I need a new burner which is best/save my marriage

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jackson09

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I just completed a 10-gallon all-grain batch. I have a turkey fryer burner purchased at costco a few years back. It looks like a banjo burner. It took 1.5 hours to get to a mediocre boil. Based on my recipe I needed to boil off about 1.5 gallons during the boil which took 90 minutes. All told I lost at least 1 hour to waiting for my beer boil. Not to mention my angry foot-tapping wife who I told I would be done at 6pm and I rolled in the house at 8:30. The extra hours caused me to drink more beer which caused me to make sarcastic comments to her questionings like "what's taking so long"? While asserting I don't know what I am doing and I should complete one of the 97 household projects she has dreamed up watching HGTV instead of making stupid beer (her words). I may block that channel with parental controls until I can renovate a whole house in a 30 minute episode like they do. Too save my marriage: Which burner is best? I don't care too much about how much propane it burns. Please save my marriage.
 
IMO/IME, the Blichmann burner simply kicks ass. I have two (one on the longer legs) and can't see using anything else (until I get a brew stand)... IMO, worth every penny.
 
dfess1 said:
You have something like this: http://bayouclassicdepot.com/kab4_banjo_burner.htm and it takes you over an hour to get to a boil? That's what's known as a banjo burner. I have three of these burners on my rig. Maybe 25 min to get 12 gal of water to a full boil from 45 degree's.

My guess is he has a 4" banjo, not a 10" like the KAB4... which is what I use. With it, I can get 13 gallons rolling in about 25 mins, 7 gallons takes about 12 minutes. Cheers!
 
My guess is he has a 4" banjo, not a 10" like the KAB4... which is what I use. With it, I can get 13 gallons rolling in about 25 mins, 7 gallons takes about 12 minutes. Cheers!

I would agree to that (don't know the sizes though:D) from OP's comment that it is "like" a banjo not that it is one.
OP don't know if I am picking up the sarcasim right, but I hope I am, but was there any need to stand around waiting for it to boil (maybe that was you issue all along - a watched pot never boils!).
Usually I can get one job done around the house during brewing (small stuff like tidying the garage or something), but this sounds like your first 10G brew with the burner so you should have just started cursing the damn burner when she asked whats taking so long - if you are more impatient at the burner than she is at you then she will realise you are not having "fun" sitting outside waiting for a pot to boil :D
 
I'm by no means a Blichmann fanboy but that burner stomps any other burner I've used. It's insanely efficient. I have one with the leg extensions and plan to get 2 more for a major system upgrade I'll be doing soon.
 
Love the blichmann I have. Yea it's a little pricier but the thing is super efficient and quite. Plus the all stainless construction is a +
 
Here it is. It's no more than 6". Thank everyone for the responses so far. I did consider starting the boil as I collected the wort. Although that thought occurred after I collected 13 gallons of wort.


image-1829711570.jpg
 
Golddiggie said:
The Blichmann burner will kick that small one's ass all over the playground. :D Plus, the sucker is QUIET...

Same goes for the KAB4 by Bayou Classic, and it's cheaper. I just finished a 2 batch brew day in 4.75 hours... including clean up ;). I have 2 KAB4 burners.
 
Same goes for the KAB4 by Bayou Classic, and it's cheaper. I just finished a 2 batch brew day in 4.75 hours... including clean up ;). I have 2 KAB4 burners.

Actually, I had a KAB4 burner before... The Blichmann burner beats it hands down. Plus, you can use keggles on the Blichmann without worrying about getting it on there exactly right. There was very little room for error on the KAB4 frame. Unlike the Blichmann where it could handle even larger kettles without issue (fully supports keggles too).
 
Actually, I had a KAB4 burner before... The Blichmann burner beats it hands down. Plus, you can use keggles on the Blichmann without worrying about getting it on there exactly right. There was very little room for error on the KAB4 frame. Unlike the Blichmann where it could handle even larger kettles without issue (fully supports keggles too).

To be honest, I currently use just the 10" burners in my single-tier brew stand. That said, I've been told the burners are exactly the same. The difference is in everything that surrounds the burner, like wind screens and such. Either way, when I used the KAB4 burner out of the box, I was able to bring 5 gallons of 68F water to 175F in less than 25 minutes... did it numerous times. The KAB6 will fit a keggle... I use 15 gallon flat-bottom SS kettles, so it was never an issue. Cheers!
 
You can buy the KAB4 burner separately from the stand since you already have a stand that you could retrofit the new bigger burner to. It looks like you have the stainless version of the SQ14, so you have a really nice stand to work with. I like the design of that stand better than the KAB4/6 stand as it has more pot supports built into it. I'd look at building yourself a heatshield that would help direct all of the heat up and onto the pot, if you wanted to save some money. Though since you don't care about the price, I would buy a standalone KAB4/6 style burner ( http://bayouclassicdepot.com/bg14_cast_iron_burner.htm ) and mount it to your current stand and build a heatshield to direct all 100k+ BTUs into your pot.
 
You can buy the KAB4 burner separately from the stand since you already have a stand that you could retrofit the new bigger burner to. It looks like you have the stainless version of the SQ14, so you have a really nice stand to work with. I like the design of that stand better than the KAB4/6 stand as it has more pot supports built into it. I'd look at building yourself a heatshield that would help direct all of the heat up and onto the pot, if you wanted to save some money. Though since you don't care about the price, I would buy a standalone KAB4/6 style burner ( http://bayouclassicdepot.com/bg14_cast_iron_burner.htm ) and mount it to your current stand and build a heatshield to direct all 100k+ BTUs into your pot.

I agree with this, fully. Here's the link to Amazon... only $46 shipped.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Tell her you need an automated brewstand in order to cut the time down.... Guys are always taking pictures of my brewery to show their wives just to say "see I'm not that bad".... Even the ones that don't brew...
 
If you upgrade your burner using the same stand you will need a larger regulator and orifice. Also Blichman is the exact same burner in fact they buy them from bayou. But the stand is nice being made of SS and all that.
 
You can buy the KAB4 burner separately from the stand since you already have a stand that you could retrofit the new bigger burner to. It looks like you have the stainless version of the SQ14, so you have a really nice stand to work with. I like the design of that stand better than the KAB4/6 stand as it has more pot supports built into it. I'd look at building yourself a heatshield that would help direct all of the heat up and onto the pot, if you wanted to save some money. Though since you don't care about the price, I would buy a standalone KAB4/6 style burner ( http://bayouclassicdepot.com/bg14_cast_iron_burner.htm ) and mount it to your current stand and build a heatshield to direct all 100k+ BTUs into your pot.


How would this mount to the SQ14 frame, is it a direct bolt on? The smaller burner has a bottom mount bolt and the 10" one looks like it attaches on the sides. If it is a simple bolt on, then I may have to upgrade.:)

Thanks
Greg
 
If you upgrade your burner using the same stand you will need a larger regulator and orifice. Also Blichman is the exact same burner in fact they buy them from bayou. But the stand is nice being made of SS and all that.

Everyone says this because they look the same. However, here's a quote form their website:

"We weren't satisfied with selecting just any burner for the TopTier™, so we developed and tuned our own!"

I have no idea what they do to the normal banjo burner, but I believe they do make some improvements to it. I can't believe they just take an off the shelf burner and run with it. Take it for what it's worth.
 
Everyone says this because they look the same. However, here's a quote form their website:

"We weren't satisfied with selecting just any burner for the TopTier™, so we developed and tuned our own!"

I have no idea what they do to the normal banjo burner, but I believe they do make some improvements to it. I can't believe they just take an off the shelf burner and run with it. Take it for what it's worth.

I own three blichmann burners as part of a toptier. I highly doubt that Blichmann has "developed" their own. The burner is identical to the bayou, so I would suspect they come from the same source whether that be bayou or some overseas manufacturer.

Everything Blichmann works with is stainless and aluminum, it doesn't make sense that they'd bother with getting into the cast iron business just for one commodity part that they could easily get on the open market.

I'm biased because I own blichmanns, but I do believe they've engineered the burners to function better then the competition even while possibly using the same core parts.
 
How would this mount to the SQ14 frame, is it a direct bolt on? The smaller burner has a bottom mount bolt and the 10" one looks like it attaches on the sides. If it is a simple bolt on, then I may have to upgrade.:)

Thanks
Greg

No it's not a direct bolt on. You would have to change the regulator and the orifice to match the new burner.

On the Blichmann issue. They don't tune the burner any different. The improvements in the burner are all in the stand. What is different is that they have the shroud come almost to the bottom of the kettle. That makes a huge difference in how much heat gets into the kettle.
 
I own three blichmann burners as part of a toptier. I highly doubt that Blichmann has "developed" their own. The burner is identical to the bayou, so I would suspect they come from the same source whether that be bayou or some overseas manufacturer.

Everything Blichmann works with is stainless and aluminum, it doesn't make sense that they'd bother with getting into the cast iron business just for one commodity part that they could easily get on the open market.

I'm biased because I own blichmanns, but I do believe they've engineered the burners to function better then the competition even while possibly using the same core parts.

So you believe they flat out lied on their website?

Like I said, take it for what it's worth. I never said they are casting their own burner, that would be silly. It is very probable, however, that they worked with the company that manufactures the stock banjo burner to make a slightly modified, better performing version for them. Companies do this all the time. I have no proof of this, however, taking their whole product line into account, I can't see them using the off-the-shelf bayou burner and making false claims that they tuned it. They look the same from the exterior, so everyone says they are identical, but Blichmann states otherwise.

I'd love to see a detailed comparison of the inside of the Blichmann version versus the Bayou Classic version. I know from my experience working with engines, that taking even a stock intake manifold and porting and polishing it, increases performance through improved airflow. Maybe the same concept is at work here? If they did turn out to be indetical on the interior, then Blichmann would have some explaining to do.
 
So you believe they flat out lied on their website?

Like I said, take it for what it's worth. I never said they are casting their own burner, that would be silly. It is very probable, however, that they worked with the company that manufactures the stock banjo burner to make a slightly modified, better performing version for them. Companies do this all the time. I have no proof of this, however, taking their whole product line into account, I can't see them using the off-the-shelf bayou burner and making false claims that they tuned it. They look the same from the exterior, so everyone says they are identical, but Blichmann states otherwise.

I'd love to see a detailed comparison of the inside of the Blichmann version versus the Bayou Classic version. I know from my experience working with engines, that taking even a stock intake manifold and porting and polishing it, increases performance through improved airflow. Maybe the same concept is at work here? If they did turn out to be indetical on the interior, then Blichmann would have some explaining to do.

The difference is in the stand not the banjo burner. If you look at rated outputs they are both 72,00 btu. It takes a huge foundry to cast iron. If they were producing those burners at the scale that a homebrew suppler would be able to they would cost a whole lot more. Think of it as casting a one off engine block. What blichmann did was engineer a stand/ shroud combo that allows most of the heat energy to reach the pot instead of just heating the surrounding air. They did this by making the shroud closer to the bottom of the pot. An added benefit of moving the shroud is the burner is quieter. I think that Blichmann does make some good products infact I have 3 Blichman kettles.
 
So you believe they flat out lied on their website?

I don't believe they're saying what you think they're saying - thus I don't believe they're close to "lying". They're saying they "developed and tuned" a burner rather then selecting one. I believe they're viewing the whole apparatus as "the burner" and they've taken a common commodity part and placed it in a well engineered stand that performs better then their competition.

I believe that's the development and tuning aspect, but I don't believe at all that they have enough business to order "custom tuned" cast burners that are virtually identical to a much cheaper and much more commonly available commodity.

EDIT: Or what crazyirishman34 said above ^^^^^^
 
If you figure in how much work Blichman does on producing the stand out of all stainless the extra $40 or so that they charge verses the Bayou burner is worth the money.

Yes you can convert them to Natural gas. You are going to loose some BTUs because NG has less BTU per cubic foot. If you get the correct orifice you can get close. You can use this valve for both

http://www.brewershardware.com/Valve-and-NG-Orifice-for-BURN10-BURNVALVENAT.html
 
I don't believe they're saying what you think they're saying - thus I don't believe they're close to "lying". They're saying they "developed and tuned" a burner rather then selecting one. I believe they're viewing the whole apparatus as "the burner" and they've taken a common commodity part and placed it in a well engineered stand that performs better then their competition.

I believe that's the development and tuning aspect, but I don't believe at all that they have enough business to order "custom tuned" cast burners that are virtually identical to a much cheaper and much more commonly available commodity.

EDIT: Or what crazyirishman34 said above ^^^^^^

Makes sense, I can roll with this :D
 
How would this mount to the SQ14 frame, is it a direct bolt on? The smaller burner has a bottom mount bolt and the 10" one looks like it attaches on the sides. If it is a simple bolt on, then I may have to upgrade.:)

Thanks
Greg

No its not a direct bolt-on. You would have to make some supports to hold the burner on and you would also have to upgrade your regulator to the 30psi version. After looking at the cost of everything on amazon, it ends up costing the same as buying the KAB4 burner and stand. It depends on your need and storage space. If you have the space to store 2 full burners and stands than buy the pre-assembled KAB4/6. I don't have the room to store 2 burners and I don't really need them as I do BIAB so I can get away with 1 burner. It's much easier to store the old burner somewhere in a corner than it is to find a place for another large stand.

I think it would be worth building a heatshield around his current burner and see if that helps with his boil times.
 
Thanks for the reply, I was just curious if t was an easy change. I also do BIAB so no need for a second burner, but I did make a wind guard and it helped a lot with the heating.
 
Thanks for the reply, I was just curious if t was an easy change. I also do BIAB so no need for a second burner, but I did make a wind guard and it helped a lot with the heating.

How long does it take you now with the wind guard to bring a full batch up to boil?

I don't think that it would be too hard to mount the larger burner in a SQ14 frame, it will just end up costing about $80.
 
If an extra two and a half hours is going to make or break your marriage, you might as well just give up brewing. All the burners in the world aren't going to keep your wife from nagging. She obviously sees this as a complete waste of time making stupid beer and that is the root of the problem, not your burner.
 
How long does it take you now with the wind guard to bring a full batch up to boil?

I don't think that it would be too hard to mount the larger burner in a SQ14 frame, it will just end up costing about $80.

I haven't actually timed it, but from mash temps I would think about 15-20 minutes. Takes about 30 minutes or so to get to strike temps from 70 degree water.
 
Found this thread searching for what burner I should upgrade to....

My birthday present is to order what I want for my birthday. :D I am also trying to get the most out of the almighty dollar...as usual...and I sorta hate my turkey fryer burners.

So, from what I gather:
Blichmann burner is really well built, and efficient. $150
Bayou Classic KAB4/6 is nice, but not as efficient. $90/$100 respectively.
All the other, smaller burners are not ideal. $30-50 for most turkey fryer burners.

The idea I have, is to buy burners that I can set on the floor for now. Then down the road, have my buddy build me a brew stand similar to the Ruby Street rig that I can then put the burners into. This is why I am leaning toward the cheaper KAB4. I will "engineer" my stand to direct the heat to the kettle. For now, I am brewing in the garage, and totally out of the wind, so the Blichmann may or may not do a whole lot for me.... (and no, I don't desire the Top Tier stand, and I know the Blichmann will bolt up to it).

Correct me if I am wrong?

-Kurt
 
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