PITA b/c I was brewing alone and had to waste the time grabbing the tank refill and bringing the wort back up to boil again.

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