Getting a burner: SQ14, Darkstar, or?

I recently got a screaming deal on an 80qt aluminium kettle, and I want to move up to 10 gal batches. I'm getting the parts for a wort chiller, and hopefully will be able to put in a spigot and get a pump soon.

But I don't know that my stove can handle a 7ish gal boil, let alone the 13 or more needed for a full 10 gal batch. So I'm looking at going propane.

I can get an SQ14 Bayou Classic for about $45 at Walmart. The Dark Stars are about the same, maybe a little more. Which would be more efficient? It'd be nice to hold the propane costs down, it's quite expensive in these parts. Is there another alternative I should consider?

I have (2) SP10 burners from Bayou and love them!

Heats my strike water in about 15min and brings wort to a boil in around the same time.

I cannot comment too much on the DarkStar, but I seem to recall reading some negative comments somewhere about them.

So my vote is for anything from Bayou Classic.


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I have 3 SP10 burners with a ten psi regulator on my brew stand....plenty of btus for the 10-12 gallon batches I do!

I recommend going with a BG-12 or BG-14 burner element over the BG-10 - the latter has a tendency to produce a lot of soot after extended use (doesn't happen to everyone, but lots of people complain about it).

The SQ-14 comes with the BG-12 element. The DarkStar looks like it uses the BG-10. I used the SQ-14 for years and was very happy with it. I still use the BG-12 burners on my current brewstand for 10-gallon batches.

FWIW, I use this:
http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/king-kooker-12-tripod-propane-jet-burner/pid-27735?N=578846088
Works incredibly well. 8 gal water from tap to boil in about 12 minutes. Rolling boil can be held with the reg only about 1/3 open.

I own a darkstar burner. Don't get one. It has hands down the dirtiest flame of any burner I have ever seen. I literally spend 30 minutes after a long day of brewing scrubbing all the soot off of the bottom of the pot.

Thanks for the input everyone!

Has anyone done a comparison between the different elements to see which is most efficient?

Looks like the SP10 and SQ14 are about the same price.

I'm curious as well how people would compare the SP10 and the SQ14.

mrgrimm101 said:

I'm curious as well how people would compare the SP10 and the SQ14.

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I have seen and used both burners and the SP10 is better IMO.

More stable (both are very stable though), the description of the SP10 specifically indicates a stability factor and low center of gravity. I would feel comfortable putting any size kettle on either burner, but slightly more confident with the Sp10.

The biggest advantage over the SQ14 is the built in windscreen around the burner. Not fool-proof but I have seen and had the flame go out a bunch of times on my friends SQ14. If you put the SP10 outside on a windy day, it will also experience a flame extinguish too.
I once walked away from my burner for about 5 min and came back to find it out. No idea what portion of that time it had even been out.

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brewkinger said:

I have seen and used both burners and the SP10 is better IMO.

More stable (both are very stable though), the description of the SP10 specifically indicates a stability factor and low center of gravity. I would feel comfortable putting any size kettle on either burner, but slightly more confident with the Sp10.

The biggest advantage over the SQ14 is the built in windscreen around the burner. Not fool-proof but I have seen and had the flame go out a bunch of times on my friends SQ14. If you put the SP10 outside on a windy day, it will also experience a flame extinguish too.
I once walked away from my burner for about 5 min and came back to find it out. No idea what portion of that time it had even been out.

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Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks! Do you find a significant difference in propane use rate between the two?

I can brew 4 or 5 batches of all grain beers on a single tank. I run it pretty much wide open to heat strike and sparge water.
When boiling the wort, I am able to shut it right down to perhaps 1/4 to 1/3rd open to keep a nice rolling boil.


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Dopeybrew said:

I own a darkstar burner. Don't get one. It has hands down the dirtiest flame of any burner I have ever seen. I literally spend 30 minutes after a long day of brewing scrubbing all the soot off of the bottom of the pot.

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What he said. Dark star sucks. My vote is for the SQ 10. Used mine for years with no problems. Still kick myself for letting it go.

brewkinger said:

I can brew 4 or 5 batches of all grain beers on a single tank. I run it pretty much wide open to heat strike and sparge water.
When boiling the wort, I am able to shut it right down to perhaps 1/4 to 1/3rd open to keep a nice rolling boil.


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Click to expand...

That is extremely helpful, thank you! Looks like I'm getting an SP10.